St. Lucia.
_A Parish Kettle._--In the accounts of the churchwardens of Chudleigh in
Devonshire, during a period extending from 1565 to 1651, occasional mention
is made of "the church chyttel," "parish chettle," "parish chetell or
furnace," "parish crock;" and charges are made for malt and hops for
brewing ale; and the money received for ale sold is accounted for. There
may also have been provided, for the use of the parish, a vessel of smaller
dimensions than the crock, for in the year 1581 there is an entry of 1s.
2d. received "for the lone of the parish panne." As cyder must have been at
that time, as it is now, the common drink of the working-classes, the
parish "crock" must have been provided for the use of the occupiers of the
land. I suppose that the term _crock_, for a pot made of brass or copper,
had its origin in times when our cooking-vessels were made of crockeryware.
I have never seen, in the ancient accounts of churchwardens, any mention
made of a "town plough," which GASTROS notices (Vol. vi., p. 462.).