Plague was endemic in Cambridge in the first half of the seventeenth century, but the years 1625-6 and 1630-2 were periods of particular stress and created serious problems of poor relief for the authorities. On 11 July 1625, the Vice-Chancellor and Mayor agreed a series of orders for the control of infection. Regular sessions were held for the enforcement of these orders and for the distribution of the proceeds of a levy enforced through a fast. The court book includes presentments of breaches of the orders and of the fast; bonds of carriers and letter-carriers to carry no goods from London or other infected places; orders for the release of certain goods and the airing of others; for the implementation of the watch; and for the closing of Sturbridge Fair. It is almost entirely in the hand of Registrary Tabor. Contents as follows:

f.1. List of names of men bound: Robert Wilee of St Ives, shoemaker; James Beclee, cooper; Nicholas; William Christian; bound to Robert Cowell; Roger Cuttes of St Giles' parish, bound to Robert Twelves;

ff.2-5. Two copies of plague articles agreed by the Vice-Chancellor and Mayor, 11 July 1625;

f.6. Bonds before Vice-Chancellor and Mayor of Thomas Hobson, Francis Adcock and John Cutchie not to carry and recarry goods from London; letters may be carried by Adcock if he airs them before delivery, 11 and 19 July 1625;

f.7. Vice-Chancellor and Mayor, 21 July 1625: Complaint of constables, churchwardens and overseers of Barnwell against Christopher Lowe, churchwarden, for neglect of office and for lodging Mr Cheney, a 'stragling scholar', in his house and permitting him to entertain women; John Chambers' misbehaviour in his office of watchman; Giles Newman, constable, for allowing a trunk to be brought from London to Wheley at The Ball; Henry Cottes, snr., for keeping hogs in his house and cellar; Robert Pilly, porter of Corpus Christi College, for refusing to watch; Thomas Nash to be arrested against the next session; Widow Johnson for receiving goods from carriers without warrant; Dr Green for pestering his street with cottages and inmates; order for all inhabitants to keep hogs, pigs and sows, and dogs, off the streets of the town; Thomas Crosland, ale-house keeper, to be arrested; order that Cutchie and Hobson who have brought books from London for Green and Williams, stationers, are to air them several times in a barn outside the town; order that there shall be regular meetings of Mayor and Vice-Chancellor, Justices of both bodies, and other Heads, every Thursday at 9 am; presentments to be made, at weekly sessions, of offences against orders.

f.8. 28 July 1625: Order for delivery of Moody's paper, Leonard Green's and William Williams' books; Storey's two trunks for St Ives. Almon's barrel of currants, Smyth's 'orringes', Widow Hervas' knives and Mr Howard's box all to be delivered now; bond of John Cochie in 1000 marks to attend Privy Council on Wednesday next after All Saints; William Reve and James Chyld, servants to Cutchie, for bringing goods and passengers from London; Henry Graves, baker, and Robert Conway for absence from divine service on 24 July, Graves is bound over, Conway to find sureties;

f.9. John Faringe, innholder, for allowing Graves and Conway to drink in his house; John Hills, baker, for refusing a contribution for his meat forborne on the fast day; Churchwardens ordered to collect from inhabitants after every fast day contributions in lieu of meat forborne; orders for setting a watch with different personnel for the night watch (8 pm to 6 am) and the day watch (6 am to 8 pm); Richard Croftes and Thomas Ruse for abusing the watch; Samuel Farley (Farlowe), vintner, for refusing to allow the churchwardens and others to search his house; James Buckle, Edward Marshall, John Aleworth, Roger Evance for playing slideboard in Saxton's house, The Cross Keys, during fast times.

