least is he of honest conuersation can he reade write and sing is he diligent in his office and seruiceable to his minister 2 Whether doth your Clarke meddle with any thing aboue his Office as churching of women burying the dead reading of prayers or such like 3 Whether doth your Clarke or Sexton kéepe your Church clean the doores safe locked is any thing by his default lost or spoyled in the Church doth he suffer any vnreasonable ringing or any prophane exercise in your church 4 Whether doth your clarke or Sexton when any is passing out of this life neglect to toll a bell hauing notice thereof or the party being dead doth he suffer any more than one short peale and before his buriall one and after the same another 5 Whether doth any of your Parish refuse to pay vnto the Parish clarke or Sexton such wages as are vnto them due and haue béen accustomablie paid Touching Parishioners WHether hath any in your parish spoken against or any way impugned the Kings Maiesties supremacie in causes Ecclesiasticall the Truth and Doctrine of the Church of England the forme of Gods worship contained in the Booke of common Prayer and administration of Sacraments 2 Whether hath any in your parish spoken against or impugned the Articles of religion agreed vpon in An. 1602. the rites ceremonies established in the church the gouernment by Archbishops Bishops Deanes Archdeacons and others that beare office in the same 3 Whether hath any in your parish spoken against or impugned the forme of making and consecrating Bishops Priests or Deacons or haue any separated themselues from the society of the congregation and combined in a new Brotherhood or depraued the Synod lately held by th Kings authority 4 Whether hath any in your parish maintained or defended any such Ministers or Schoolemasters as refuse to subscribe to the order of the Church haue they affirmed that such Ministers and their adherents may make rules and order in causes Ecclesiasticall without the Kings authority 5 Whether doth any in your parish prophane violate or mispend the Sabboth or holy-daie or any part of them vsing any offensiue conuersation or worldly labour in those daies or any of them 6 Whether hath any in your parish in time of diuine seruice couered his head albeit he haue infirmity in which case a cap or night-coyfe is allowed or is there any who hath not reuerently knéeled when the generall Confession Letanie and other prayers are read and which haue not stood vp at the saying of the Beléefe 7 Whether hath any in your parish disturbed the Seruice or Sermon by walking talking or any other way or departed out of the Church during the seruice or sermon without some vrgent cause or loytered about the Church or church-porch 8 Whether doe all parishioners receiue the holy communiō thrise euery yeare at the least whereof the Feast of Easter to be one haue all being of the age of 16. yeares dulie receaued or not 9 Whether hath any Parent béen vrged to be present or admitted to answere as God-father for his owne child or hath any God-father or God-mother made any other answere or spéech than is prescribed by the Booke or haue any béene admitted for such at baptisme who haue not first receiued the Communion 10 Whether doth all fathers mothers masters mistresses come and cause their children seruants and apprentises to come dulie to the church according to the ministers direction to be instructed and catechised or who be they that haue not obeyed the minister herein 11 Whether haue any persons married together within the degrées of consanguinitie or affinitie prohibited set forth in a Table appointed to bée placed in euery church or haue any married or contracted themselues vnder the age of 21. yeares without the consent of their Parents or Gouernours if their Parents be dead 12 Whether haue any persons once lawfully married forsaken each other or doe liue a sunder without the authority of the Ordinary or doe any being diuorced or separated marrie againe the former wife or husband yet liuing 13 VVhether haue any béene maried in the times wherein mariage is by law restrayned without lawfull license viz. From the Saturday next before Aduent Sunday vntill the Fouretéenth of Ianuarie and from the Saturday next before Septuagesima sunday vntill the Munday next after lowe Sunday and from the Sunday before the Rogation wéeke vntill Trinitie Sunday 14 Whether hath any of your parish vnreuerentlie vsed your minister or haue any laid violent hands vpon him or disgraced his Office and Calling by word or déede 15 Whether haue