On looking over the parish registers of Mautby, in the country of Norfolk, a few days since, I found thirteen entries of certificates of the enforced observance of this practice, of which the following is a specimen:

"November the 8^th, 1678. Was brought unto me as affidavit for ye Buryal of William the Sone of John Turner in Woollen according to ye late act of Parliament for that purpose. ANDREW CALL, Rector

The reason is clear - to increase the consumption of wool; but I should much wish to know the date of the aforesaid act of parliament, and to how late a period it extended. I find a comparatively recent trace of it in an original affidavit of the kind, in the varied collection of my friend R. Rising Esq., of Hornsey, which I subjoin in full, as it may be interesting to many readers of "N & Q."

In the borough aforesaid, husbandman and Deborah the wife of Stephen Driver, of the same parish, husbandman (being two credible persons), do make oath that Deborah, the daughter of the said Stephen and Deborah, aged 18 weeks, who was on the 7^th day of April instant interred in the parish Churchyard of Dovercourt, in the borough aforesaid, was not put in, wrapped, or wound up, or buried in any Shirt, Shift, Sheet, or Shroud, made or mingled with Flax, Hemp, Silk, Hair, Gold, or Silver, or other than what is made of Sheep's Wool only ; or in any Coffin lined or faced with any Cloth Stuff, or any other thing whatsoever, made or mingled with Flax, Hemp, Silk, Hair, Gold or Silver, or any other material but Sheeps' Wool only

Taken and sworn the 15^th day of April 1769, before me, one of His Majestry's Justices of the Peace G DAVIES

The mark of   "X"   Sarah Lyon

The mark of   "D"   Deborah Driver

Witnesses: B Didier   E.S. Taylor

Notes and Queries Vol. 5 (131) May 1 1852 Page 414

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Your correspondent the Rev E. S. TAYLOR is referred to 30 Car. II. C. 3 and 32 ejusdem c. 1, for an answer to his inquiry respecting burials in woollen. The former Act is entitled, "An Acte for the lessening the importation of linnen from beyond the seas and the encouragement of the woollen and paper manufactures of the kingdome." It prescribes the curate of every parish shall keep a register, to be provided at the charge of the parish, wherein to enter all burials, and affidavits of persons being buried in woollen ; the affidavit to be taken by any justice of peace, mayor, or such like chief officer in the parish where the body was interred : and if there be no officer, then by any curate within the country where the corpse was buried (except him in whose parish the corpse was buried), who must administer the oath and set his hand gratis. No affidavit to be necessary for a person dying of the plague. It imposes a fine of �5 for every infringement ; one half to go to the informer, and the other half to the poor of the parish.

I have not been able to ascertain when this act was repealed, but imagine it to have been of but short continuance. Is there no mistake in the date of the affidavit quoted by Mr Taylor ? Is 1769 a lapsus for 1679 ? The first entry in the book provided for such purposes in this parish bears the date August, 1678, and there is no entry later than 1681, which appears also to be the limit of the Act's observance in the adjacent parish of Radcliffe. There, the entries immediately follow the record of the burial itself in the registers, and not in a separate book, as with us. Under the year 1579 occurs the following memorandum in the parish registers of Radcliffe:

"An orphan of Ralph Mather's, of Radcliffe, was buried ye 9^th day of April and sertefied to be wounde uppe in woollen onely, under the hand of Mr William Hulme."

In the churchwardens' accounts of this parish (Prestwich) for the year 1681 is found the following item of receipt:

"Received a fine of James Crompton ffor bruinge his son and not bringing in an affidavitt according to the Acte for burying in woollin, 02'10'00." JOHN BOOKER, Prestwich, Manchester

Notes and Queries Vol. 5 (136) June 5 1852 Page 542

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The act of parliament imposing a penalty upon burials, where any material but wool was made use of, was Car. II stat. 1 c. 3, afterwards repealed by the 54 Geo. III, c. 108. I am able to adduce an instance of the act being enforced, in the following extract from the churchwardens' book of the parish of Eye for the year 1686-7:

"Rec. for Mis Grace Thrower beinge buried in Linnen 02. 10. 00"

J. B. COLMAN, Eye.

Notes and Queries Vol. 5 (136) June 5 1852 Page 543

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Your correspondent Mr Booker may be informed that parochial registers afford evidence that certificates of burial in woollen were required to a considerably later date, March 1681. In that of Hasilbury Bryan, the burials for 1730, being the ecclesiastical year from March 25^th as still usual, are headed, "Buried in woollen only as made by affidavit." But no less than four out of the seven names of persons buried in that year are followed by the words "no affidavit." It farther (sic) appears to have been usual for the clergyman to affix his name, with "ita esse test. A.B. rector;" and then send the book to the Lady day sessions for the magistrates' inspection. And in this instance, instead of writing "allowed by us;" a lawyer's hand has inserted the following notice:

"The rector or his curate ought to get a warrant, or warrants, to levy the penalty, according to the act for burying in woollen."