f.10. 4 August 1625: Oath of Thomas Hobson that all London goods that he holds are those set out in a schedule he presents; order that certain of these parcels shall be delivered to Obadiah Pickins, Mr Wolfe of The Rose, Mr Robucke (books), Mr Kent of Cottenham (two scythes), Dr Pope (bottle of oil), Humphrey Scott of Lynn, John Heron (scabbards), Mr Harves (lemons), Francis Fynch, Mr Atkinson (sugar), Mr Hammond, Jeffrey Fynch. The rest to await order in Hobson's barn near Peterhouse. Cutchie to deliver goods to Mr Lukin (cork), Mr West (oil), Mr Crane, Mr Briggs, Mr Pellitt, Richard Bateson (a cloak bag), Mr Goodreck, Mr Butcher; other goods, chiefly trunks, to Ely, Shelford, Haslingfield and Lynn; Henry Berry of London neither to open or sell any goods he has in Barnwell until Sturbridge Fair and to bring in no more; Richard Hammond of Barnwell to lodge no more Londoners at his house; presentments brought in to be entered, as well as warrants to answer charges; Prior, upholsterer, to bring in no more goods without court's order; Dr Mansell has handed to the Mayor a silver bell taken from William Pynes or Jarmin, late Mr Wolfe's man; no strangers from the north, nor other unknown men, to be entertained or employed for harvest work; Anthony Jackson for drinking with a suspect man and accompanying him to Trumpington, to be whipped through the High Ward at the cart's tail; also the watchers Joseph Lennwray, Thomas Clarke, John Hammond, Matthew Sharpe, John Lammas and John Kempe, for drinking with the same person. Richard Croftes and Thomas Ruse dismissed cum pia admonitione, the constables being satisfied; Mr Bristoe to be left in the Tolbooth until he finds surety for his appearance at the next session there;

f.11. James Buckle, John Aylesworth, Edward Marshall and Roger Evance imprisoned for three days or fined 3s 4d each to the poor of their parish; Robert Conway for drinking in prayer time on fast day to be fined 5s for the poor; James Child and William Reeve bound in £20 on Thomas Hobson's terms; John Feringe to answer for lodging a Haddenham man against the order forbidding receiving strangers; Thomas Whaley to receive neither strangers from London nor their guests, to be bound for good behaviour for refusing to allow a search by the constables; parish officers bringing no presentments to pay 3s 4d each to the poor; Jeremy Munson of Bradenham, Norfolk, to leave the town; Michael Palmer, musician, to discharge his company; Weede, Wildman and Henry Mann's man, of St Clement's parish, fined 3s 4d or three hours in the stocks for negligence in the watch in St Clement's; proclamation about hogs, cancelled; Old Cotton to prison for failing to certify the removal of his hogs; order for proclamation about removal of all swine before 11 August unless kept in large yards and not fed with garbage; churchwardens of St Andrew's, Trinity, St Botolph's and All Saints' parishes fined 3s 4d each for failing to present.

f.12. Presentments 4 Aug. 1625: St Michael's parish: Robert Payton for working in service-time on fast day, 3 August; Mr Batton, Goodman Tann, Widows Hobson, Allin and Scott, Oliver Marshall, Goodman Banham and Stephen Burton for no payment for meals forgone; St Clement's parish: Robert Cage, Robert Farthy, Nathaniel Smyth, George Wastall, Thomas Hull, Peter Claye, Richard Fydlin, George Sherman, Edward Harrison, Widow Frances;

f.13. Leonard Browne, Widow Smythe, Jeffrey Cawthorne, John Pratt, Widow Haynes, Andrew Lavender and Thomas Martyn for keeping hogs in penthouses; Richard Ashley for keeping pigs uncleanly and putting them into the streets; Jeremy Chase, jnr., for abusing constable when setting the watch; William Weede for negligence in the watch, stocked; Richard Carr for sleeping on the watch and abusing constables; William Brown for negligence on the watch; Anthony Norman in Small Bridge Ward for carrying a Londoner through the town to King's boat of Ely; St Benet's parish: Jackson for ill language to the churchwardens for absence from prayers on fast day; Thomas Waley for abusing the constables wishing to search: bound to keep the peace; William Ellery for allowing strangers to remain drinking during prayers on fast day;

f.14. St Peter's parish: William Buckle and William Ebrew for playing cards on fast day: Buckle says he has already been presented and punished as 'James' Buckle; Mr Hurst, Goodman Briant, James Buckle, Henry Butterham, Henry Mullyner, Goodman Walker, Goodman Haynes, Goodman Tibb for not paying for meals forgone: the Mayor to cause them to pay; St Edward's parish: John Pettit for refusing to pay his fast meal; Robert Crosby for entertaining Thomas Crabb and three others drinking in service-time on fast day; Thomas Crabb and William Scott for so drinking;