you in your parish anie dweller or soiourner a maintainer of Popish doctrine or suspected to kéepe scismatical books or to fauour any heresie or errour 16 Whether haue you any common resorts to your church which are not of your parish or doe anie such receaue the communion amongst you what be their names and of what parishes are they 17 VVhether haue anie in the time of seruice opened their shops exercised their trade vsed anie gaming béene in anie Tauerne or Ale-house or otherwise ill employed 18 Whether are there in your parish any Adulterers Fornicators incestuous persons bawdes receauers close fauourers conueyers away or which suffer to depart any incontinēt person vnpunished any blasphemers Common swearers Drunkards Rybands Vsurers malicious slaunderers Scolds or sowers of discord or any defamed of the said crimes 19 Whether doe any in your Parish administer the goods of the dead without authoritie or suppresse their will or Testament haue any Executors neglected to performe their Wils especiallie in paying of Legacies giuen to the church to the poore or to any other charitable or godlie vses 20 Whether doe any refuse to paie to the reparations ornaments and other things required in your church as they are ceassed by a lawfull vestrie or any dwelling out of your parish which hold land in your Parish 21 Whether hath any person suspended or excommunicated béene suffered to heare Diuine seruice or the sermon to receiue the sacraments to be maried or churched or haue any Excommunicants béene buried in christian buriall 22 Whether haue any in your Parish béene christned churched buried or receiued the communion or béen maried out of your church both parties dwelling in your Parish 23 Whether haue all women in your parish deliuered of child come at conuenient time after to church to giue thanks and haue they béene churched according to the Booke of common praier 24 Whether hath the perambulation of the circuit of your Parish béene obserued once euerie yéere if not whose default is it 25 Whether haue any in your Parish giuen the churchwardens or Sidemen or any of them euill words for doing thier dutie according to their oath and conscience in making presentment for any fault Touching Church-wardens and Swornemen WHether doe any in your Parish take vppon them to be church-warden or Sideman which is not lawfully chosen by the Minister and Parishioners according to the Canon or doe any continue that Office longer than one yéere except they bee chosen againe and are all such Officers chosen yéerelie in Easter wéeke 2 Whether doe your churchwardens within one Moneth at the most after their yéere ended before the Minister and Parishioners giue vp a iust account of all such monie and other things as they haue receiued and bestowed haue they deliuered all remaining in their hands belonging to their church or parish by bill indented to be deliuered to the next churchwardens 3 Whether haue the Churchwardens with the aduise of the Minister from time to time prouided a sufficient quantity of fine white bread and holsome wine for the number of Communicants 4 Whether doe the Churchwardens and Swornemen before euerie Visitation and at other times when there is iust occasion méete and conferre about their presentments and the answering of these Articles and who hath after notice giuen him of the time and place carelesly absented himselfe 5 Whether the forfeiture of xij d. for absence from Church appointed by Statute to the vse of the poore bee taken and leuied by the Churchwardens and employed according to the same Statute and whether is the same forfeiture taken of all persons which stand wilfully suspended or excommunicated 6 Whether haue any churchwardens lost sold or detayned anie Goods Ornaments Bels Rents or Implements of the Church 7 Whether doe you the Churchwardens and Sidemen about the middest of diuine Seruice vsually walke out of the Church and sée who are abroad in any Alehouse or elsewhere absent or euil employed and haue you presented all such to the Ordinarie 8 Whether doe you know or haue heard a fame of anie offence committed or dutie omitted by any of your Parish before your time and heretofore not presented to the Ordinary or as yet not reformed and haue you presented the same 9 Finally doe you know of any matter or cause which is a breach of the lawes Ecclesiasticall here not expressed and haue not presented the same
