ARTICLES To bee enquired of by the Church-wardens and Sworne-men within the Arch-deaconrie of Barnestaple in the Diocesse of Exeter in the Visitation there holden in the yeare of our Lord God 1617. AT LONDON ⧠Printed by Thomas Purfoot An. Dom. 1617. * ⎠* THE Church-wardens and their Assistants are straightly required to read or heare red all these Articles and diligently to consider of them betweene the time of the deliuery hereof vnto them and the making of their presentments for the better discharge of the Oath which they shall receiue ⧠The Oath to be ministred vnto the Church-wardens and their Assistants YOu and euery of you shall make diligent Inquisition and true presentment of al such crimes offences and enormtties which are to be reformed and corrected by authority of the Kings M. Ecclesiasticall lawes of this Realme and which by confession of the party or parties notorietie of the facts or by common fame haue beene committed within your parish or hamlet by any person or persons and haue not yet beene duely reformed presented and punished according to the said Ecclesiasticall Lawes and you shall present the names and Surmames of euery of the said offenders as you shal be directed by the Articles now deliuered vnto you So helpe you God in Christ Iesus Articles concerning the Cleargie WHETHER your Minister hath said and vsed in your Church or Chappell vpon all Sundaies and holi-daies and their Eeues and other daies prescribed by publike authoritie common and open Morning and Euening prayer and hath administred the Sacraments in such order and forme as is prescribed in the booke of Common praier established by publike authoritie and that plainely distinctly and reuerently as by the said Booke is appointed and at due and conuenient howers without any innouation or change of any part thereof 2 Item whether your Minister vpon all Wednesdaies and Fridaies not being holi-daies hath said in your Church at the accustomed howers of seruice the Letany prescribed in the booke of Common prayer 3 Item whether your Minister hath administred the holy Communion in your Church twice a yeare at the least in his owne person and so often and at such times as euery parishioner might cōmunicate at the least thrice in the yeare whereof once at the Feast of Easter according as by the booke of Common praier is appointed And whether as often as hée so administred the Communion hée reuerently knéeling did first receiue the Sacrament himselfe And whether hée hath vsed any Bread or Wine newly brought not first rehearsing the words of Institution when the said bread and wine is set vpon the Communion Table And whether hée hath deliuered the bread and wine to euery Communicant seuerally 4 Item whether your Minister hath giuen warning to his Parishioners publikely in the Church at Morning praier the Sunday before euery time of administring that holy Sacrament for their better preparation of themselues and for all holy daies and fasting daies 5 Item whether your Minister hath admitted to receiue the holy Communion any of his Cure who haue béene openly knowne to liue in notorious sinne or any who haue maliciously openly contended with their neighbours vntill they were reconciled Or any Churchwardens or swornemen who wittingly and ignorantly refused or neglected to present to their Ordinary all such publike offences as they themselves did know to haue béene committed in their Parish or to haue béene notoriously offensiue to the congregation there 6 Item whether your Minister when he hath celebrated the Communion in your Church hath wittingly administred the same to any person not kneeling or to any that then refused to be present at publike prayers according to the order of the Church of England or to any that then were common and notorious Adulterers fornicators blasphemers excommunicate or suspected persons of incontinency common swearers common gammesters or suchlike 7 Item whether your Minister hath adminitted any parent to answere as Godfather for his owne child or hath admitted any person to be Godfather or Godmother to any child at christening before the said person so vndertaking hath receiued the holy communion or doth not vse the signe of the crosse in baptisme or baptizeth in any Bason any child not borne in the parish 8 Item whether your Parson or Vicar not being allowed to bée a Preacher hath procured sermons to be preached in his Cure once in euery moneth at the least by preachers lawfully licensed and whether vpon euery Sunday when there hath not béene a sermon he or his Curate hath read some one of the Homilies prescribed by authority 9 Item whether your Parson or Vicar being licensed by the lawes of this Realme not to reside vpon his Benifice hath not in his absence caused his Cure from time to time to bée supplyed by a Curate that is a sufficient and licensed Preacher 10 Item whether the Minister or Churchwardens haue suffered any man to preach in your Church but such as haue first shewed their Licences to preach viz. from the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury or from the Lord Bishop of Exeter or one of the Vniuersities in writting vnder their seale 11 Item whether in the beginning of all Sermons Lectures and Homilies your Preacher or Lecturer hath wittingly omitted to mooue the people to ioyne with them in praier for Christs holy Catholique Church and therein for the Kings most excellent Maiestie our gratious Quéene the Noble Prince Charles and the rest of the King and Quéenes Royall Issue in the forme or to the effect of the 55 Canon Ecclesiasticall agréed vpon in the Conuocation Anno 1603. 