The Middle Temple’s earliest surviving records of its governing body, or Parliament, date back to 1501 and are held in the archive.   Lincoln's Inn’s records go back even earlier, to 1422, when its Black Books recording the proceedings of its Bench begin. An entry for 1442 refers to a payment for a wine party (pro potacione) with the Middle Temple. As the Inn had been in existence for about a century and a half, its first extant records reflect what was already a mature and well-established Society. A survey from 1574 found almost 200 members (11 Benchers, 40 barristers and 139 other gentlemen) and 138 chambers.