The last entry of the kind in the Hasilbury Register is for the year 1733-4 ( so written for the first time, as comprehending January and February of what we should style 1734), and it has the magistrates approving signatures in the following form:

"May ye 18^th, 1734

Allowed by us, Ric. Bingham, Thos. Gundry."

The topic recalls to one's mind Pope's light minded, yet severe, exemplifications of the ruling passion strong in death; amongst which he has introduced the exclamation:

"Odious! In woollen ! "'Twould a saint provoke!
Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke."

H.W.

Notes and Queries Vol. 6 (142) Jul 17 1852 Page 58

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The first act "for burying in woollen only Was 18 Car. II. C 4 (1666), which was repealed by 30 Car. II c.3 (1677), the preamble stating that the former act:

"was intended for lessening the importation of linen from beyond the seas, and for the encouragement of the woollen and paper manufactures of this kingdom, had the same been observed, but in respect there was not a sufficient remedy thereby given for the discovering and prosecution against the said act,"

It repealed the former act, and enacted that no corpse should be buried in any other material than a manufacture of sheep's wool, under penalty of five pounds, and also that affidavit should be made within eight days after burial, that the person so buried

"was not put in, wrapped or wound up, or buried, in any shirt, shift, sheet, or shroud, made or mingled with flax, hemp, silk, hair, gold or silver, or other than what is made of sheep's wool only, nor in any coffin lined or faced with any cloth, stuff, or any other thing whatsoever made or mingled with flax, hemp, silk, hair, gold or silver, or other than what is made of sheep's wool only."

And in default of such affidavit being made the goods and chattels of the deceased, or of the party neglecting to furnish the affidavit, were subject to a penalty of five pounds, leviable by distress. This act was amended by 32 Car. II c. I (1680), intituled "An Additional Act for burying in Woollen."

The law thus stood, and these stringent provisions were in force, until 1814, when the act was passed (54 Geo III, c 108) repealing both of those acts, and indemnifying parties against penalties for offences committed thereunder.

I believe the preceding will be found to comprise all the enactments relating to burying in woollen. GEORGE PAUL.

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I have before me a copy of the parish register of Shipborne, Kent, in which it is noted that several members of my family have been there buried in linen, and the penalty in each case paid. It was given to the poor. The act directs one moiety of the forfeiture to be for the poor and the other for the informer.

The 54 Geo. III c. 108 repeals both the statutes making it penal to bury in any material other than made of sheep's wool only. HENRY M. VANE

Notes and Queries Vol. 12 2nd S. (306) Nov 9 1861 Page 374

The following entry appears in the church warden's books of the parish of Pulham St Mary Magdalen, Norfolk:

"1689, March 10^th Paid Susan Newman to make affidavit for brother William Newman's buriell in woollen �0. 0. 6d"

My father tells me that he remembers being present at the burial of his grandmother, Mary Rayson, which took place at Moulton St Michael, Norfolk, Sept. 4^th 1799, and that immediately after the conclusion of the burial service at the grave, the parish clerk called out, "Who makes affidavit ? " on which a woman named Susan Youngman made oath that the body was wrapped in woollen. ���. GEORGE RATSON - Pulham

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The acts requiring the burying in wool only were repealed by 54 Geo III c. 108, passed AD 1814. The acts had long fallen into desuetude. The parish chest of the parish church of Leominster contains a large heap of certificates, many of which are printed and inscribed with various grotesque funeral devices. It is a curious coincidence that the last certificate is that made on the burial of a vicar who died 1763, after an incumbency exceeding 40 years.

A specimen of these certificates shall be forwarded, if wished for, to your correspondent on his application to the VICAR OF LEOMINSTER.

Notes and Queries Vol. 12 2nd S. (306) Nov 9 1861 Page 375

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