12 Item whether your Parson or Vicar stipendary Preacher or Lecturer in your Church though chiefly hée attend to preaching hath twice at the least euery yeare read himselfe the diuine seruice in your Church vpon the seuerall Sundaies publikely and at the vsuall times both in the forenoone and afternoone and hath likewise as often in euery yeare administred the Sacraments of Baptise if there haue béene any to haue béene baptised and of the Lords Supper in such manner and forme and with the obseruation of all such Rites and Ceremonies as are prescribed by the Booke of Common praier in that behalfe 13 Item whether your Parson Vicar or Curate hath either receiued to the Communion any person or persons which haue not béene of your Church Parish or any child dyed without Baptisme through his default 14 Item whether your Parson Vicar or Minister saying the publiks praiers or ministring the sacraments or other rites of the Church hath wittingly omitted or neglected to weare a decent comely Surplice with sléeus prouided at the charge of the Parish And further whether such of them as are graduats haue omitted to weare vpō their Surplices at such times such hoods as by the orders of the Vniuersities are agréeable to their degrée 15 Item whether your Minister hath neglected vpon euery Sunday and Holi-day before euening praier by the space of halfe an
hower or more to examine instruct the youth and ignorant persons of your parish in the ten commandements the Articles of the beléefe in the Lords praier and diligently instructed and taught them the Catechime set forth in the booke of Common prayer 16 Item whether your Parson Vicar Curate or Minister hath celebrated Matrimony betwéene any persons without any faculty or license granted by such as haue Episcopall authority or by the Comissary for faculties or by the Vicars generall of the Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury or the Lord Bishop of Exeter except the Banes of Matrimony haue béen first published thrée seuerall Sundaies or Holidaes in the time of diuine seruice in the parish Church or Chappell where the said parties then dwelled according to the booke of Common prayer or at any other time then betwéen the howers of eight and twelue in the forenoone or any other place then in the Church or Chappell where one of the parties dwelled or at at any time whē Banes haue béen so thrice asked before the parents or gouernors of the parties to be maried being vnder the age of 21 yeares haue signified their consent or maried any Adulterer fornicator or incontinent person or any womankind with child before mariage 17 Item whether your Parson Vicar or curate hath in his cure neglected to declare to the people euery sunday at the time appointed in the communion booke such Holidaies fasting daies as haue béen in the wéeke following 18 Item whether when any person hath béen dangerously sick in your Parish your Minister hauing knowledg thereof hath not resorted to euery of them if the disease were not probably suspected to bée infectious to instruct and comfort them in their distresse according to the manner and forme appinted in the Communion Booke if hée were no Preacher and if he were a Preacher then as he thought most néedfull and conuenient 19 Item whether your Minister hath at any time refused or delayed to christen according to the booke of Common praier any Child that hath béen brought to the Church to him vpon Sundaies or Holi-daies to be christened or to bury any corps that hath béene brought to the Church or Churchyard conuenient warning hauing béene giuen him thereof before in such manner and forme as is prescribed in the booke of Common prayer 20 Item whether your Minister hath preached and administred the holy Communion in any priuate house except it hath béene in times of necessity when any of your parish by reason of impotencie could not come to Church or being very dangerously sicke were desirous to bée partakers of that holy Sacrament in their house And in that case whether without a conuenient number of thrée foure or more to communicate with the sicke person 21 Item whether your Minister without license of his Diocesan first obtained vnder his hand and seale hath appointed or kept any solemne fasts either publikely or in any priuate houses other then such as by publike authority haue béen appointed Or hath béene present at any such 22 Item whether your Minister hath at any time other then for honest necessity resorted to any Tauerne or Alehouse or hath boorded or lodged in any such place or hath giuen himselfe to any seruile or base labor or to drinking or ryot spending his time idlely by day or by night at Dice Cardes Tables or any other vnlawfull games Or hath béene suspected of any