London – St Clement Danes – Church Warden’s Accounts 1758 manuscript headed ‘Mr Warford Church Warden 1758’, written on 10pp large folio paper, being his accounts for that year and listing a considerable number of transactions. Written in a neat, legible hand, paper slightly browned with age but in good condition throughout otherwise. An important record, and written at a time when the operation of the Parish was going through crucial change. Among the transactions listed are a number relating to fires in the area, and payments made to individual operators of fire engines for being first on the scene. One such transaction concerned the fire in the Unicorn Coffee House, but there are many others with properties identified. Other transactions involved the maintenance of the church organ, with payments made to the pipe blower. There are payments to the Beadles who are all named, payments to bell ringers for special events including the ‘Powder Plot’ on November 5th, the King’s Coronation Day, Royal birthdays, the Restoration of Charles II and events of the time, such as the ‘arrival of the express of the defeat of the French Army by Prince Ferdinand’. Other transactions reflect the day to day operation of the church and parish, including buying a wheelbarrow for the grave digger. Warford was also one of the overseers of the Parish poor, and there are many entries relating to this, including the digging of mass graves.