Rotherham Waits

Rotherham Waits in the Feoffees accounts

1549
Item pd to Edmund gurre for the wayte gown and linying of the sam:   10s 6d

1579
Item pd to Rowland Robyson for the Waytes Cloth and lyninge:   19s 9d

1581
Item for the Waytes Cotes the outside:   21s
Item paid for lyninge:   4s
For makying buttons & sylke:   4s 4d

1585-88
The Waits made four visits to Nottingham according to payments in the Corporation accounts

1593
Item payde for foure yeardes & three quarters of red and nine yeardes of Cotton to the Waytes of the towne of Rotheram:   33s 9d
Item payde for four nayles of taffetie & for fourtene yeardes of lacinge and syxe dossen of buttons and three sceynes of threed to their cotes:   2s 10d
Item payd for the making of the Waytes coates:   3s
Item for canvys to the bodyes of their cotes:   2s

1597
To Francis Dickenson for five yeardes of redde clothe for th’waytes of the towne to make their cotes:   32s

1611
Three waits of Rorherham at Londesborough Hall:   2s 6d

1622
William Hirst of Rotherham in his will, May 17th, 1622, gave to his son Henry – being one of the Waits of Retford – “all my instruments of music and all my tooles wherewith I do make instruments of musique.”

1625
Waites cotes and Beadles coates:   £2 7s 5d
Furniture for the Waites coates:   11s 3d
Paid for the mekeinge of the said cloathes:   £1 11s 0d

1711
Gave the Waites then:   1s 6d

1713
The Waites their salary at Lady Day last:   £4 0s 0d

1722
Three Waites receive each:   £1 6s 8d

1762
Waites expenses: To Mr. Bingley for gold lace for three hats and cloaks:   £5 1s 1d
Mr. Whitwell cutting out ye cloaks:   2s 0d
To Mr. Foljambe cloth for three cloaks for Waites:   £4 14s 6d
To one yeares salary to 3 Waites:   £4 1s 0d

1788
By 1788, for the centenary celebrations for The Glorious Revolution, the procession to the church was led by drums and a band of music. Perhaps these were the waits, but maybe they had been disbanded in the previous two decades.