notorious crime or hath giuen any euill example of life 23 Item whether your Minister hath from time to time diligently called vpon his parishioners especially when they make their testaments and earnestly mooued and exhorted them to conferre and giue somewhat as they may spare to the necessity of the poore 24 Item whether your Minister hath once in this last yéere read in your Church and Chappell all the Canons Orders Ordinances and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall agréed vpon with his Maiesties license in the Synod holden at London An. Dom. 1603. according to the Kings Maiesties commandement 25 Item whether any Parson not being ordered at the least a Deacon hath said or read common praier openly in your Church or Chappell or hath solemnized Matrimonie or administred the Sacrament of Baptisme 26 Item whether your Minister hath reiected any maried woman which hath come to Church to giue thankes after child-birth according to the order set downe in the booke of Common praier or vseth not the prayers appointed for the visitation of the sicke burying the dead and churching of women 27 Item whether the Chancell Mansion house and other edifices belonging to your Parsonage or Vicarage be in any ruine or decay and how long they haue remained so decayed or ruinated and to what value as you are verily perswaded in your consciences 28 Item whether any Curate or Minister haue serued your Church before hee was examined and admitted by the Bishop of Exeter or his Chancellor in writing and did shew his or his Chancellors licence vnder seale vnto the Churchwardens and whether any Curate hath serued Two Cures in one day 29 Item whether for the retaining of the perambulation of the circuit of your parish the Minister Churchwardens and certaine substantiall men of the parish in the daies of the Rogations commonly called Gang daies haue walked the accustomed bounds of your parish whether in the same they haue vsed any superstitious or popish ceremonie Articles concerning the Church-wardens and their Assistants ITem whether they haue suffered any idle persons to abide either in the Church-yard or in the Church porch vpon any Sundaies or Holidaies during the time of diuine Seruice or Preaching and haue not either caused them to come into the Church at that time or to depart thence 2 Item whether against the time of euery Communion they haue neglected or omitted at any time to prouide a sufficient quantity of fine white bread and of good and wholesome wine for the number of Communicants and the same brought to the Communion Table in a cleane and swéet standing pot or stoope of pewter if not of purer mettall 3 Item whether all and euery of the parishioners of your parish being of the age of Eightéene yeares or aboue haue come so often to the holy communion as the Lawes and constitutions Ecclesiasticall doe require viz. Thrice a yeare at the least wherof once at or about the feast of Easter And whether any strangers haue come from other parishes to your Church to receiue the communion And whether the Churchwardens haue obserued such accesse of strangers and therof aduertised the Minister to the intent he should not admit them to the Communion 4 Item whether they haue caused the names of all Preachers which haue in the time aforesaid preached in their Church comming from any other place to be noted in a booke prouided by them for that purpose and euery preacher to subscribe his name and the day when he preached and the name of the Bishop of whom he had license to preach 5 Item
whether there be any person or persons within your parish that hath refused to haue his or their children baptised with the signe of the crosse by your Minister because he is no preacher or to receiue the holy Communion at his hands in the same respect 6 Item whether there be prouided in your Church a parchment booke and therein haue béene and are written the names of all the children Men and women Baptised maried or buried within your parish contained in your former Register bookes and especially since the beginning of the Raigne of the late Quéene Elizabeth 7 Item whether you haue in your parish a sure Coffer with thrée lockes and keyes for the safe custodie of that booke And whether the day yeare of euery Christening Wedding and Buriall which hath béen in your parish hath béene wéekely written in the said booke 8 Item whether there be prouided in your Church the booke intituled Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastiall agréed vpon by the Cleargie of the prouince of Canterbury with the Kings Maiesties license in their Synod at London in the yeare of our Lord 1603. 