f.15. Barnwell parish: Robert Perse of The New Cock for entertaining three men and a woman lately come from London; St Giles' parish: Mr Sherwood and Robert Robson for sending his servants to plough and cart on fast day; Thomas Payler, William Foster, John Freman for not paying for their fast meals; Roger Cuttes, John Michel, Thomas Daye for absence from morning and evening prayer on fast day; Great St Mary's parish: Gabriel Harison and Goodman Campion for not paying for their fast meals; Little St Mary's parish: Anthony Jackson, cobbler, for drinking with a suspect man and going with him to Trumpington; Kent, a watch, being so drunk with Jackson and the Londoner that he fell down;

f.16. St Sepulchre's parish: Mr Stirrop, Mr Lichfield, Barnabe Lewis, William Goodman, John Borrowes, Aspland, William Clements, Mrs Smyth, Widow Phere, Goodman Crabb for not paying their fast meals; 11 August: Mr Bumsted reported that all but the poor have paid; William Kelsey, James Blackley for baking on fast day.

f.17. 11 August 1625: Orders made by John Mansell, Vice-Chancellor, Thomas Purchas, Mayor, Owen Gwyn, Leonard Mawe and Thomas Bainbridge, doctors, and Richard Foxton, Richard Lukin and Thomas Atkinson, aldermen: 1. Authority conferred by Vice-Chancellor and Mayor and representatives of all parishes on 1 August to continue until removed by the same, those refusing to obey it to be punished; 2. Household survey to be made by constables and overseers in the town and Barnwell to discover and report strangers; 3. Watch and ward to be kept continually in all streets and lanes to prevent strangers entering and leaving: the watches to be stationed at Castle End, near Bell Lane; at the Barnwell end of Jesus Wall, near Mrs Harding's barns for Emmanuel Lane which leads to Ball's Folly; near St Thomas' Leys for Trumpington Lane, the Spittel or Ellery's house for the Back Lane under Cannon's Wall; The Cock near Queens' College for Small Bridges; two to watch in every other lane and street at the outermost houses and turn strangers to the fixed point of watch;

f.18. 4. Owners of warehouses in Barnwell to let no goods into them; all to be locked; 5. No gleaners in fields on fast days or when carts do not go; they are to go only when the harvest horn blows; penalty stocking; 6. The lane going from the High Street to the water by St John's College is very dirty and is to be cleansed; 7. William Wilkin for wishing the plague were as rife here as in London to be whipped at the cart's tail; 8. Austin Baker for baking bread on a fast day to be bound over; 9. Nicholas Paynter, Simon North and Richard Bagshawe for letting in an unwelcome man to be stocked; 10. Thomas Sewar, brother to Martyn's wife, to be kept out of the town; 11. Gregory Merson, constable, imprisoned until bound for appearance; 12. Challis, watchman, for being drunk and abusing the constables, stocked; 13. Perce for receiving Londoners without licence fined 5s to the poor. Peter Aspinall of Norwich given licence to carry and re-carry letters provided that at each visit he brings a certificate of the good health of the senders. Presentments: St Bene't's parish: Thomas Greene for two hogs in a pentyard; Thomas Deane for absence from church on a fast day, 10 August; Mrs Smyth, Thomas Nashe, Edward Hardley, Goodmen Woods and Ewsden, for refusing watch and ward; St Botolph's parish: Mrs Staples for not paying her fast; Widow Rules for taking clothes to wash out of her dame's house in service-time on fast day;

f.19. Challis for leaving his ward, being in drink, and going home to sleep; Nicholson and William Windle for not paying the men who are watching for them; Mr Hudson, Mr Casbone, Thomas Wilson, butcher, Higney, John Jolley and Goodman Pissell for not finding men to watch for them; St Clement's parish: George Sherman sitting with a stranger on fast day fined 3s 4d; William Boston for receiving them; William Gibson, John Fromont, Thomas Potter for drinking at Potter's on fast day; St Michael's parish: John White, cooper, Goodman Reade for keeping hogs in pentyards; John Johnson, Peter Dixon, Robert Batten, Widow Hobson, Goodman Reade, for failing to provide wards; John Blethorne for resisting the constables' criticism of his ward; William Hills and his wife for receiving a dangerous Londoner and resisting the constables;

