ARTICLES Given by _____ and delivered to the Church-wardens to be considered and Answered in his Visitation holden in the year of our Lord God 1671 LONDON Printed for George Daws over against Lincolns Inn Gate in Chancery Lane M.DC.LXXI The Oath ministred to the Church-wardens and Sworn men YOu shall swear truely to execute the Office ' of Church-wardens for the year ensuing and upon due consideration of the Articles delivered unto you to enquire with the best diligence that you may and as far as you are bound by Law to present every person of your Parish that hath done any offence contrary to the Ecclestastical Laws of this Kingdom now in force or omitted any duty thereby required And this you shall do with uprightness and without partiality So help you God and by the Contents of this Book ARTICLES Concerning the Church the Ornaments thereof and the Churches Possessions IMprimis Whether have you in your several Churches and Chappels the whole Bible of the largest Volume and newest Translation and the book of Commen-Prayer lately set forth by Act of Parliament both fairly and substantially bound A Font of stone set up in the antient usual place A convenient and decent Communion Table with a Carpet of silk or some other decent stuff continually laid upon the same at the time of Divine Service and a fair linen cloth thereon at the time of receiving of the holy Communion And whether it is so used out of time of Divine Service as is not agreeable to the holy use of it as by sitting on it throwing hats on it writing on it or is it abused to other prophaner uses and are the ten Commandements set up in your Church or Chappel where the people may best see and read them and other sentences of holy Scripture written on the walls likewise for that purpose 2. Whether you have in your said Church or Chappel a convenient seat for your Minister to read Service in together with a compleat Pulpit set up in a convenient place with a decent cloth or cushion for the same a comly large Surplice a fair Communion-cup with a Flagon of Silver Tin or Pewter to put the Wine in whereby it may be set upon the Communion Table at the time of the blessing thereof with all other things and ornaments necessary for the celebration of Divine Service and administration of the Sacraments And whether have you a strong Chest for Alms for the poor with three Locks and Keys and another Chest for keeping the Books and Ornaments of the Church and the Register Book and whether have you a Register Book in Parchment for Christnings Weddings and Burials and whether the same be kept according to the Canons in that behalf provided And is the Mothers Christian name therein Registred as well as the Fathers and a transcript thereof brought in yearly within one month after the 25 of March unto the Lord Archbishopor Bishop of the Diocess his principal Register And whether have you in your Church or Chappel a Table set of the degrees wherein by Law men are prohibited to marry 3. Whether are your Church and Chappels with the Chancels thereof and your Parsonage or Vicarage-house and other Church-houses in good reparations and are they imployed to godly and their right holy uses Is your Church Chancel and Chappel decently and comly kept as well within as without and the seats well maintained according to the 85 Canon in that behalf provided Or have any Patrons or others decayed the Parsonage houses or keep a stipendary Priest or Curate in place where an Incumbent should be possessed whether is your Church-yard well fenced with walls rails or pales and if not in whose default the same is and what the defect or fault is And whether any persons incroached upon the ground of the Church-yard or whether any person or persons have used any thing or place Consecrated to holy use prophanely or wickedly 4. Is your Church or Chappel decently paved and is your Church-yard well and orderly kept without abuse Are the bones of the dead decently interred or laid up in some fit place as beseemeth Christians And is the whole Consecrated ground kept from Swine and all other nastiness as becometh the place so dedicated 5 Whether have you the Terrier of all the Gleab-land Medows Gardens Orchards Houses Stocks Implements Tenements and portions of Tythes whether within your Parish or without belonging to your Parsonage or Vicarage taken by the view of honest men in your said Parish And whether the said Terrier be laid up in the Bishops Registry and in whose hands any of them are now And if you have no Terrier already made in Parchment you the Church wardens and Side-men together with your Parson or Vicar or in his absence with your Minister are to make diligent enquiry and presentment of the several particulars following and make subscribe and sign the said Terrier as aforesaid 1. How many several parcels of Gleab-land do you know or have you credibly heard to belong unto your Rectory Church Parsonage Vicarage c. and by what names are they or any of them commonly called and known And what yearly Rent have you known or heard to have been paid unto the Parson Vicar or to his or their Assigns for every or any of the said parcels Concerning the Clergy WHether doth your Parson Vicar or Curate distinctly and reverently say Divine Service upon Sundays and Holy-days and other Holy-days appointed to be observed by the Book of common-Common-Prayer as Wednesdays and Fridays and the Eves of every Sunday and Holy-day at fit and usual times And doth he duly observe the Orders Rites and Ceremonies prescribed in the said new Book of common-Common-Prayer as well in reading in the publick Prayers as the Litany as also in administring the Sacraments solemnization of