9 Item whether there be prouided in your Church a faire Bible the book of Common praier lately ordained to be vsed a Font of stone within your Church or Chappell standing or set vp in the ancient vsuall place a conuenient and decent Table for the celebration of the holy Communion a carpet of silke or other decent stuffe with a faire linnen cloth at the time of the ministration of the Lords Supper for the same table and a faire and comely communion cup of siluer and a couer for the same the Ten Commandements set vpon the East end of your Church of Chappell where the people may best sée and read the same a conuenient seat for your Minister to read Seruice in and a comely and decent Pulpit set in a conuenient place and the same séemely kept for the preaching of Gods word a Pulpit cloath and cushion a strong Chest with a hole in the vpper part therof with thrée locks and keys set and fastned in some conuenient place of the Church for the Almes of the poore 10 Item whether your Church or Chappell be well and sufficiently repaired and so kept and maintained the windowes well glased the floares kept paued plaine and euen in decent sort without offence or lo thsownesse of dust or any other vnséemely thing as best becommeth the house of God your Church-yards well and sufficiently repaired fenced and maintained with Wals Railes or Pales as haue béen in your parish accustomed without encrochment vpon the same or any prophanation vsed in them 11 Item whether for the auoiding of incestuous and vngodly mariages you haue in your Church publikely set vp and fixed in some fit place a table expressing that no persons shall marrie within the degrées prohibited by the Lawes of God 12 Item whether you do know or by any common fame and report you haue heard of any person or persons who within these two yéers last past or at any time before being not presented and punished haue committed the grieuous sinnes of Incest Adultery or whoredome within your parish Or haue béen bawdes or receiuers of any such lewd incontinent persons or haue béen receiuers or harbourers of women with child who haue béene vnmaried or who haue conuaied any such out of your parish before they gaue notice therof to the Ordinary or before they did publicke penance for such offence Or whether any person within your parish in the time aforesaid hath béen vehemently suspected of any such crime Or hath béene a blaspheof the name of God or a great and often swearer and what is the name and surname of euery such offender 13 Item whether any offender in any of the crimes afore mentioned within your parish hath not yet béen presented and detected to the Ordinary for the same offence and what is the name of euery of them not yet so presented or not punished for the same 14 Item whether any of your Parishioners haue behaued themselues rudely and disorderly in the Church in time of diuine Seruice or Sermon or by vntimely ringing of Bells walking talking or any other disordered noise hath hindered the Minister or Preacher or frequent the company of excommunicate persons 15 Item whether any Church-ales Drinkings temporal Courts of léets Lay Iuries Musters or any other prophane vsage haue béene kept in your Church Chappell or Church-yard without good cause allowed by the Lawes and Canons Ecclesiastical 16 Item whether the Churchwardens of any of the former yeares did at or within a moneth after the end of euery yeare before the Minister and Parishioners giue vppe a iust account of such money as they in their yeare receiued and what particularly they bestowed in reparations or otherwise for the vse of your Church of Chappell and going out of their Office deliuered vp to the Parishioners whatsoeuer money or other things of right belonged to your Church or Parish which remained in their hands to bée deliued ouer vnto the Churchwardens of the yeare following 17 Item whether any man woman child or seruant or any other person or persons who haue dwelt remained or soiourned within your parish or haue often repaired thither and remained there by the space of any one Moneth being of the age of sixtéene yeeres or aboue hath willingly or purposedly forborne to come to your Church or Chappell and to be present at diuine Seruice and common prayer therein celebrated by the space of any one moneth together within one yeare last past and what bée their Christian names and Surnames 18 Item whether any of your parishioners haue within this yeare last past neglected to resort to your Church vpon any Sundaies of Holi-daies and to continue the whole time of diuine Seruice or haue vsed to walke vp and downe in the Church or to stand idle or talking in the Church-yard or Church porch during that time or haue vsed any gaming or pastime abroad or in any house or haue sitten idlely in the stréet or in any Tauerne or Ale-house vpon the Saboth or Holiday in the time of common praier Sermon or reading of the Homilies either before or afternoone or any brawlers or quarrellers in Church or Church-yard or vsers of filthy or prophane talke 19 Item whether the Almeshouses Hospitalls and Spittles for poore people that are in your Parish be well and godly vsed according to the foundation and ancient ordinances of the same and whether there be any other placed in them then poore impotent and néedy persons that haue not wherewith or whereby to liue 20 Item whether the Schoolemaisters within your Parish openly or priuately in any mans house be lawfully licensed and of good and sincere Religion life and conuersation and haue béene diligent in teaching bringing vp of their youth And whether with their Schollers they haue resorted orderly on Sundaies and Holidaies to Church and receiued the holy cōmunion so oft