Articles to be enquired of within the Diocesse of Chester in the visitation of the reuerende father in GOD William Bishop of Chester In the xxij yeere of the reigne of our most gratious soueraigne Lady Elizabeth c. Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes Maiestie HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE FIDES HVMILITAS Articles Church and Churchyards FIrst whether your Church Chappel or Chauncell be well and sufficiently repayred and clenly kept and the mansion house of your Parson or Vicar with the buildings thereunto belonging likewise well and sufficiently repayred and your Churchyard well fensed and clenly kept And if any default be made in the premisses or your sayde Church Chappell or Churchyarde be abused or prophaned by any vnlawfull or vnseemely acte game or exercise as by Lordes of misrule Summer lordes or ladies Pipers Rushebearers Moricedancers Pedlers Bearewardes and such like Then through whose default and what be the names of the offenders in that behalfe Waxe 2 Whether any man hath pulled downe or discouered any Church Chauncell or Chappell or any part of any of them any church Porche Vestry or Steeple Almeshouse Churchhouse or such like or haue pulled downe any belles or haue felled or spoiled any wood or tymber in any churchyardes The benefice 3 Whether your parish church be now vacant or destitute of an incumbent or no Whether any Chappell where diuine seruice hath accustomed to be said vsually be without a Curate or no And if they be how long haue they bene so and who is the Patrone and who occupieth the parsonage or vicarage house with the glebe lande and taketh other the tythes and commodities belonging to the same The parsonage 4 Whether any vitailing tippling or ale selling be kept or vsed within the mansion house of any parson or vicar Necessary ornaments 5 Whether you haue in your churche or chappell all thinges necessary and requisite for common prayer and administration of the holy sacramentes specially the booke of common prayer with the newe kalender the Psalter the Bible of the largest volume the Homilies both first and second tome Erasmus Paraphrasis translated into English or for want thereof Marlorates exposition vpon S. Matthewes Gospell A comely and decent table standing on a frame for the Communion table with a faire linnen cloth to lay vpon the same and some couering of silke buckram or other such like for the cleane keeping thereof a faire and comely communion cuppe of syluer and a couer of siluer for the same a comely large surples with wyde sleeues A sure coffer with two lockes and keyes for keeping of the Register booke and all other things necessary for the premisses with a comely pulpit conueniently placed and also a chest or box for the poore Altars defaced 6 Whether in your churches and chappels all altars be vtterly taken downe and cleane remoued euen vnto the foundatiō and the place where they stoode paued and the wall whereunto they ioyned whyted ouer and made vniforme with the rest so as no breach or rupture appeare And whether your Roode loftes be taken downe and altered so that the vpper partes thereof with the soller or lofte be quite taken downe vnto the crosse beame that the said beame haue some conuenient creast put vpon the same Implements vnlawfull 7 Whether all and euery Antiphoners Masse bookes Grailes portesses processionals manuals legendaries and all other bookes of late belonging to your church or chappel which serued for the supersticious Latine seruice be vtterly defaced rent and abolished and if they be not through whose default that is and in whose keeping they remaine And whether all vestimentes albes tunicles stoles phanons pixes paxes handbels sacringbelles censers chrismatories crosses candlestickes holy waterstickes Images and such other reliques and monuments of superstition and idolatrie bee vtterly defaced broken and destroyed And if not where and in whose custody they remaine Seruice 8 Whether common prayer be vsed in your church or chappell vpon Sondayes and holy dayes at conuenient houres reuerently distinctly and in such order without any kinde of alteration as is appointed by the booke of common prayer and the lawes of this Realme And whether your Minister so turne him selfe and stande in such place of your church or chauncell as the people may best heare the same And whether your Parson or Vicar do once euery quarter at the least in his owne proper person saye diuine seruice and administer the Sacramentes wearing a surplesse according vnto the Queenes Iniunctions and the lawes of this Realme And whether the holy Sacramentes be duely and reuerently ministred in such maner as is set foorth by the same booke And whether your Minister at al times vpon Sundayes and holy dayes do we are in time of diuine seruice administration of the Sacraments the surplisse yea or no or doe suffer any other to saye the common prayer or minister either of the Sacraments in your Church not wearing the same Preaching 9 Whether your Parson or Vicar be a preacher allowed and hath preached or caused to be preached foure sermons at the least