Matrimony vistting the Sick burying the Dead Churching of Women and all other the Rites and Offices of the Church in such manner and form as in the said Book of common-Common-Prayer he is enjoyned without any omission or addition And doth he read the Book of the last Canons yearly and wear a Surplice according to the said Canons 2. Doth your Minister bid Holy-days and Fasting-days as by the Book of common-Common-Prayer is appointed And doth he give warning before-hand to the Parishioners for the receiving of the Holy Communion and whether he doth administer the Holy Communion so often and at such times as that every Parishioner may receive the same at the least thrice in every year whereof once at Easter as by the Book of Common-Prayer is appointed And doth your Minister receive the same himself on every day that he administreth it to others and use the words of institution according to the Book at every time that the Bread and Wine is renewed accordingly as by the proviso of the 21 Canon is directed And doth he deliver the Bread and Wine to every Communicant severally and kneeling Whether he hath admitted to the holy
dead or such like 2. Doth your Clerk or Sexton keep the Church clean the doors locked at fit times Is any thing lost or spoiled in the Church through his default Are the Communion Table Font Books and other Ornaments of the Church kept fair and clean Doth he suffer any unseasonable Kinging or any prophane exercise in your Church Or doth he when any is passing out of this life neglect to toll a Bell having notice thereof Concerning the Parishioners 1. WHether any of your Parishioners being sixteen years of age or upwards or others lodging or commonly resorting to any house within your Parish do absent themselves from your Parish Church upon Sundays or Holy-days at Morning and Evening Prayer Or who come late to Church and depâ—rt from Church before Service be done upon the said days Or who do not reverently behave themselves during the time of Divine Service devoutly kneeling when the general confession of sins the Litany the ten Commandments and all Prayers and Collects are read and standing up when the Articles of the Belief are read or who do cover their heads in the Church during the time of Divine Service unless by wearing a Cap or Coif Or who do give themselves to vabling talking or walking and are not attentive to hear the Word preached or read Whether any of your Parish being of sixteen years of age and upwards do not receive the Holy Communion in your Church thrice every year whereof once at Easter and whether they do not devoutly kneel at the receiving thereof And whether any having divers houses of remove do shift from place to place on purpose to defeat the performance of their Christian duties in that behalf 2. What Recusant Papists are there in your Parish or other Sectaries present their names qualities or conditions Whether they keep any School-master in their house which cometh not to Church to hear Divine Service and receive the Communion what is his Name and how long hath he taught there or elsewhere 3. Whether any of the said Popish Recusants or other Schismaticks do labour to seduce and withdraw others from the Religion now established 4. Is there any in your Parish that refuse to have their Children Baptized or themselves to receive the Communion at the hands of your Minister taking exception against him and what causes or exceptions do they alledge or have any married wives refused to come to Church according to the Book of common-Common-Prayer to give God thanks after their Child-birth for their safe deliverance And whether do any of or in your Parish refuse to have their children Baptized in your Parish Church according to the form prescribed in the Book of common-Common-Prayer 5. Do any of your Parish usually go to other parish-Parish-Churches to hear Divine Service or Sermons Or do they communicate or Baptize their Children in any other Parish 6. Whether there be any in your Parish who will come to hear the Sermon but will not come to publick Prayers appointed by the Book of common-Common-Prayer making a Schism or diviston as it were between the use of publick Prayer and Preaching 7. Hath any Person in your Parish quarrelled or stricken or used any violence to your Minister or have stricken or quarrelled with any other person in your Church or Church-yard or demeaned himself disorderly in the Church by filthy or profane talk or any other base or immodest behaviour Or hath disturbed the Minister in the time of Divine Service or Sermon or hath libelled or spoken standerous words against your Minister to the scandal of his vccation or defamed any of his Neighbours touching any crime of Ecclestastical Cognifance 8. Whether any person in your Parish do exercise any Trade or labour buy or sell or keep open Shops or Ware-houses upon any â—unday by themselves their Servants or Apprentices or have otherwise prophaned the said days contrary to the Orders of the Church of England And whether there be any Inn-keepers Alehouse-keepers Victuallers or other persons that permit any persens in their Houses to eat drink or play during the time of Divine Service or Sermon or reading the Homilies in the forenoon or afternoon upon those days 9. Whether the sifch day of November be kept holy and thanksgiving made to God for his Majesties and this States happy deliverance according to the Ordinance in that behalf And the 30th of January be kept as a day of humiliation for the murthering of King Charles the Martyr and other days appointed by authority 10. Whether any of your Parish hold or frequent any Conventicles or private Congregations or make or maintain any