THe first fiue shall be named, chosen and admitted alwayes by me William Lord Burghley, during my life, and after, by mine heire male that shalbe owner of mine house and Lord of Burghley, whereof the formost shalbe called the Warden of the Almeshouse of the Lord Burghley.

The next foure, which is the vi. vii. viii. and ix. shall be named and admitted by the Vicar of S. Martins for the time being, and the Bai­liffe of the Manour of Stanford Baron, in the County of Northampton, and the eldest Churchwarden of S. Martins, and by them that shall be dwellers in the Nunry, otherwise called S. Michaels, and in the Inne called the George of Stanford Baron, or by the greater number of them.

The last foure, viz. the x. xi. xii. and xiii. shal be named and admitted by him that shalbe for the time Alderman of the Borough of Stanford, in the County of Lincolne, and by the Recorder of that Towne, the Steward and Bailife of the sayd Manour of Stanford, or the more part of them, whereof the Alderman to be one.

Item, the Vicar of S. Martins, or the Curate of the Church for the time being, shall keepe a Register in writing of the names and sir­names of all the sayd poore men, which booke shall be kept in the Vestry within the Chancell of S. Martins Church, and shall be written in order, beginning with the name of the Warden, and then of the first foure, and so following the second foure, and lastly the last foure, and shall be signed with the hands of the Bailife of the Manour of Stanford Baron, and of the Steward of that Manour, and so yerely renued as cause shall require, vpon the decease or change of any of the sayd poore men, and a double of this booke shall be deliuered to the Alderman of Stanford, to be kept with the Records of the Towne, thereby to know how the number shall continue.

Item, when the warden and any other of the xii. shall die, or any of their places become voide, the place of such as shall die, or become void, being either the Warden or of the number of the first foure, shall be supplied by the Lord of Burghley for the time being, and so the place of any of the second foure, dying or becomming void, shall be supplied by the foresayd Vicar, and the persons that are authorised to name the second company of foure: and the like shalbe obserued by the Alderman of Stanford, and the others ioy­ned with him for the supplying of such places of the last foure, as shall from time to time become void.

Item, if the parties aforenamed, or the more part of them, shall not supply the void places of such as haue bene first chosen by them within xxviii. dayes after the same shal be voide, the same shall be supplied by any two others of them that are authorised to nominate any of the sayd xii. and in default of such nomination, the Lord of the house of Burghley and his heires male shall supply the same within two moneths, and in default thereof, some one or two of the Feoffees or their heires (to whom the annuitie of one hundreth pounds is granted, that shall dwell nere to Burghley) shall supply the same.

Item, the Warden of the house shall haue yeerely a gowncloth of three yards and of viii. s. the yard, and euery of the other shall haue euery yere a gownecloth of three yards at vi. s. viii. d. the yard, of such colour as the Liuerie coats of the Lord Burghley or his heires shall be for the time, which shalbe prouided and bought by the Balife of the Ma­nour of Stanford Baron, and by the ouersight of the Vicar of S. Martins and the Alderman of Stanford.

Item, in the nomination of the sayd Warden and xii. poore men, these circumstances following shall be obserued, or els none otherwise named shall be allowed.

FIrst, euery one so to be named, shall be presented in the Church of S. Martins, vpon a Sunday in the forenoone to the Vicar of the sayd Church, and by him allowed to be of honest Christian profession, and able and well disposed to say the Lords prayer, the Creede, and to learne to answere to the Ten commandements, as are prescri­bed to such as are Catechised.

Item, none shalbe thereto admitted, but such as haue bene borne in the Counties of Northampton, Lincolne, or Rutland, or that haue dwelt for the space of vii. yeeres within the space of vii. miles of the Borough of Stanford, except the Lord of Burghley house shall for some reasonable cause dispense therewith, neither shall any be thereto allowed that is vnder xxx. yeres of age, or that hath any certeinty of liuing aboue the value of liii. s. iiii. d. by the yeere, nor any that is knowen to be diseased of any Leprosie or of the Pocks called the French pocks, or of any Lunacy, or to be a common Drunkard, Barretor, or infamous for adulterie, theft, or such like fault.

