History of St. John the Baptist's Church, Chester. By the
Rev. S. Cooper Scott, M.A., Vicar. (Philipson and Golder, Chester.)— This is one of the most interesting books of the kind that have come in our way. It consists of lectures delivered by the writer to his parishioners. The lecture form has been wisely retained, and the volume is eminently readable. St. John's is an old foundation, dating from before the Conquest, and there are re- mains which seem to indicate a still greater antiquity. The records of early days are somewhat meagre. Before the Reforma- tion it had become an important foundation, being a Collegiate Church of secular clergy with considerable revenues. These were mercilessly spoiled by Henry VIII. Mr. Scott tells the story with a pardonable, if not a just, indignation. All that we can suggest on the other side is that if the clergy at all resembled the similarly constituted body of Southwell Minster (as depicted lately in Mr. A. F. Leach's " Visitations," edited for the Camden Society), one does not wonder at the scanty consideration which they received. Copious notices survive in the Churchwardens' books of the post-Reformation period,—i.e., from 1635 downwards. These contain an unbroken record of parochial events, and this record is often tinged with a good deal of human feeling, and is anything but a dry chronicle of receipts and expenditure. The entries relating to the poor are particularly intere-sting. Many various attempts were made to solve a problem which, as Mr. Scott says, is still unsolved. Sometimes outdoor, sometimes indoor relief was tried. Once an industrial experiment was made. Entries relating to repair and ornamentation of the church are frequent. The building has been unlucky. Twice a tower has fallen, the second time on April 15th, 1881, destroying a fine Early English
porch. Among the entr:es are Paid for birdlime to catch owles in the Church, 00. 00.02." " Whitewashing the Church, 27 7s." " Paid for an Umbrell, for Mr. Richardson to read the Burial Service under, 21 6s." " Paid for washing the Parish Sheet, for Club's wife to stand penan::e in, 00 . 00 . 02." " Given a poor woman and her five children going to New England, 00 . 02 . 00." In 1635, the materials and making of a surplice cost 21 16s. 4d. ; in 1662, a new one cost 22 2s. 6d. (Eight ells of holland were used, and it must have been a different vestment from the scanty Roman albs now commonly worn.) A pulpit cushion in 1743 cost .27 2s. 9d. There is much curious informa- tion in these pages.
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