ARTICLES To be enquired of by the Church-VVardens and Sworne-men in the Visitation of the Right Worshipfull the Archdeacon of SVRREY Printed at London by Miles Flesher Anno Dom. 1626. The tenour of the Oath of the Church-wardens and Sworne-men YOu 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 know to haue committed any offence or omitted any duty 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 contents of his holy Gospell ARTICLES Touching the Church WHether is your Church or Chappell with the Chancell thereof and euery part of either of them well and sufficiently repaired glased paued or any thing noysome or vnséemely 2 Whether is your Church-yard well fenced as hath béene accustomed if not whose default is it 3 Whether hath there béene any fighting chiding brawling or quarelling in your Church or Church-yard and by whom 4 Whether is the mansion house of your Parson Vicar or Curate with all the building thereunto belonging and Church-house sufficiently repaired maintained and to their right vses imployed 5 Whether haue you in your Church the Bible in the largest Volume the booke of common prayer lately authorized by his maiestie the bookes of Homilies allowed the two Psalters a conuenient Pulpit for the Preaching a decent seat for the Minister to say Seruice in conueniently placed a strong chest with an hole in the lid three lockes and keyes one for the Minister the other for the Church-wardens for the Almes of the poore the kéeping the Register Booke of the Christenings Mariages 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 conueniently 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 and other vtensils as haue anciently belōged vnto your Church a Communion cup of siluer with a couer a faire standing pot or stoope of siluer or pewter for the Wine vpon the Communion Table a comely surplesse with large sléeues a Register booke of parchment for Christenings Mariages Burials a booke for the names of all strange Preachers subscribed with their names the names of the Bishop or others by whom they had Licence 8 Whether are wéekly the names and surnames of all persons maried christened and buried and of their parents with the day and yeare entred into your said parchment booke and euery leafe being full subscribed by you the Ministers and Church-wardens 9 Whether are all your seats in your Church in good repaire cleanly kept conueniently placed the parishioners in them or else-where orderly set is ther any contention or striuing for any seat or place amongst them 10 Whether in any of your Churches the partition betwéene the Chancell and the body of the Church be taken away And how long since and by whom haue you a Terrier of all the gleab-land and other appurtinancies belonging to your Church Touching the Ministrie seruice and Sacraments WHether is the whole Common praier said or sung by your Minister both morning and euening distinctly and reuerently euery Sunday and holyday and on their Eues and at conuenient vsuall times of those dayes and in most conuenient place of the Church for the edifying of the people 2 Whether doth your Minister obserue the orders rytes and ceremonies prescribed in the booke of Common prayer in reading the holy Scriptures prayers and administration of the Sacraments without diminishing in regard of preaching or any other respect or adding any thing in the matter or forme thereof doth he baptize in any basin or other vessel and not in the ordinary Font 3 Whether doth your Minister on Wednesdayes and Frydayes not being holydayes at the accustomed houres of seruice resort to the Church and say the Letany prescribed doth your Clarke or Sexton giue warning before by foulling of a bell on those dayes 4 Whether doth your Minister as oft as he administreth the Communion weare the Surplesse 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 whether doth he deliuer the bread and wine to euery communicant seuerally 5 Whether doth your Minister giue warning publikely in the Church at morning prayer the Sunday before hée 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 maliciously contended with his neighbor before repentance and reconciliation made and done by appoyntment of the Ordinary 7 Whether hath your Minister admitted to the Cōmunion any Church-warden or Sideman who hath wittingly and willingly neglected contrary to his oth to present any publike offence or scandall being moued to present either by some of his neighbours the Minister or his Ordinary 8 Whether hath your Minister administred the Communion to any but such as knéele or doe any refuse to kneele hath he administred to any who refuse to be present at publike Prayer or is there any who hath depraued the Book of common Prayer administration of the Sacraments or the Rites and Ceremonies prescribed or the Articles of Religion agréed vpon anno Dom. 1562. or the booke of ordering Priests and Bishops or spoken against his Maiesties Supremacie or haue any béene for these causes repelled and what be their names 9 Whether hath your Minister more Benefices then one if he haue how farre distant are they how often is he absent in the yeare when he is absent hath he an allowed Preacher for his Curate 10 Whether is your Minister and allowed Preacher if he be doth he euery Sunday in your Church or some other néer 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 elsewhere doth he procure euery Moneth a Sermon to be preached in his Cure by preachers lawfully licensed and on euery Sunday when there is no Sermon doth he or his Curate 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 in saying the publike prayers vsually administring the Sacraments weare a decent Surplesse with sléeues and being Graduate doth hee weare therewith a hood by the order of the Uniuersities agréeable to his degree 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 hée and they vsed the prayer 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 all within the same owe most loyalty obedience that al foraine power is iustly taken away 17 Whether doth your Minister euery Sunday and Holyday halfe an houre before Euening prayer