f.20. William Fordham for allowing a Londoner whom he was escorting from town to drink in Wall's Lane; Mr Bosse for entertaining his daughter-in-law from London after her husband was kept out of the town; Toby Hayles and William Fordham for standing out of their places when warding; Joseph Lennory and William Roofe for abusing the watch; William Parris, hostler at The Angel, for throwing his hogs out of the pound; Mr Bembridge's hostler for receiving five horsemen in service-time on fast day; St Clement's parish: John Merrill suspected of being a Londoner; St Andrew's parish: Goodman Robinson for allowing Sir Pakes and Gully in his house at service-time; Robert Butterham for not paying to the fast; pounders of Trinity parish for allowing his hogs to roam the streets; Thomas Wyldman for receiving a man from Swaffham which is thought dangerous; Robert Ashby, Thomas Martyn, William Kelsey, George Sherman, John Blyton [stationer] and Ann Smyth for not paying to the fast;

f.21. Barnwell parish: Mr Hammond for receiving two Londoners on 10 August; William Foster for not changing the watch and warning the ward; Bridge Ward: Jeremy Chace for abusing the constables on watch business; Anthony Norman of Small Bridges for carrying a Londoner through the town to King's boat; churchwardens of Little St Mary's and All Hallows' parishes have made no presentment; Trinity parish: Widow Barnes for lodging Thomas Lightfoot and William Wright for a week are admonished to put them both away when harvest is ended; Saunders Parrish for lodging Robert Dover for a week; Francis Clayton for lodging Margaret Vaughan for 14 days; Walter Sturton for lodging Anthony Browne for half a year.

f.22. 18 August: Vice-Chancellor, Mayor, Samuel Warde, DD, John Gostlyn, MD, Richard Foxton, Jeremy Chace, John Wicsted and Thomas Atkinson, aldermen: Order to prevent the goods brought by Robert Prior from Bristol Fair to Chesterton from entering the town; John Pellatt, Edward Potter, Richard Abon, constables, fined 5s each for neglecting High Constable's order to stock three men; cabins for watchmen to keep dry in at Garret Hostel Bridge, Coe Fen corner and Wall's Lane end; refusals to pay fast money to be reported not to this court but to the nearest JP for order to be taken; Gregory Merson for neglecting to set the watch, committed to prison; Edward Hurst for misdemeanours in court committed to prison; Robert Parker, Ralph Leggat, Perry Gray, John Noble, pound keepers, for failing to round up swine, of whom Parker, an old man, stocked for half an hour, the three young men for one hour; Godfrey Hudson and Thomas Dunham to be arrested before the next session and to be similarly punished; Richard Underwood bound in £10 to appear; churchwardens to certify sums collected in fast money;

f.23. Market Ward: Robert Richards for setting the watch late, the constables likewise; St Andrew's parish: Goodman Gyldin, snr., for receiving two strangers; the pound keepers for allowing swine to go loose; Francis Harvey, jnr., and Humphrey Dorson, miller's son, for playing quoits on fast day; Griffyn Rayment for not warding; James Buckle and Henry Charlton for deserting their ward before the watch was set; William Collett for removing his men from the ward and leaving it desolate; John Forman, constable, for giving the charge to Cocker and Ostler to watch when they had already warded and for releasing Robert Simpkin and Widow Drake from warding and watching without the justices' order;

f.24. Henry Johnson for being drunk on the Sabbath; Robert Passon for being drunk on the Sabbath; William Bennison for allowing drinking in his house on the Sabbath; Great St Mary's parish: Goodman Haleson for abusive words and sending noone to ward; Richard Maulden for hanging skins against the church and windows on fast day; William Bridge for not sending William Allen, William Fletcher, Jonas Wilks and Christopher Hallay to ward; St Michael's parish: Mr Payton, Mrs Scott, John Tomleson not paying fast money; Thomas Baynan for receiving two fellows in his house in service-time; Barnwell parish: Richard Hammond, entertaining Mr Tann and other Londoners in his house without licence; Widow Barnes ditto; Francis Clayton for receiving Margaret Vaughan for fourteen days; Walter Starton for receiving Anthony Breton for half a year.

