ous event of "taking the
sense of the parish" really came off I am unable to say.

The Royston Parochial Parliament had control of the Fire Brigade. The
Fire Engine, or rather the engines--for there were two engines in those
days as well as now--were kept in the Church-yard, and in 1781 we find
this note on record as to their use and management:--

"Ordered that the person who has the care of the Engine be allowed five
shillings for himself, if on any alarm of fire he gets the Engine out
of the Church-yard in good time, and one shilling each for the
assistants, not exceeding six; and that if he plays the Engine at a
Fire he be allowed 10s. 6d. and his assistants 2s. 6d. each."

They had a blunt but sagacious method of dealing with incompetence as
appears by this further order:--

"And in case the Engines, or either of them, shall be unfit for working
at any time when called for, that a new person be appointed."

Vagrancy was dealt with by a system of "passes," by which they were
able to pass through and obtain lodgings in places in the county, at a
county charge, worked through the parish Overseer.

Naturally one of the things that perplexed the minds of parish
vestrymen during the last century was not how disease might be
prevented, but what were the most favourable circumstances under which
the usual run of accepted diseases could be passed through!

Small-pox was considered as one of the fates, and, like cutting your
teeth, the sooner over the better! On this principle it was no
uncommon thing for persons when advertising for servants, &c., to add
this precaution--"One who has had small-pox preferred." Here is a
specimen advertisement:--

"A lady's Woman, a very creditable person of about 63, and has had
Small Pox."

{45}

Among sanitary matters, the propagation of modified small-pox by
inoculation was the foremost question in the practical politics of the
parish vestry. For this form of small-pox, introduced to forestall the
natural visitation of the disease, persons would come distances from
the rural districts to the towns--about as the moderns go abroad to
take the baths--to pass through the process, and their presence in the
town was sometimes objected to. On one occasion we find the Royston
Vestry assembled for the purpose of "considering the improper way
practised by several people (not parishioners of Royston) having their
families inoculated for the small-pox, and remaining in the town durin