ARTICLES To be enquired of by the Church-wardens and Sworne-men within the peculiar Iurisdiction of the Deane and Chapter of the Cathedrall Church of S. Peter in Exeter AT LONDON ⧠Printed by Thomas Purfoot An. Dom. 1609. ⧠The tenor of the Oath of the Church-wardens and Sworne-men YOV shall sweare that vpon due consideration of these Articles giuen you in charge you shall present euery such person of or within your Parish as you shall knowe to haue committed any offence or omitted any dutie mentioned in any of these Articles or which are publikely defamed or vehemently suspected of any such offence or negligence So helpe you God by the contents of his holy Gospell Touching the Church WHETHER is your Church or Chappell with the Chauncell thereof and euery part of either of them well and sufficiently repayred the windowes well glased the floores paued plaine and euen without dust or any thing noysome or vnséemely 2 Whether is your Churchyard well fenced with walles rayles pales as hath béene accustomed if not whose default is it 3 Whether hath there bin any fighting chiding brawling or quarrelling any playes feasts temporall Courts or Leets lay Iuries Musters or other prophane vsage in your Church or churchyard any Bels superstitiously rung on Holy-daies or their Eeues or at any other time without good cause allowed by the Minister Churchwardens haue any trées bin felled in your churchyard by whom 4 Whether is the Mansion house of your Parson Vicar or Curate with al the buildings thereunto belonging your Parish Almes-house and Church-house sufficiently repayred maintayned and to godly and their right vses employed 5 Whether haue you in your Church the Bible in the largest volume the Booke of common Prayer lately authorised by his Maiestie the bookes of Homilies allowed the two Psalters a conuenient Pulpit for the preaching a decent seat for the Minister to read seruice in conuenientlie placed a strong chest with a hole in the lid and thrée locks and keyes one for the Minister the other for the Church-wardens for the almes of the poore and the kéeping of the Register Booke of the Christenings Marriages and Burials 6 Whether haue you in your Church a Font of stone for baptisme set in the ancient vsuall place a decent Table for the Communion conuenientlie placed couered with silke or other decent stuffe in time of diuine Seruice and with a faire linnen cloth ouer that at the administration of the Communion 7 Whether haue you all such Bels Ornaments other Vtensils as haue ancientlie belonged to your Church a coÌ„munion cup of siluer with a couer a faire standing pot or stoape of pewter or purer mettall for the wine vpon the coÌ„munion table a comely surples with sléeues a Register Booke of parchment of christenings marriages burials a booke for the names of al strange Preachers subscribed with their names and the name of the Bishop or others where they had license 8 Whether is the almes for your poore quarterly at the least distributed by you the Churchwardens and the Minister in the presence of sixe of the chiefe Parishioners to your poore And are weekely the names and surnames of all persons married christened and buried and of their Parents with the day yeare entred in your said parchment booke and is euery leafe being full subscribed by you the Minister and Churchwardens 9 Whether are the ten Commandements set vp in the East end of the Church and other chosen Sentences of holy Scripture vpon the wals in conuenient places are all your seates in your Church in good repaire cleanlie kept conuenientlie placed and the parishioners in theÌ„ or elsewhere or oâ—â—ly set and is there no contention or striuing for any seat or place amongst them Touching the Ministrie Seruice and Sacrament WHether is the common prayer said or sung by your Minister both morning and euening distinctly and reuerently euery Sunday and Holy-day and on their Eeues and at conuenient and vsuall times of those daies and in most conuenient place of the Church for the edifying of the people 2 Whether doth your Minister obserue the orders rightes and ceremonies prescribed in the booke of common prayer in reading the holy Scriptures Prayers administration of the Sacraments without diminishing in regard of preaching or any other respect or adding any thing in the matter or forme thereof 3 Whether doth your Minister on wednesdaies and fridaies not béeing holy daies at the accustomed houres of Seruice resort to the Church and say the Letanie prescribed and doth your Clarke or Sexton giue warning before by tolling of a bell on those daies 4 Whether doth your Minister as oft as he administreth the coÌ„munion first receiue it himselfe whether