euery yeere in your church and what bee the names of him or those that so did preache and whether they were lawfully licensed so to preache if any other then your Parson or Vicar did preache the same And whether if there be no Sermon your Minister do reade for the most part euery sunday distinctly and plainely some part of the Homilies appointed to be read and the Queenes Iniunctions euery quarter of a yeere or no Catechisme 10 Whether your Parson Vicar or Curate do euery Sundaye and holy daye openly in the Church call for heare and instruct all the children apprentises and seruantes of both sexes that be of conuenient age within your parish or at the least so many of them by course as the time will serue and as hee may well heare and instruct for halfe an houre at the least before or at the euening prayer in the tenne Commandements the Articles of the beliefe and the Lordes prayer and diligently examine and teache them the Catechisme as it is nowe last allowed and set forth And whether for that purpose doth hee take the names of them all and by course call certaine of them by name euery sunday and holy daye to come to learne the same Catechisme Superstition innouation 11 Whether your Parson Vicar or Curate or any other within your Parish be a fauourer of the Romish church or religion or hath or doth mainteine or teache and doctrine contrarie or repugnant to any of the Articles agreed vpon by the Clergie in the conuocation holden at London An. Dom. 1562. And whether they haue publikely or secretly taught and doctrine tending to the discredit and dispraise either of the booke of Common prayer or of the Preachers and Ministers of the word and sacraments or of the receiued order for
gouernement in the Church of England or make any other Innouation And whether they haue permitted any man so teaching or making such innouatiō And whether any keepe and secret conuenticles preachings lectures or readings or priuate Communions contrary to the law and what be their names Curate 12 Whether any person or persons not being ordered at the least for a Deacon or licensed by the Ordinarie do saye Commō prayer openly in your Church or Chappell or any not being at the least a Deacon do solemnize Matrimonie or administer the Sacraments and what he or they be that so do And whether the Parson Vicar or Farmer of your benefice do cause or suffer any Curate to serue your Churche before he be examined and admitted by the Ordinary or his deputie in writing and shew the same to the Churchwardens Communion 13 Whether your Parson Vicar or Curate hath admitted any to the receiuing of the holy Communion aboue xx yeeres of age that cannot saie by heart the Catechisme the Lordes prayer the Articles of the faith and the ten Commaundementes in Englishe or any aboue xiiii yeeres of age and vnder xx that cannot saye the Catechisme set forth in the booke of common prayer or hath admitted any of any other parish to receiue the holy Communion without reasonable cause or speciall license of their own minister or whether hath he admitted to receiue the holy Communion and open and notorious blasphemer fornicatour adulterer drunkard or euill liuer by whom the Congregation is offended without dewe penaunce first done to the satisfaction of the congregation or any malicious person that is notoriously knowen to be out of charitie or that hath done any open wrong to his neighbour by worde or deede without dewe reconciliation first made to the partie that is wronged Baptisme 14 Whether your Font be sweetly kept and renewed from time to time with cleane and fresh water and whether any Minister leauing the vse of the Font do Christen or Baptize in any basons or other prophane vessels not customablie vsed in the Church before time Or whether your Minister do Baptize or Christen any out of the face of the Church and Congregation at any other time then vpon Sundayes or holy dayes without speciall cause or without Godfathers and Godmothers whether any person or persons bee admitted to answere as Godfathers or Godmothers at the Christening of any childe except hee or shee haue before receiued the holy Communion and can saye by heart the Articles of the Christian faith the ten Commandements of God and the Lordes praier and will recite the same before the Minister if he or she be thereunto required Register of Christenings 15 Whether the Register booke of all Christenings Mariages and Burials that happē in your parish from time to time be duely kept and the same Christeninges Mariages and Burials entred into the same booke by your Minister according to the Queenes Maiesties Iniunctions Mariage 16 Whether your minister hath maried any persons priuatly in any house or corner out of the Church or face of the Congregation or the Banes not being thrise solemnelie on three Sundaies or holy dayes asked in the parish Church where such persons dwelled or any such person or persons maried at any other parish church or chappell And whether your minister hath maried any Infantes or children vnder age or any within the degrees prohibited by Gods lawes and the lawes of this Realme or any that hath