constitutions agreed upon in any such Assemblies Or any that do write or publickly or privately speak against the Book of common-Common-Prayer or any thing therein contained or against any of the Articles of Religion agreed upon in Anno. 1562. or against the Kings Supr macy in Causes Ecclestastical or against the taking the Oaths of Supremacy or of Allegiance Or against any of the Rites or Ceremonies of the Church of England now established or against the Government of the Church of England under the Kings most excellent Majesty by Archbishops Bishops Deans Arch-deacons and other Officers of the same 11. Whether any in your Parish have married within the degrees by Law prohibited and where and by whom And whether any couple in your Parish being lawfully marryed live apart one from the other without due separation by the Law 12. Whether do any persons administer the goods of the dead without lawful Authority or suppress the last will of the dead Or are there in your Parish any wills not yet proved or goods of the dead dying intestate left unadministred by Authority in that behalf You shall not fail to present the Executors and all other faulty therein 13. Whether any withhold the Stock of the Church or any goods or other things given to good and charitable uses 14. Whether have you any in your Parish to your knowledge or by common fame or report which hath committed Adultery Fornication or Incest or any which hath impudently bragged or boasted that he or they have lived incontinently with any person or persons whatsoever or which are commonly reputed to be common Drunkards Blasphemers of Gods holy name common Swearers common Slanderers of their neighbours and sowers of Discord filthy and lascivious Talkers Simoniacal Persons Bawds or Harborers of women with Child which be unmarryed or conveying or suffering them to go away before they have made satisfaction to the Church or any that have heretofore been presented or suspected of any the aforesaid crimes have for that cause departed the Parish and are not returned again or any which have committed any perjury in any Ecclestastical Court in an Ecclestastical cause and the procurors and abettors of the said offences You shall truly present the names of all and singular the said offenders and with whom they have committed the said offences in case they have not been publickly punished to your knowledge for the said crimes Physicians Chirurgions and Midwives HOw many Physicians Chirurgions or Midwives have you in your Parish How long have they used their several Sciences or Offices and by what Authority And how have they demeaned themselves therein and of what skill are they accounted to be in their profession Touching the Church-Wardens and Side-men 1. WHether your Predecessors the Church-wardens Questmen or Side-men have done their diligence in not suffering any idle person to abide either in the Church-yard or Church-porch in Service or Sermon time but causing them either to come into the Church to hear Divine Service or to depart and not to disturb such as be hearers there and whether they have in their time diligently observed that the Parishioners have duly resorted to the Church every Sunday and Holy-day and there remained during Divine Service and Sermon And whether they have suffered any plays feasts drinkings or any other prophane usages to be kept in your Church Chappel or Church-yards or have suflered any person or persons to be tipling or drinking in any Inn or Victualling-house in your Parish during the time of Divine Service or Sermon or Sundays and Holy-days 2. Whether and how often have they admited any to preach within your Church or Chappel which was not lawfully licensed And whether any stranger have usually come to your Church from their own Parish-Church 3. Whether have there been provided against every Communion a sufficient quantity of fine white-bread and good and wholesome Wine for the Communicants that shall receive And whether that Wine be brought in a clean and sweet standing Pot of Pewter or of other purer metal 4. Whether have the late Church-Wardens given up a just account for their time and delivered by Bill indented the moâ—ey and other things belonging to the Church which was in their hands And are the Alms of the Church faithfully distributed to the use of the poor 5. Whether any man do trouble or molest you for doing your duties 6. Whether there be any Legacies with-holden given to the Church or poor people or other pious uses in whose hands is it by whom was it given and by whom is it with-holden 7. Do you know any thing that hath been complained of that is not redressed FINIS
Communion any notorious Offender or Schismatick contrary to the 26. and 27. Constitutions or put any from the Communion who are not publickly infamous for any notorious crime Doth he use the sign of the Cross in Baptism or baptize in any Bason or other Vessel and not in the usual Font or admit any Father to be Godfather to his own child or such who have not received the Holy-Communion or baptize any children that were not born in the Parish or wilfully refuse to baptize any Infant in his Parish being in danger having been informed of the weakness of the said child and whether the Child dieth through his default without Baptsim 3. Whether hath your Minister married any without a King or without Banes published three several Sundays or Holy-days in time of Divine service in the several Churches or Chappels of their several abode according to the Book of Common-Prayer or in times prohibited albeit the Banes were thrice published without a License or Dispensation from the Archbishop the Bishop of the Diocess his Chancellor