Item, the sayd poore men shall be (as nere as may be) chosen out of such as haue bene either honest souldiers or workemen, as Masons, Carpenters, or other Artizans of handy crafts, or Labourers in any works or in Husbandry, or seruants that are by sicknesse, age, or other impediment, vnable to get their liuing by their handy worke or by dayly seruice, as beforetime they haue done: And if after that they shalbe chosen to the places, any of them shall fall into such infirmities of infectious diseases, or to be iustly infamed and conuinced of such notable vices as aboue is in the next former Article mentioned, they shalbe displaced by them by whose authority they were placed, and their allowance to cease within xiiii. dayes after their displacing, against which time their places shalbe supplied by such as haue displaced them.

Item, none of the sayd xiii. poore men shall in Alehouses or other places play at Cards, Dice, or any vnlawful game, but if after once warning giuen to them by the Vicar of S. Martins, or the Bailife of Stanford Baron or of the Manour of the Borough of Stanford, to forbeare from such vnlawfull play, shall a second time commit any such offence prohibited, he shalbe remoued from his place, and shall receiue no more weekly reliefe, except vpon knowledge of his fault, and promise of amendment, he shalbe resto­red by the sayd Vicar and Bailife, and two others of the number that did first place him.

Item, euery of these poore men shall resort in their Liuery gownes to Common prayer euery Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, and Holyday to S. Martins Church at Mor­ning and Euening prayer, and shall sit or kneele in some place appointed by the Churchwardens. Neither shall any of them be absent from the Church at such times, with­out iust cause by sicknesse, to be notified to the Vicar, and to be allowed by him. And for euery such default not excusable, the Parish Clerke shall haue vi. d. out of the weekes wages allowed to the poore man that shall make such default.

Item, there shalbe paid to the said Warden, and to the other xii. by the Vicar of S. Martins, and the Bailife of the Manour in S. Martins Church, or by one of them e­uery Sunday after Euening praier, these summes following, viz. To the Warden of the Hospitall the summe of iii. s. for the weeke folowing, and to euery of the other twelue the summe of ii. s. iiii. d. for the weeke following, sauing to the parish Clerke his due for the default afore committed, (if any shalbe) as aboue is expressed, which he shall also receiue at the same time.

Item, all these poore men, that shall bee vnmaried, and not notoriously sicke, shall lodge euery night in the common house, without some special impediment, to be allow­ed by the Vicar or by the Bailiffe of the Manour of Stanford Baron, and such as shalbe maried, may liue with their wiues out of the common house, so the same bee within S. Martins Parish, or within the Borough of Stanford, but yet they shall be bound one night in a moneth, to lodge with their fellowes in the common house, vpon paine of losse of one weekes wages, which shalbe paide to the poore mens boxe in S. Martins Church.

Item, none of them shall goe abroade in their gownes out of the bounds of S. Martins Parish, or out of the Borough of Stanford, and the liberties thereof.

Item, the Vicar of S. Martins, or Minister shall vpon the first Sunday of euery quarter of the yeere, assemble them together in the Church before Euening praier, and seuering them asunder, shall heare them say the Lords praier, and the Creede, and to answere to the Commandements: and such as will not in conuenient time learne, and be able to say the same, shalbe auoided from his roome after fourteene dayes space giuen him to learne the same, and the Vicar or Minister shall haue for his labour v. s. eue­rie such Sunday, and the Parish Clearke twelue pence for attending on the Vicar.

Item, they shall euery first Sunday of euery quarter goe to Burghley house, (if the Lord of Burghley, or the Ladie his wife shall there keepe houshold) and there shall dine at one table together in the hall, where they shall haue two mease of meate, euery mease of two dishes, one with pottage and boiled meate, the other roste, (if it bee no fasting d [...]y) and if it be a fish day, then they shall haue two like meases of white meate and fish. For the charges whereof, he that shall dwell at Burghley as the heire of the house, shall defray the same, or els in case of the absence of the said Lord Burghley, or the Ladie his wife from the house, paiment shalbe made out of the yeerely summe of the annuitie to the said thirteene poore men after the rate of iiii. d. a peece, to be paide by the Bailiffe of the Manour, or by such as shalbe authorised to receiue the annuitie, and to distribute it according to these orders, and the same to be allowed vpon the account.

