Thomas Oken’s bonfires

Thomas Oken of Warwick, in a deed of 1571, charged his feoffees to pay a few shillings every year to the neighbours of his bonfire and of three other bonfires in the High Pavement ward. The money was for making merry at their fires on the eves or days of St John the Baptist and St Peter, and if no fires were lit it was to go to some other good use. Hone had the clause from an antiquary’s notes in a copy of Brand.