25 August, before Thomas Atkinson, bonds to appear and answer: Richard Hammond of Barnwell, Richard Greene, both innholders, and Daniel Jones, yeoman;

f.25. offer by King's College tenants [Mr Leader, Thomas Nashe, and others] to share watch and ward: accepted; order to stock Robinson of St Andrew's parish; order to warn watchers and wardens, by making chalk mark on their doors the day before their duty; Richard Underwood, butcher, and John Underwood, promise to perform their duties in watch and ward; order to remove Mr Berry's goods from the town; John Reve, sadler, his wife and son, to appear at the next session; enquiry into fast money postponed to next session; booths for watchers at the 'landes endes' to be built by Mr Atkinson, timberman; expenses to be met from money gathered; Mr Atkinson to pay what he thinks fit for the relief of Mr Penny and his family;

f.26. Mr Mayson, preacher, admonished to leave town; Sovermoore released on binding himself to save the town and St Clement's parish harmless; order that no strangers are to pass into the town by Wall's Lane; Edward Covill of Norwich allowed to be carrier in place of Aspinall who has not obeyed the last order.

1 September: Vice-Chancellor; Richard Foxton, Deputy Mayor; Drs Ward, Mawe and Gostlyn; aldermen Wyxtad, Lukins and Atkinson: revocation of Aspinall's licence to carry letters to and from Norwich for disobedience to orders: replacement by Edward Covill; permission to the Ely Rootmen to bring to the Bridge brink their roots, onions etc. provided they do not leave their boats and that they bring JP's certificates of their health; those entering houses to be debarred; those attempting to bring and sell fish to be debarred.

f.27. Presentments: Market Ward: custody orders [for appearance at next session]: Goodman Pissell; Hudson, horse letter of St Edward's parish; Gregory Merson; St Michael's parish: custody orders for Thomas Bayneham, Goodman Reade, John Bleathorn; St Giles' parish: Griffyn Raymond, custody order: bond in £20 from him, Richard Hammond and Andrew Goodin; James Buckle, William Collett and William Gunter, Collett's man, fined 3s 4d each; Henry Johnson and William Benison: custody orders; Trinity parish: William Parris for removing his hogs from the pound, fined 3s 4d; Godfrey Hodson for letting hogs wander, stocked; order to summon all pounders in the town to the next court; Francis Clayton, William Fordham: custody orders; St Bene't's parish: William Ellery, Edward Prissely, Foreman, Hobson's men: custody orders; St Botolph's parish: Anthony Norman dismissed cum pia admonitione.

f.28. 2 September: Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Mayor, Drs Ward, Mawe, Beale and Gostlyn; aldermen Wyxted, Lukin and Atkinson: orders: no merchants or others with wares already in the town to open or sell them without the court's permission; no merchants or others coming to the town before 20 September to buy or sell to be admitted or allowed to unload their goods without the court's permission; daily court between 1.00 and 3.00 pm.

3 September: Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Mayor, Drs Mawe and Gostlyn, alderman Atkinson: order to banish Samuel Clark of London, with his goods.

f.29. 5 September: Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Mayor, Drs Mawe and Gostly, aldermen Wixsted and Atkinson: William Fawcett of London for bringing goods to Cherry Hinton against Sturbridge Fair: forbidden to bring more; affirms that what he brought left London on 21 July, and that if he may not sell, his chapmen would be gone; that he had fustians brought from Bristol Fair to Bird's at Melbourn; some sold to Welbore by his man, William Conghame, and the rest sent by night to Hinton; Robert Almond of Berkhamstead allowed to unload and sell his shovels and trenchers; watch to remain at Penny's house and keep it closed;

f.30. Mr Bambridge of The Bear to receive goods of John Hardy of Clare but nor to sell them.

6 September: Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Mayor, Dr Mawe, aldermen Lukin and Atkinson: Richard Durrant and Thomas Coote of Sawtry allowed to bring in and sell their carriages of cheese and butter; Mr Prior to move his Bristol goods to his booth house at Barnwell, but not to sell without order; James Nelson, John and Edward Guy, Joseph and Abraham Nelson, Richard Hobson, John and Henry Rhodes, William Sykes and Henry Travers who make monthly visits and come from 'safe' towns, may enter and sell as usual; some of them say that Wakefield is infected; William Fawcett affirms that his goods are from 'safe' places; he is bound in £1000 to bring in no more goods to Hinton and to sell none from there before Monday next, when well aired;

f.31. William Beeston stocked for allowing a cart and cloth to pass into the town by Wall's Lane; Challis and Brigges: custody order for appearance; John Barren and Abraham Flemin, Irish merchants, to carry their goods to Prior's booth house and keep them until Thursday and then attend the court's order; order forbidding William Fawcett, silkman, to bring more goods to the house he has hired at Hinton without court order, and to sell what he has there.