or more eramine 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 béene thrée seuerall Sundayes or holydayes asked in your Church in the time of Diuine seruice without Licence and hath hée without Licence married any or with any Licence but onely from the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury the Bishop of the Diocesse or his Chancellour 19 Whether hath your Minister either with Licence or without married any at other times then betwéene the houres of Eight and Twelue in the forenoone or in any priuate house or before their Parents or Gouernours the parties being vnder the age of 21. yeares haue testified their consents 20 Whether doth your Minister declare to the people euery Sunday at the time appointed what holydayes and fasting dayes be the wéeke following doth he being a Preacher conferre with all Recusants and persons excommunicate or suspended in his parish being no Preacher doth he procure a sufficient Preacher to reclaime them thereby 21 Whether doth your Minister kéepe a note of all persons excommunicate and once euery six months 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 deth your Minister hauing notice giuen him diligently visit the sicke the Disease not being infectious doth he instruct and comfort them doth he then mooue them to make their Testaments and remember the poore and other workes of charity 23 Whether hath your Minister refused to baptize any childe brought to the Church vpon any Sunday or Holyday or to bury any corps brought into the Church or Churchyard or to Church any woman hauing had conuenient warning thereof 24 Whether hath your Minister being truly informed of the danger of death of any infant vnbaptized and being desired to goe to the place where the child is to baptize 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 or church any women except when any are so impotent that they cannot goe to Church or are very dangerously sicke where and how often hath he so done 26 Whether hath your Minister held or appointed any publike Fast or béene present at any doth he or any other person in your Parish hold any Lecture or exercise without the Licence of the Bishop vnder his hand or seale or attempt by fasting or other wise to cast out any deuils 27 Whether hath there been any secret conuenticles or méetings in your Parish by any Priest Minister or others tending to the deprauing of the forme of Prayer Doctrine or the gouernment of the Church 28 Whether doth your Minister in his iourney weare a cloake with sléeues called a Priests cloake 29 Whether doth your Minister resort to any Tauernes or Alehouses or doth he boord or lodge in any such place or doth vse any base or seruile labour drinking riot dice cards tables or any other vnlawfull games Is he contentious a hunter hawker dancer swearer suspected of any incontinency or hath giuen any euill example of life 30 Whether is there in your Parish any Minister or Deacon who hath forsaken his calling vsing himselfe in his course of life as a Gentleman or other Lay man Or any that is not in holy Orders read Common prayer or vse any ministeriall duty in your Church or Chappell Touching Schoolemasters VVHether haue you in your Parish any Schoole-master who teacheth either in publike Schoole or priuate house is he of sound religion or doth he giue any euil example of life is he alowed by the Ordinary or doth your Minister or Curate teach and is he allowed in like manner 2 Whether doth your Minister or Schoolemaster who teacheth teach the Catechisme by authority set forth Touching the Parish Clarke and Sexton WHether haue you a Parish Clarke sufficient for his place of the age of 20 years at the least is he of honest conuersation can he reade write and sing is he diligent in his office and seruiceable to his Minister and not giuen to ouermuch drinke or any other vice is he chosen by the Parson or Vicar doth he take vpon him his Clarkeship before he hath taken the Oath of Supremacy before the Lord Bishop or his Commissary 2 Whether doth your Clarke meddle with any thing aboue his office as churching of women burying of the dead reading of prayers or the like 3 Whether doth your Clarke or Sexton kéepe your Church cleane the doores fast locked is any thing by his default lost or spoiled in the Church doth he suffer any vnseasonable 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 then one short peale and before his huriall one and after the same another 5 Whether doth any in your Parish refuse to pay vnto the parish Clark or Sexton such wages as are vnto them due and haue beene accustomably payed Touching Parishioners VVHether hath any in your Parish spoken against or any way impugned the Kings Maiesties Supremacy 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 the Sacraments 2 Whether hath any in your parish spoken against or impugned the rites ceremonies established in the Church the gouernment by Archbishops Bishops Deanes Archdeacons and others that beare office in the same 3 Whether any haue in your parish spoken against or impugned the form of making consecrating Bishops Priests or Deacons or haue any separated themselues from the society of the congregation combined in a new Frotherhood or depraued the Synod lately held by the Kings authority 4 Whether doth any in your Parish profane violate or misspend he Sunday or holyday or any part of them vsing any offensiue conuersation or worldly labour in those dayes 5 Whether haue any in your Parish in the time of Diuine Seruice couered his head albeit he hath no infirmity in
