ed soldiers; the keeping of the
parish butts and the stocks; the destruction of frugivorous birds and
animals (the statutory "vermin"), etc.

[202] The act-books are full of "detections" for being an
"uncharitable person," for "not giving to the poor," etc. See pp. 41
ff., _supra_.

[203] Reference is here made to the occasional seizure of parish lands
or funds by the Queen's commissioners for concealed lands. See
Strype's strong language in his _Ann. of the Ref_. (Oxon. ed.), ii,
Pt. i, 310. He speaks of the unjust oppressions of courtiers and other
griping men, 'harpies' and 'hell-hounds,' who, under the pretense of
commissions, "did intermeddle and challenge land of long times
possessed by churchwardens, and such like, upon the charitable gifts
of predecessors ... yea and certain stocks of money, plate, cattle and
the like. They made pretence to bells, lead [etc.] ..." Strype's words
are none too strong, being amply confirmed by much evidence _aliunde_.
See, _e.g_., the determined attacks in 1567 and subsequently on the
Melton Mowbray school lands in _Leicest. Archit_. (etc.) _Soc_., iii
(1874), 406 ff. Thanks to powerful neighbors the Meltonians won their
case. Less fortunate were the parishioners of St. Mary's, Shrewsbury,
the revenue from whose lands supported church fabric, the poor, etc.
For proceedings against them, and the vain appeal by the parish to the
lord chief justice in 1572 ff., see Owen and Blakeway's _Hist. of
Shrewsbury_, ii, 350-2. For confiscation of parish gild property and
parish lands on a large scale, see examples given in _Cambridge and
Hunts Arch. Soc_., i (1904), 330 ff. We are here told that during
Elizabeth's reign at least twelve commissions for concealed lands were
sent down into Cambridgeshire (p. 332). See also _ibid_., 370 ff. for
a sale of forfeited lands to Jones and Grey in 1569. The list of lands
is very long and only a sample of many such. For attacks (1587) on All
Saints, Derby, lands, whose revenues went to church repairs, etc., see
J.C. Cox and W.H. St. J. Hope, _Chronicles of All Saints, Derby_
(1881). For informers involving Lapworth, Warwick, in a suit about its
parish lands see Robt. Hudson, _Memorials of a Warwickshire Parish_
(1904), 104. The churchwardens acc'ts occasionally allude to the
Queen's commissioners, _e.g_., the Great Witchingham Acc'ts, where
they are dubbed by the right name: "for my expenses when I was before
the quenes inquisitors for lands and goods"