7 September: Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Mayor, Drs Mawe, Gwyn and Gostlyn, and aldermen Wyxsted, Lukin and Atkinson: Challis and Brigges stocked; John Lunt of Ivery, Berkshire, bringing fans, allowed to lodge at The Castle near Emmanuel College; John Taylor of London, coming from Cardington, allowed to stay one night since it is safe; William Bodley, John Bonace and Bartholomew Glascock, from Hoddesdon, allowed to stay and buy wares until Monday since it is safe; William Warren and John Shephard for taking 2d from a stranger to let him in, bound in £10 to appear;

f.32. John Dixon bound in £20 for good conduct, and to appear.

8 September: Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Mayor: Thomas Atkinson, grocer, to bring to his house a barrel of raisins of the sun, a barrel of gunpowder, eight 'peeces' of raisins, a bag of candy and two runlets [i.e. casks] of treacle which he has brought to the town end; David Bromehorne of Harford to bring goods but not to lodge; William Elsen fined 5s for receiving and lodging strangers; Hudson, horse seller, for abusing the constable, bound over; Gregory Marson likewise; George Vase of Blackrowe, Lancashire, swears it is safe, and so are the places from which he brings goods: allowed to sell them at his usual monthly coming; Henry Warwick and Henry Hotchkin likewise; Barneham and Bennison dismissed cum pia admonitione; Buckle, Charlton, Johnson of St Giles' parish failed to appear; Francis Clayton and William Fordham of Trinity parish failed to appear; William Ellery fined 3s 4d for receiving persons to drink on the fast day; Edward Syssely and Forman failed to appear; Nathaniel Sutton dismissed cum pia admonitione; Francis Penny's sign to be taken down and if he receives any guests he will be severely punished.

9 September 1625: Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Mayor, Drs Mawe and Gostlyn and alderman Lukin: Mr Prior, upholsterer, to bring in his goods which have been a month at Chesterton, but no others except a truss of goods brought by water from Thetford by Smyth, a waterman; Ralph Trattell, servant to Mr Logdon of London, let in on his oath that he has not come from London;

f.33. order that under bedell and town sergeants are to warn hosts of all inns to turn out, with their goods, strangers who have come contrary to the proclamation to buy and sell at Sturbridge Fair time.

10 September: Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Mayor: Richard Archer of Walden to deliver bellows and lanterns to Mr Godfrey, ironmonger; Peter Archer of Small Bridges to bring in surety for good behaviour; John Greene, Mr Cutchie's man, cleared of taking money for his admission from a stranger, and dismissed.

f.34. 15 September: Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Mayor, Drs Mawe, Beale and Gostlyn and alderman Lukin: Ordered that all Cambridge persons found drinking at Trumpington in the house of Peck, who has died of the plague, be shut into their houses until further notice, and all Trumpington people be kept out of the town; Pemberton and Fidlin, bakers, William Ellery and Beard's house and family of St Bene't's parish and the Widow Francis of St Clement's parish to be shut up; constables to make search and presentment at each court, and be fined for non-appearance.

22 September: Vice-Chancellor and Mayor: Money laid out on poor by Mr Allmond to be paid to him; Fydlyn and Haselopp and their wives to be allowed to walk in the fields if they keep clear of company and go into no houses; Mr Prior to have the rugs which came from Ireland and are at Barnwell, home to his house; Pemberton who is shut up to have an allowance from the fast money, also those shut up at Ellery's, Beard's and Jackson's.

f.35. 6 October 1625: Vice-Chancellor, Drs Mawe, Gostlyn and alderman Lukin: John Briant, pedlar of Newmarket, confesses to lodging in Newmarket on Saturday last, is bound not to bring or sell fish in the town and is ordered to be put out of the town: John Wolfe's house, The Blue Bell, where he was received to be shut up and Wolfe to appear and bind himself. [He did this on 11 October with Henry Wrightson as surety].

