London, contracted to provide, for L30,
"a peir of Organs wt vij stopps, ov'r and besides the two Towers of
cases, of the pitche of doble Eff, and wt xxvij pleyn keyes, xix
musiks, xlvj cases of Tynn and xiiij cases of wood, wt two Starrs and
the image of the Trinite on the topp of the sayed orgayns." In 1570
the "payer of balowes" were sold, and in 1583 the pipes, "wayeng
eleven score and thirteen pounds, went for fourpence half-farthing the
pound." In 1632 a new one was obtained but its life was short, for in
1641 the Puritan party caused it to be sold "for the best advantage."

[Illustration: ALMS-BOX.]

Once more, in 1684, another was purchased from Mr. Robert Hay wood of
the City of Bath for L100; then, in 1732, Thomas Swarbrick of Warwick
built one for L600, for which a gallery was erected across the nave.

In 1855 this gave place to a new one by Foster and Andrews of Hull,
costing L800; and this was rebuilt by Messrs. Hill and Son in 1900.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 7: "English Church Furniture." (Antiquary series.) J.C. Cox
and A. Harvey.]

[Illustration: CHURCH OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST, FROM BOND'S HOSPITAL.]

ST. JOHN BAPTIST'S CHURCH

The church of St. John Baptist has a history quite different from that
of the other parish churches and is specially interesting as a
building belonging to a very limited class, namely, Collegiate
Churches owned by a Gild. Though Dugdale says that the "first and most
antient of the Gilds here was founded in the 14th Ed. III (1340)" it
is probable that, as in other places, religious gilds had for long
existed here and that the royal license or Charter of this date was
like that of Stratford-on-Avon in 1332, really a reconstitution or
confirmation of the Gild's rights, privileges and possessions.

This earliest one was known as the Merchant or St. Mary's Gild and its
first ordinances provided that "the brethren and sisteren of the gild
shall find as many chaplains as the means of the gild can well
afford." Then in 1342 that of St. John Baptist and in 1343 that of St.
Katharine was founded. The former at once founded a chantry of six
priests to sing mass daily in the churches of St. Michael and the
Trinity for "the souls of the King's progenitors and for the good
estate of the King, Queen Isabella his mother, Queen Philippa his
Consort and their children" and others, besides the members of the
Gild. In 1344 this Gild, desiring to have a building for its exclusive
use, re