or other Ordinary of the place first obtained in that behalf or not betwixt the hours of eight and twelve in the forenoon Or have marryed any in any private house or if the parties be under the age of 21 years before their Parents or Governours have signified their consent unto them 4. Doth he refuse to bury any which ought to be interred in Christian Burial or defer the same longer than he should or bury any in Christian burial which by the constitutions of the Church of England or Laws of the Land ought not to be so interred as felo's de se and excommunicated Persons 5. Is your Minister a Preacher lawfully licensed 6. Doth your Minister being licensed preach usually according to the Canons Or whether doth he or his Curate upon every Sunday when there is no Sermon read an Homily or some part thereof or in case he be not licenced to Preach doth he take upon him to Preach or Expound the Scriptures in his own Cure or elsewhere If so then you are to present the same the time and place when and where he did it 7. Doth your Minister use to pray for the Kings Majesty King Charles and for the Queens Majesty and all the Royal Progeny with addition of such Stile and Titles as are due to their Highnesses and exhort the people to obedience to his Majesty and all Magistrates in Authority under him And doth he also pray for all Archbishops Bishops and other Ecclestastical persons 8. Is your Minister constantly resident unto his Benefice and how long time hath he been absent and in case he be licensed to be absent whether doth he cause his Cure to be sufficiently supplyed according to the Canons Or in case he hath another Benefice whether doth he supply his absence by a Curate sufficiently licenced to preach in that Cure where he himself is not resident Or otherwise in case the smalness of the living cannot find a preaching Minister doth he preach at both his Benefices usually 9. Doth your Minister or Curate every Sunday or Holy-day before Evening Prayer for half an hour or more examine and instruct the youth and ignorant persons of his Parish in the ten Commandments Articles of the Belief and in the Lords-Prayer and the Sacraments according as it is prescribed in the Catechism set forth in the Book of Common-Prayer only and if he do not where is the fault either in the Parents and Masters of the Children or in the Curate neglecting his duty And is he careful to tender all such youth of his Parish as have been well instructed in their Catechism to be confirmed by the Bishop in his Visitation or any other convenient time as is appointed by the Book aforesaid 10. Doth your Minister in the Rogation days go in procession or Perambulation of the Parish saying and using the Prayers Suffrages and Thanksgiving to God according to antient custom thanking God for his blessings if there be plenty on the earth Or otherwise to pray for his grace and favour if there be a fear of scarcity 11. Hath your Minister admitted any Woman gotten with child in adultery or fornication to be Churched without licence of the Ordinary having not done penance 12. Hath your Minister or any other Preacher or Parson baptized Children Churched any Woman or Ministred the Holy Communion in any private house otherwise than by Law is allowed 13. Doth your Minister carefully look to the relief of the poor and from time to time call upon his Parishioners to give somewhat as they can spare to Godly and Charitable uses especially when they make their Testaments 14. Doth your Minister use such decency and comliness in his apparel as by the 47. Canon is enjoyned is he of sober behaviour and one that doth not use such bodily labeur or trading as it is not seemly for his function and calling 15. When any person hath been dangerously sick in your Parish hath he neglected to visit him and when any have been parting out of this life hath he omitted to do his last duty in that behalf being requested thereunto 16. Doth your Minister Curate or Lecturer in his or their Sermons deliver such doctrine as tends to obedience ond the edifying of their Auditory in Faith and Religion without intermedling with matters of State not fit to be handled in the Pulpit but to be discussed by the wisdom of his Majesty and his Council And if you find any fault herein you shall present them School-Masters 1. DOth any in your Parish openly or privately take upon him to teach School without a license of the Ordinary and is he conformable to the Religion now established And doth he bring his Scholars to the Church to hear Divine Service and Sermons And doth he instruct his Scholars in the grounds of the Religion now established in this Church of England 2. Doth your School-master teach and instruct his youth in any other Catechism than is allowed by publick Authority And what Catechism is that he so teacheth 3. Is any Living or means given toward the erection or maintenance of any School witholden back or otherwise imployed and by whom 4 Doth any keep School in the Chancel or Church by which means that Holy place and the Communion-Table are many ways profaned and the windows broken Parish Clerks and Sextons 1. HAve you a fit Parish Clerk aged twenty years at least of honest Conversation able to read and write Whether are his and the Sextons wages paid without fraud according to the custom of your Parish if not then by whom are they so defrauded and denied by whom are they chosen and whether the said Clerk be approved by the Ordinary And hath he taken an Oath as in such Cases is fit and required and is he diligent in his Office and serviceable to the Minister and doth he take upon him to meddle with any thing above his Office as Churching of women burying the