[11 October:] Vice-Chancellor: William Taylor ordered to receive and care for his servant Fraswick who is sick and in want; Thomas Atkinson fined 20s for allowing Widow Price to go abroad: she is to be shut up again; constables of St Bene't's, St Andrew's and Little St Mary's parishes fined 20s each for letting the inhabitants of Ellery's, Beard's and Fydlyn's and Pemberton's houses go abroad without order; Thomas Russell fined 6s 8d for not assisting the watch; constables who have not brought in the weekly bills of offences against the printed orders to be fined 2s 6d.

f.36. 20 October: Vice-Chancellor, Mayor, Deputy Mayor: Arrests for appearances: Christopher Moore, John Wattes, John Bucke and Richard Kitchen of St Giles's parish; Ellery, Peck, joiner, and Mrs Holmes' man, Malin, Ellys, Lowe of St Andrew's parish and Howard for suffering disorder; Mr Robson of St Giles' parish to deliver 10s of the fast money to the sick and impotent of the parish; Wilson to be stocked; Andrew Bannock to be bound for good behaviour.

27 October: Vice-Chancellor, Mayor, Messrs Pepys and Lukin: Churchwardens to bring in their fast money; Christopher Meers, scholar's servant, to be arrested for striking a constable; Luke Waren to be arrested for refusing a search of his house and attacking the searchers with a pikestaff: to be confined in Pilott's chamber until he finds sureties; John Cutchie, for carrying or receiving London goods contrary to order; certificate that Wilson has satisfied the constables; Andrew Bannock to cease victualling and pull down his sign; Sympson fined 10s for the poor.

f.37. 31 October: Vice-Chancellor, Mayor, Mr Lukin: William Williams and Jonas Wilks of Great St Mary's parish confess to receiving order to account for fast money, but say that the justices and others of the parish met on Sunday last and advised them not to hand in their money; Edward Wenham, custody order for appearance; constables to set and appoint all watches.

10 November: Vice-Chancellor (Gostlyn), Mayor, Drs Beale and Mansel, and aldermen Foxter, Wixted, Lukin and Atkinson: Messrs Abrone and Woodward to consult with Pitcher, Barnes and other leading inhabitants of Trumpington as to ways to keep the inhabitants of that town out of Cambridge; to search the dead, support and relieve the sick; to appoint some honest reliable Cambridge man to buy provisions for Trumpington and transport them to the town end; Watton and Smythe, watchers at Coe Fen, and Thomas Parker to rebuild the booth there; constables to be responsible for supplying defects in the watch with the aid of overseers;

f.38. The following warned to appear: George Sherman and Mrs Tidswell for resisting the watch; Malyn, bricklayer; Robert Lowe; Ellis; William Williams, of Great St Mary's parish, confesses to about £12 gathered, £9 16s 4d remains; John Atkinson to have £7 2s 1d laid out on building 'cabbons' for the watchers and relief of houses shut up; order to remove the 'cabbon' in Wall's Lane under Mr Tabor's barn because the watchers use fire and candle which may breed danger.

f.39. 14 November 1625: Vice-Chancellor, Mayor, Smarte, Wixted, Lukin, Perse and Sherwoode: Night watches to be discontinued; ward to run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Edward Wenham and his tenant, James Hed to appear; Richard Hodson, warder at Spittal End, stocked for refusing to help constables arrest his fellow warder, Robert Dickenson; order, to help establishment of a house of correction, for gathering of parishioners on next Sunday afternoon to allow them to set down amounts which they will voluntarily contribute; order for gathering in all parishes of a monthly assessment for the relief of the poor, many of whom are in great need.

f.40. 17 November: Security to save the town harmless to be taken from Eley Wilkinson of Barnwell for his tenant, Taylor; Francis Frohock for Richard Rodgers; Thomas Burne for James Synott; Edward Wenham for [?James Hed]; Thomas Howard in custody, to find security; St Giles' and Trinity parishes to give remainder of fast money to the poor; William Williams and John Pepys paid 32s into court towards the collection for the poor.