doth he vse any bread or wine newly brought before the words of Institution be rehearsed and the bread and wine present on the table doth he not deliuer the bread and wine to euery communicant seuerally 5 Whether doth your Minister giue warning publikly in the church at morning prayer on the Sunday before â—ée administreth the Communion for the better preparation of the Parishioners 6 Whether hath your Minister admitted to the Communion any notorious sinner openly knowne or defamed or any who hath openly and maliciouslie contended with his neighbour before repentance and reconciltation made and done by appointment of the ordinary 7 Whether hath your Minister admitted to the Communion any Church-warden or Side-man who hath wittingly and willingly neglected contrary to his oath to present any publike offence or scandall being mooued to present either by some of his Neighbours the Minister or his Ordinarie 8 Whether hath your Minister administred the communion to any but such as kneele or doe any refuse to kneele hath he administred to any who refuseth to be present at publike Prayer or who hath depraued the Booke of common Prayer administration of the Sacraments or the rights and ceremonies prescribed or the Articles of Religion agreed vpon or the Booke of ordering Priests and Bishops or against his Maiesties Supremacie or haue any beene for these causes repelled and haue they repented in writing or otherwise and what be their names 9 Whether hath your Minister more Benefices theÌ„ one if he haue how farre distant are they how often is hee absent in the yeare when he is absent hath he an allowed Preacher for his Curate 10 Whether is your Minister an allowed Preacher if he be doth he euery Sunday in your Church or some other néere adioyning where no Preacher is preach one Sermon euery Sunday 11 Whether doth your Minister being no Preacher allowed presume to expound the Scripture in his owne Cure or else where doth he procure euery moneth a Sermon to bee preached in his Cure by Preachers lawfully licensed and on euery Sunday when there is no SermoÌ„ doth he or his Curat read some one of the Homilies prescribed 12 Whether is your Curate allowed by the Ordinary vnder his hand and seale to serue in your Cure
and whether doth he serue two churches or chappels in one day 13 Whether doth your Minister alwaies in saying the publike Prayers and administring the Sacraments weare a decent surplesse with sleeues and being a Graduate doth he alwaies weare therewith a Hoode by the order of the Vniuersities agréeably to his degrée 14 Whether hath your Minister or any other Preacher in your Church preached any thing to confute or impugne any doctrine deliuered by any other Preacher and hath he and they prayed for Christs Catholike Church as is prescribed by the Canon 15 Whether hath or doth any preach in your Church which refuseth to conforme himselfe to the Lawes Rites and Ordinances established or which hath not first shewed a sufficient licence 16 Whether doth your minister in his sermons foure times in the yeare at the least teach and declare the Kings Maiesties power within his Realmes to be the highest power vnder God to whom al within the same owe most loyaltie and obedience and that all forraigne power is iustlie taken away 17 Whether doth your Minister euery Sunday Holy-day halfe an houre before Euening prayer or more examine and instruct the youth in the ten Commandements the Beléefe the Lords prayer and the Catechisme set forth in the Booke of common prayer 18 Whether hath your Minister married any which haue not bin thrée seueral Sundaies or Holy-daies asked in your Church in that time of diuine Seruice without license or hath he with licence or without married any whereof neither dwelt in your Parish 19 Whether hath your Minister with licence or without married any at any other times than betwéene the houres of Eight Twelue in the fore-noone or in any priuate house or when there is no license before their Parents or Gouernours the parties being vnder the age of 21 haue testified their consents 20 Whether doth your Minister declare to the people euery Sunday at the time appointed what Holy-daies or Fasting daies bée in the wéeke following doth he being a Preacher confer with all Recusants and persons excommunicate or suspended beeing no Preacher doth he procure a sufficint Preacher to reclaime them thereby 21 Whether doth your Minister kéepe a Note of all persons excōmuicate and once euery sixe moneths doth he denounce them which haue not obtained their absolution on