a husband or wife liuing and if he haue done so then who be the parties who were present at any such mariage and in what place was the same solemnized Churching 〈◊〉 women 17 Whether your Minister do Church any vnmaried women after they haue bene deliuered of their children begottē vnlawfully before they haue acknowledged their faultes openly according to the order prescribed by the Ordinarie or his deputie Visitation of the sicke and Buriall 18 Whether your Parson Vicar or Curate be diligent in visiting the sicke and comforting them and do moue them earnestly especially when they make their testaments to cōsider the neede of the poore and to giue to their boxe or chest their charitable deuotion And whether they burie the dead without any popish ceremonies or superstition in such Christian and comely maner as is prescribed by the booke of Common prayer Perambulation 19 Whether for the reteining of the perambulation of the circuit of your parish the Minister and Clarke with the Church-wardens and certaine of the substanciall men of the parish in the dayes of Rogacions walke about your parish according to the Queenes Maiesties Iniunctions And whether doe they vse in such perambulation any banners crosses handbelles or any such like popish ceremonies other then is prescribed and permitted by the booke of common prayer and the lawes of this Realme Admonition to the Church-wardens 20 Whether for the putting of the churchwardēs swornemē the better in remembrance of their duetie in obseruing and noting such as offend in not comming to diuine seruice your Minister or Reader do openly euery Sunday after he haue read the second lesson at morning euening prayer monish warne the Churchwardens and sworne men to looke to their charge in this behalfe and to obserue who contrarie to the said statute offende in absenting them selues negligently or wilfully from their parish Church or Chappell or vnreuerently as is aforesaid vse thē selues in time of diuine seruice Pluralities 21 Whether hath your Parson or Vicar any moe benefices or spirituall promotions then one how many and in what countrie be they what are their names and who is the Patrone of euery of them Residence 22 Whether is your Parson or Vicar resident and dwelling vpō his benefice or no if he be residēt whether doth he keepe the parsonage or vicarage with the glebe and other his tithes commodities in his owne handes or doth he demise the same or any part thereof to his Patrone or any other person or persons what parcels are so demised to whom for what rent if he be not resident or absent aboue lxxx dayes in the yeere then whether doth he demise his benefice to his Curate and if he be able to dispend xx pound by yeere doth he distribute the fourtieth part thereof yeerely to the poore of the parish or no Symonie 23 Whether you Parsons or Vicars haue come to their benefices by any Symonie fraude or deceipte or by any conference or agreement of friends or by any other bond compositiō or agreemēt or by any other colourable pact or vnlawfull meane whatsoeuer or be vehemently suspected or defamed therof And whether in performance of any such pact couenaunt or promise there hath bene any bond or lease made betweene the Patrone Incumbent directly or indirectly Suspected women 24 Whether your Parson Vicar or Curate do keepe any suspected woman in his house or be an incontinent
person giuen to dronkennesse or idlenes or be a haunter of Tauernes Alehouses or suspected places a Hunter Hauker Dicer carder Tabler Swearer or otherwise giue any euill example of life And whether his apparell bee comely and graue as becommeth his calling and function Parish Clarke 25 Whether the Parish Clarke be appointed according to the auncient custome of the parish And whether hee be not obedient to the Parson Vicar or Curate especially in the time of celebration of diuine seruice or of the Sacramentes or in any preparation thereunto And whether he be able ready to reade the first Lesson the Epistle and the Psalmes with answere to the suffragies as is vsed and whether he keepe not the bookes and ornamentes of the Church faire and cleane cause the church quier the Communion table the Pulpit and the Font to bee made decent and cleane against the feruice time the CommunioÌ„ Sermon and Baptisme Churchwardens 26 Whether haue your Churchwardens assisted your Minister in his office and function froÌ„ time to time and whether haue they done their diligence to bring such into the Church as stand gazing talking in the Churchyard or frequent lurke in Ale-houses or tippling houses in the time of diuine seruice whether haue they bene careful and diligent to see good order and silence kept in the Church during the time of Sermons Seruice and whether haue they diligently noted the names of all such parties euery Sunday and holy daye as haue bene absent from diuine seruice at any time and leuied the forfaiture of xii peÌ„ce for euery absence from common prayer according to the statute and put the same to the vse of the poore of the parish And if they haue offended â—n any of the premisses then howe often haue they so offended