24 November: Vice-Chancellor, Mayor, Dr Mawe, the Recorder, aldermen Wixted and Lukin: Advice to be sought from cities, of places thought to have the best arrangements for houses of correction; Thomas Howard and Francis Harvey bound for Howard's good behaviour; Richard Hodson and Robert Dickenson: custody for good behaviour; persons refusing to pay monthly assessment to be cited to answer; Thomas Wayford, Eley Wilkinson, Thomas Burne, Francis Frohock to be cited to answer; churchwardens with fast money still in their hands to answer; Parett, sadler, abusing the constable, dismissed cum pia admonitione; Mr Almond to have 10s from fast money for what he spent in sending away John and Lydia Robson who came from an infected town; Leonard Wilson to appear;

f.41. list of sums of money brought in by parishes.

1 December: Vice-Chancellor, Mayor, Dr Mawe, aldermen Atkinson and Lukin: Robert Dickinson bound in £20 with John Cranwich and Henry Dickinson for good behaviour; Humphrey Clarke to discharge his inmate, Speede's daughter, and suffer no others to live there; Robert Hodson stocked for one hour on Peas Hill; Hall to have a house provided by the overseers of St Peter's parish in the parish; Elizabeth Bovis of All Saints' parish and her base child to be maintained by the parish until further notice; churchwardens and overseers to bring in books of monthly rates;

f.42. Elizabeth Bovis of All Saints' parish and her base child to have house room and lodging and 12d a week for three months.

f.43. 26 April 1630: Dr Mansell, deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Badcock, Mayor: Meetings of the Vice-Chancellor and Mayor on Mondays and Thursday during the infection to hear complaints and misdemeanours: Archer, carpenter, of Barnwell to answer for [ ] at the booth of the keepers of the visited on Sunday last; Henry Graves for being drunk on Friday last; John Hall in connection with a cat thrown into Great St Mary's church with opprobrious words against John Atkinson; Arthur Turner likewise; Philip Scarlet deposes; churchwardens and overseers to be ordered to collect a double monthly rate for the relief of the visited; William Williams of The Rose and Crown to appear; Mr Thurlock, for his barn converted [?into dwellings], to appear; Francis Harley and Edward Bayley, servant to Mr Jellor, to appear.

[ ] June 1636: Dr Bambrigg, deputy Vice-Chancellor: Bond of Thomas Jas, carrier, to refrain from bringing in London goods or London persons; Jas admonished to carry no more goods or passengers to or from London;

f.44. bond of Martin Lambe, labourer, to carry no letters or parcels between London and Cambridge during the time of the plague in London; Troylus Atkinson, jnr., Francis Fynch, Symon Robertes, jnr., Philip Scarlet, Mark Nightingale, Thomas Crabb, James Sadler and Mark Hatley for refusing the watch.

f.45. At the Consistory, 22 December 1636: Vice-Chancellor and Drs Cosin, Sterne and Bambridge: Mr Philipps to be removed further from the town with all his keepers and have new bedding; all the bedding and clothes used about persons who have died in Gonville and Caius College to be burned [never sent out];

f.46. names of those which were laid [i.e. buried] at the time of the plague in Cambridge, 17 May-6 July 1636, with causes of death;

pp.47-8. the same for 6-20 July 1638 and on to the end of August.

f.49. At the Consistory, 22 June 1642: No scholar under MA to go to, or into the limit of, Midsummer Fair; all persons in St Edward's and Great St Mary's parishes, or elsewhere, suspected of infection to be removed out of the town to the booths on the Green: if they refuse their doors to be closed and watched and no maintenance allowed them; a month's contribution to be collected from the Colleges; the contents of Crabb's warehouse, where Robuck died, to be taken to the Green and burned; allowance to be made to Crabb; for Peterhouse: enquiry to be made by Mr Vaughan as to their intention so that order may be taken.

ff.50-6. Blank.

f.57. The sums of money assessed monthly.

f.58. Memoranda of administrator's bond for John Wiseman. 22 May 1628: Memorandum of assignation, before the delegates, in Jollibond versus Else and Else.

f.59. 9 August 1625: memorandum of presentments and bonds.

Further information The original cover of this item, bearing the inscription 'The Acts of Court in the times of the Plague Fast', removed during conservation, is separately catalogued as UA T.X.19* (qv).