some Sunday in seruice time that others may be admonished to refraine their company 22 Whether doth your Minister hauing notice giuen him diligently visite the sicke the disease not being infections doth hée instruct and comfort them doth he then mooue them to make their Testaments and remember the poore and other workes of charity and the passing-bell tolling doth he then neglect his last dutie 23 Whether hath your Minister refused to baptize anie Childe brought to the Church vpon any Sunday or Holy-day or to burie any Corps brought into the Church or churchyard or to church any women hauing had warning thereof 24 Whether hath your Minister being truely enformed of the danger of death of any Infant vnbaptized and being desired to go to the place where the child is to baptise it neglected to goe by meanes whereof the child died vnbaptized 25 Whether doth your Minister at any time preach or administer the communion in any priuate house except when any are so impotent that they cannot goe to Church or very dangerouslie sicke 26 Whether do any Chaplens in your parish preach or administer the Sacrament in any Chappell not consecrated or in any house hauing no Chappell allowed by law and doe the Lords and Maisters where such chappels are resort often to the parish Church and there receiue the communion once at the least euery yeare 27 Whether hath your Minister held or appointed any publike fast or béene present at such doth he or any other in your parish hold any Lecture or Exercise or attempt by fasting or prayer or otherwise to cast out any Diuels without the license of the Bishop vnder his hand and seale 28 Whether hath there béene any secret conuenticles or méetings in your parish by any Priests Ministers or others tending to the deprauing of the forme of prayer doctrine or gouernment of the Church 29 Whether doth your Minister and Preacher being at the least a Master of Arts or Bachelor of Law vsually weare his Gowne with a standing coller and sléeues straight at the hand or wide sléeues and therewithall a Hood or tippet of silke or sarcenet and a square cap 30 Whether doth your Minister hauing not attained those degree weare the like Gowne and square cap with a tippet 31 Whether doth your Minister in his iourney weare a cloak with sléeues called a priests cloak with gards welts long buttons or cuts 32 Whether doth your Minister weare a wrought night-cap at any time or doth he weare any cut or pinkt apparell doth he in publike goe in his Dublet and Hose without a coat or cassocke and doth he weare any light coloured stockings 33 Whether doth your Minister resort to any Tauerns or Ale-houses except for his honest necessities or doth hée boorde or lodge in any such place doth he vse any base or seruile labour drinking ryot dice cardes tables or any other vnlawfull games is hee contenuous a hunter hawker swearer dauncer suspected of incontinencie or giue euill example of lift 34 Whether is there in your Parish any Minister or Deacon who hath forsakē his calling vsing himself in his course of life as a lay mā Touching Schoole-masters WHether haue you in your Parish any Schoole-master who teacheth either in publike Schoole or priuate house doth hée giue any euill example of life is hee allowed by the Ordinary vnder his hand and seale or doth your minister or Curate teach and is hee allowed in like manner 2 Whether doth your minister or Schoolemaster who teacheth teach the Catechisme by authority set forth doth he when there is any Sermon or diuine seruice bring his Schollers to Church and sée them quietly and soberly ordered doth he examine them after their returne what they haue learned of the sermon 3 Whether doth he at other times teach them such sentences of holy Scripture as may indure them to all godlinesse doth he teach the Grammer set foorth by King Henry the Eight continued by King Edward the sixt and Quéene Elizabeth 4 Whether hath your Schoolemaster an Vsher vnder him are they both diligent is your Vsher allowed by the Ordinary doth your Schoolemaster direct his Vsher the forme manner of teaching and doth he wéekly take account of him the Schollers vnder his charge how they haue profited what they haue learned out of what author 5 Whether hath either of them spoken writ or taught against any thing whereunto he formerly subscribed as the Kings supremacy the Articles of religiō book of cōmon prayer or any thing therin contained Touching the Parish Clarke and Sexton WHether haue you a parish Clarke sufficient for his place of the age of 20. yeares at the