which case a cap or night-coyfe is allowed or is there any who hath not reuerently knéeled when the generall confession Let any or other prayers are read and which doe not stand vp at the saying of the Beleefe 6 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 7 Whether doe all Parishioners receiue the holy Communion thrice euery yeare at the least whereof the feast of Easter to be one haue all being of the age of xvii yeares duly receiued or not 8 Whether hath any Parent béene vrged to be present or admitted to answer as Godfather for his owne child or hath any Godfather or Godmother made any other answer or spéech then is prescribed by the Booke or haue any béen admitted for such a baptisme who haue not first receiued the Communion doe anie kéepe their children longer then is conuenient 9 Whether doe all Fathers Mothers Masters and Mistresses come cause their children seruants and Aprentices to come duely to the Church and according to the Ministers directions to be instructed or catechized 10 Whether haue any persons maried together within the degrées of consanguinitie or affinitie prohibited set forth in a Table appointed to be placed in euerie Church 11 Whether haue any persons once lawfully married forsaken each other or doe liue asunder without the authoritie of the Ordinarie or doe any being diuorced or separated marry againe the former wife or husband yet liuing 12 Whether haue any béene maried in the times wherein mariage is by law restrained without lawfull Licence viz. froÌ„ the Saturday next before Aduent Sunday until the fourteenth of Januarie and from the Saturday next before Septuagesima Sunday vntill the Munday next after Low Sunday and from the Sunday next before the Rogation wéeke vntill Trinity Sunday 13 Whether haue any in your Parish vnreuerently vsed your Minister or haue any laid violent hands vpon him or disgraced his office and calling by word or déed 14 Whether haue you in your Parish any dweller or soiourner who is a maintainer of popish Doctrine or suspected to kéepe schismaticall bookes or to fauour any heresie or errour 15 Whether haue you any common resorters vnto your Church which are not of your parish or doe any such heare diuine seruice and receiue the Communion amongst you what be their names and of what parish are they 16 Whether haue any in time of diuine Seruice vpon sundaies or holidayes opened their shops exercised their trade vsed any gaming béene in Taverne or Alehouse or otherwise imployed 17 Whether are there in your Parish by common fame and report any Adulterers Fornicators Incestuous persons Bawdes receiuers close fauourers câ—â—…iueyers away or which suffer to depart any incontinent persons vnpunished and blasphemers common swearers drunkards ribaâ—â—…s vsurers malicious slanderers scolds or sowers of discord or any defamed of the said crimes 18 Whether doe any in your Parish administer the goods of the dead without authority or suppresse their will and testament 19 Whether doe any refuse to pay to the reparations ornaments and other things required in your Church as they are indifferently sessed or any other dwelling out of your parish which hold land in your parish 20 Whether hath any person excommunicated béene suffered to heare diuine Seruice or Sermon to receiue the Sacraments to be maried or churched or haue any excommunicate been buried in Christian buriall doe any frequent their company who be they 21 Whether hath any in your parish béen christned churched buryed or receiued the Communion or béen maried out of your Church without licence both parties dwelling in your parish 22 Whether haue all women in your Parish deliuered of child come at conuenient time after to Church to giue thankes and haue they béen churched according to the booke of common prayer 23 Whether hath the perambulation of the circuit of the parish béene obserued once euery yéere if not whose default is it 24 Whether haue any in your parish giuen she church-wardens or Side-men or any of them euill words for doing their duty according to their oath and conscience Touching Church-wardens and Sworne-men VVHether doe any in your Parish take vpon them to be Church-warden or Sideman which are not lawfully chosen by the Minister and parishioners according to the canon or doe any continue that office longer then one yeere except he be chosen againe and are all such officers chosen yeerly in Easter wéeke 2 Whether doe your Church-wardens within one moneth at most after their yeare ended before the Minister and parishioners giue vp a iust account of all such money and other things as they haue receiued and bestowed haue they deliuered all remaining in their hands belonging to the Church or parish by bill indented to the next Churchwarden 3 Whether haue the Churchwardens with the aduice of the Minister from time to time prouided a sufficient quantity of fine white bread and 〈◊〉 wine for the number of Communicants 4 Whether doe the Church-wardens and Sworne-men before euery Uisitation and at other times when there is iust occasion méet and confer about their presentments and the answering of their Articles and who hath after notice giuen him of the time and place carelesly absented himselfe 5 Whether the forfeiture of twelue pence for absence from Church appointed by statute for the vse of the poore be taken leauied by the churchwardens and imployed according to the said statute and whether is the same forfeiture taken of all persons which stand wilfully suspended or excommunicated 6 Whether haue any Church-wardens lost sold or detained any goods Ornaments Bels Rents or implements of the Church 7 Whether doe the Church-wardens and Side-men suffer any to say diuine Seruice or preach being not lawfully allowed doe they about the midst of Diuine Seruice vsually walke out of the Church and sée who are abroad in any Alehouse or elsewhere absent or euill imployed and whether haue they presented all such to the Ordinary 8 Whether doe you know or haue heard a fame of any offence committed or duty omitted by any of your parish before your time and heretofore not presented to the Ordinary or as yet not reformed and whether haue you presented the same 9 Whether hath any part of your Church béen lately altered new built or any addition made thereunto the wals pulled downe new doores made into the Church or any sollaries built there by any without allowance of the Ordinary 10 Whether is any part of your Church imployed to any prophane vse is your Church-porch Church walls and Church-yard cleanly kept without any annoyance in whose default is such annoyance 11 Finally doe you know of any matter or cause which is a breach of the lawes Ecclesiasticall here not expressed FINIS