Page:The histories of Launceston and Dunheved, in the county of Cornwall.djvu/405

THE "EIGHT MEN? 367 lyge of the same a moneth byfor Rodemas to the wardens then byng, onlesse by the hole agrymt of all the brothers." In 1543 credit is given for 4d., "torche monye at the beryng of Mr. Carlyan." The account for 1548 (2 Edw. VI.) thus begins : Gilde omi scor. [Guild of All Saints.] The accompt made by Thomas Hodge & Willia Luttecott, wardens of the same geild, for one hole yere yendyng att the feast of Alhallen, yn the second yere of the raign of o r souaigne lord Edward the Syxth, of Eng- land, Fraunce, & Irland, Kynge, defender of the fayth, & yn Erth under God the supreme hed of the Church of England & Irland." And on the last leaf of the "quarto," or book contain- ing the " All Souls " accounts, in ink paler than that of the account for 1548, but written in a character nearly corresponding with it, is the following : " M. That Willm Luttecott hath layde oute, att ye comandys of the viij men, to the hawyn att Dyntagyll als Tynetacle, 5s. More lede owtte to the comondemet of the ayght men for bodrescastell hawyn, 2od. Itm. To Harry Maker att the Comosyon tyme, by the comondment of the ayght men, 13s. 4d. It. Payd to Nycolas Helyar for beryng the Invytery of the cherche goods to Lestytheall, i2d. It. Payd to Wyllyam Grosse, the constable, for to answer before the Comyssyner for the pryste att Lestwythell, 2 id. Who were " the eight men " ? On several occasions, beginning with the year 1506, payments were made to them by that designation. In 1532 they advanced 8s. out of "the coffer money," and now, in 1548 or 1549, they are authorizing an expenditure on account of the havens of Tintagel and Boscastle, and for attendances on some com- missioners. In the Ashburton Church accounts, under the dates 1484-5 and 1548-9, are records of payments simply to "the 8 men." These eight men. were evidently official persons ; but, were they bare administrators of church funds, or had they also the assessing of local levies ? or had they to guard the contributions for the poor, or to do other like services ? In later years we shall find "the six men"