hem.

The hobby-horse doth hither prance,
Maid Marian and the Morris-dance.

It would be interesting to discover why, in this local version, the
character called the "Abbot of Marham" was introduced into the
play--Marham nunnery was situated in Norfolk, a long way from the usual
forest scenes of Sherwood and Needwood.

The money collected at these al fresco performances was applied to
maintaining the fabric of the three parish churches; but, for some reason
unknown, there had evidently grown up a deadly feud between the
Wednesbury and the Walsall contingents. This was the cause of all the
trouble.

The "John Beamont" mentioned was John Beaumont, Esquire, lord of the
manor of Wednesbury, a benefactor of the parish church there, and a
patron of a Walsall Chantry. It will be noticed that the quoted document
speaks of the "Church of the lordship," not "of the parish"; and also,
that the prefix "Sir" was then used to a parson's name, as we should now
use the prefix "Rev."

Here is the text of the plaints entered by the terrorised "orators" of
Walsall, together with the affidavits put in as rejoinders; the archaic
spelling is retained only in a few places just to indicate the style of
English then employed in the law courts; and it is interesting to note
that Midlanders had those peculiar vowel sounds in olden times, and
pronounced "fetch" as "fatch," and "gather" as "gether"--just as the
illiterate among them still do:--

TO THE KING OUR SOVEREIGN LORD--

Humbly sheweth unto your highness, your faithful subject and true
liegeman, Roger Dyngley, Mayor of Walsall; and Thomas Rice, of the
same town--That whereas your said orators on Wednesday next before
Trinity Sunday, the 13th year of your reign, were in God's peace and
yours, in your said town of Walsall--thither came one John Cradeley,
of Wednesbury, and Thomas Morres, of Dudley, in your said county; and
then and there made affray upon the said Thomas Rice, "and hym soore
wounded and bett" [beat], so that he was in peril of his life.

Whereupon the said Mayor, with other inhabitants, did arrest John
Cradeley and Thomas Morres, and there did put them in prison
according to your laws, there to remain till it were known whether
the said Thomas Rice should live or die.

And incontinent thereupon one John Beamonde, "Squyer," Walter
Levison, of Wolverhampton, Richard Foxe, priest, of the same town,