| The name of Jones occurs but seldom in the parish register during the seventeenth century. On 22nd September, 1622, occurs the baptism of "Alice f. John Jones;" on 13th October, 1643, the baptism of "Alice fil. Rhesi Jones;" and on 4th July, 1687, the burial of "Widow Alice Jones." This Resus (or Rice) Jones was no doubt the loyal host of the old George Inn at Broadwinsor who entertained King Charles II. during the eventful night of the 23rd September, 1651, when he stayed there after his abortive attempt to escape to France by way of Charmouth. The subject of this token may have been Alice No. 1, and was in all probability the widow of Rice Jones himself, and the mother of Alice No. 2, as there appears to be no other entries of the name in the register. |
| There does not appear to be an entry in the parish register that would identify the issuer of this token, but in the "Accompt of Burialls in Wollen Anno Domini 1699," we find the following entry: "Nov. 20 Johannes Randoll sep. An affid. made ye 22 day Novem." There is a similar entry of the same name on a detached leaf, from which the date is missing, but which, from internal evidence, would appear to be about the year 1683. In the year 1679 an Act of Parliament was passed (30 Car. II., c. 3), intitaled, "An Act for burying in Woollen," and was intended "for lessening the importation of linen from beyond the seas, and the encouragement of the woollen and paper manufactures of this Kingdom." An affidavit was to be brought within eight days of the burial under a penalty of £5 that the deceased was not buried in linen. This, no doubt, was the "affid." mentioned above. (See Burn's "History of Parish Registers," ed. 1862.) This law has now been repealed by 54 Geo. III., c. 108. In allusion to the above Act may be cited four lines which occur at the end of the second register in the parish church of St. Mary, Bridport, in a hand of the last century: "Death's compared to sleep, the bed's the grave,
Which bed all mortall men will have;
They lye in woollen only, as 'tis meet
When lodging's cold to lye without the street." |