and what be their names and what particular summes of mony haue bene forfeited that waye and by whome since the last visitation and howe much of such forfeitures haue bene leuied by the ChurchwardeÌ„s and by them deliuered to the vse of the poore of the parish and to whom hath the same bene deliuered Churchwardens accompt 27 Whether your Churchwardens haue yeerely giuen an accompt of the Church goodes committed to their charge and of other their receipts and expenses And whether haue they sold any bels or other church goodes without consent of the Ordinarie fist had in writing And whether haue they employed all such goodes receiptes and summes of mony to the vse of the church or no and what be the names of the offenders Churchwardens concealers 28 Whether the Churchwardens and sworne men in former yeeres haue of any priuate corrupt affection concealed any crime or other disorder done in their times and haue not presented the same and if so then what faultes haue they so concealed what were the names of such Churchwardens and sworne men so concealing the same Collectors for the poore 29 Whether haue ye Collectors for the poore of the Parish and whether do they their duetie in gathering and distributing the Almes of the Parishioners and whether haue any Collectors any money in their handes not accoÌ„pted for or not bestowed vpon the poore And whether be there any of abilitie within your parish that wilfully or obstinatly refuse to giue reasonably to the reliefe of the poore Ringing and tolling of bels 30 Whether when any Christian bodie is in passing the bell be tolled to moue the people to praye for the sicke person especially in the greater townes where the sicke person dwelleth nere vnto the Church and whether after the tyme of his or their passing out of this world there be any more ringing but one short peale before the buriall and another short peale after the buriall And whether on all Saintes day after Euening prayer there be any ringing at all in your Church or Chappell or any other supersticious ceremonies vsed tending to the maintenance of the Popish purgatorie or prayer for the dead and who they bee that vse or doe the same And whether there be any ringing on Sondaies or holy dayes in the seruice time or betweene Morning prayer and the Letanie or at any other times contrarie to good order or Lawe Scholemasters 31 What Scholemasters haue you within your Parish or Chappelrie that teache either opeÌ„ly or priuately in any schoole gentlemans house or els where and whether be they of good sincere religion and licensed by the Bishop of the Diocesse to teach in writing vnder his seale and whether bee they diligent in teaching and bringing vp youth and to instruct them in godlines and vertue and especially in Master Nowels Catechisme lately set forth And whether teache they any thing contrarie to the religion now godlily established or do not cause their childreÌ„ to resort vnto the Church to heare diuine seruice Sermons Deanes Rural and Sumners 32 Whether the Archdeacon Chancellor Commissarie Officiall or any other vsing Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction in this Diocesse their registers or actuaries Apparitors or Sumners haue at any time winked at and suffered any adulteries fornications incestes or other faultes or offences to passe and remaine vnpunished and vncorrected for money rewardes bribes pleasure friendship or any other parciall or affectionate respect or haue permitted any penance without special licence of his Ordinarie Masters and Dames 33 Whether all fathers mothers masters dames of your parish cause their children seruants and apprentices both mankinde and womankinde being aboue six yeeres of age and vnder twenty which haue not learned the Cathechisme to come to the church on the Sundayes holy dayes at the times to theÌ„ appointed or at the least such or so many of them as your Minister shall appoint and there diligently and obediently to heare and to bee ordered by the minister vntill such time as they haue learned the same Catechisme and what bee the names of those that doe not cause their children seruants and apprentices so to come to the Church to be instructed and examined Absents from the Church 34 Whether the people of your parish especially housholders hauing no lawful excuse to be absent do faithfully and diligeÌ„tly endeauour them selues to resort with their children and seruants to their parish Church or Chappell on the holydayes chiefly vpon Sundayes to Morning and Euening prayer and then there abide orderly soberly during the time of CoÌ„mon prayer Homilies Preachings and other seruice of God there vsed reuerently and deuoutly giuing them selues to the hearing thereof who they be that either negligently or wilfully absent theÌ„selues or come very late to the Church vpon Sundayes especially and how long hath any of your parish absented him selfe from his parish Church or who be they that walke talke or otherwise vnreuerently behaue them selues in the Church or vse any gaming abroade or pastime in any house or sit in the streetes or Churchyarde or in any Tauerne or Alehouse