Item, if at any time he that shalbe mine heire of my house at Theobalds in Hartfordshire, shal come to Burghley, or Stanford, the said poore men shall present themselues duetifully vnto him, and shall offer any seruice they can doe to him, in memorie of the Founder William Lord Burghley, Auncestor of the said Owner of Theobalds.

Item, if any doubt or question shall hereafter arise vpon the wordes or meaning of these former Articles or Ordinances, the resolution or determination thereof shall bee made, and in writing deliuered to the Vicar of S. Martins, by the Bishop of Peterborough, or by the Deane and any one Prebendarie of the Church of Peterborough, whereunto all parties shall yeeld and obey.

[Page] Item, as these poore men shall at the first haue their seuerall roomes allowed vnto them in the Almes house, so shall they during their liues, or their continuance in their places, continue their lodgings, and euery one as he shall succeede to the voyde place, so shall he succeed in the lodging without any change.

Item, all the twelue shall at their entries openly in S. Martins Church, promise to be obedient to the Warden of the house, in all things that he shall aduise them for the obseruation of the orders by these Articles prescribed. And if any of them shall wilfully refuse to obserue the same, he shal complaine therof to the Lord Burghley for the time being, or in his absence to the Vicar, and Bailiffe of the Manour, who shall remoue such a wilfull person from the place, whereunto they that did first name him, shall ap­point another.

Item, during the life of me the Lord Burghley, he that is, & shalbe my Bailiffe of my Manour of Stanford Baron, shal receiue the said annuitie of one hundreth pounds, out of my lands heretofore called Cliffe Parke, in the Countie of Northampton, and shall with the priuitie of the Alderman of Stanford, or the Vicar of S. Martins, make payment thereof according to these orders, and the rest that shal remaine vpon his yeerely accompt, to be employed on the repayre of the house, or vpon the poore prisoners in a­ny Gaole in the Borough of Stanford, by the appointment of the Alderman, and the said Vicar for the time being, before whom the saide Bailiffe shall make yeerely his ac­count the second day of Nouember. And after my decease, if the said Alderman, Vicar, and Recorder of Stanford for the time being, shal not like to continue the saide Bai­liffe for the saide seruice, they shall name and appoint either such as shall bee Bailiffe of the Borough of Stanford, or such as shalbe Inhabitants in the Inne or house cal­led the George of Stanford Baron, or in the scite of S. Michaels Nunrie, or in default of them, such other as shalbe meete for that seruice, with the consent of the L. Burgh­ley for the time being, or any of two the Feoffees, which account shalbe also yeerely afore the last of Nouember presented to the Lorde Burghley, if he shall then be residing at Burghley, or in his absence from thence to some one of the Feoffees.

Item, the said annuitie shalbe paid by the Bailiffe or Farmors of Cliffe euery quarter of the yeere to the Bailiffe of the Manour of Stanford Baron, that is to say, xxv. pounds at or before the feast of S. Michael the Archangel, and so quarterly by equall portions, with which money the Bailiffe shall weekely make paiment of the foresayde summes as afore is expressed. And now for the first paiment, he shall begin the first Sunday after the feast of S. Michael, and so continue weekely.

There shalbe also prouided by the said Bailiffe with the priuitie and allowance of the Alderman of Stanford, and the Vicar of S. Martins, gownes for euery of them ac­cording to the value aboue mentioned, which shalbe deliuered to them yeerely the Saterday afore the first Sunday after Michaelmas.

There shalbe also during the terme of twenty and one yeeres from the feast of S. Michael the Archangel last past, yeerely deliuered out of the woods of Cliffe Parke, thir­teene loades of fire wood for the said thirteene poore people abiding in the said Hospital by Roger Dale gent. the Farmer or Tenant at Cliffe Parke, his executors or assignes, which thirteene loades, the said Roger Dale his Executors or Assignes are bound by couenant to cause yeerely to be caried to the said Hospitall at some conuentient time before the feast of all Saints, and after the end of the said xxi. yeeres, the said quantity of wood shalbe prouided by the Bailiffe of the said Mannor of Stanford Baron for the time being.