but one is he resident and dwelling thereupon is he painfull in his vocation of sober and good conuersation and giuen to hospitality 10 Doth your Minister vse decencie of Apparell aswell in the Church as elsewhere And in time of diuine prayers and administration of the Sacraments doth he vse to weare the Surplesse and if hee be a Graduate such a hood as is agreeable to his calling 11 Is your Minister a peace-maker and no sower of discord or is he suspected famed or noted of any notorious crime or giueth he any ill example or doth any Minister with you forsake his calling 12 Doth any preach in your Parish that resuseth to conforme himselfe to the lawes ordinances and rites of the Church of England 13 Hath your Minister a Curate how is he licensed doth he serue two Cures doth he bid the Fasting dayes Holy-dayes commande◠and allowed 14 If your Minister be not a Preacher allowed doth he procure monethly Sermons when there is no Sermon doth hee read an Homily doth he take on him to expound any text of Scripture 15 What Preachers haue come from any other place preached i◠your Parish haue you their names written in a booke kept for that purpose hath such a Preacher subscribed his name thereto and set down the day when he preached and by whom licensed 16 Hath your Minister obtained his Benefice by any Symonicall compact either directly or indirectly 17 Hath any of your Parish or of any other parish vnreuerently vse◠your Minister laid violent hands on him or disgraced his office function by word or deed Diuine Service 18 Is diuine seruice in due time on Sundaies Holydaies and at other times appointed reuerently said or sung in your Church or Chappell with the Letany on Wednesdaies and Fridaies and all other rites and ceremonies according to the prescript forme of common prayer in the Communion Booke 19 Whether doth any not being licensed or any not ordered at least for a Deacon say Common prayer openly in your Church or Chappell 20 Doe any men young or old vse to weare their Hattes in the Church or Chappell in the time of divine Service or are there any that behaue themselues disorderly in the Church Chappell or Churchyard or any disturbers of divine seruice or sermons 21 Whether doe any victualers or others in your parish suffer any drinking or gaming in their houses on Sundaies or Holidaies especially in time of Diuine seruice or sermons 22 Whether any in your parish vpon the sabaoth daies or holidaies doe vse their Trade or doe any other worke or labour as Brewing Baking Washing Barbing or such like or doe any Mercers Drapers Shomakers Butchers or others whatsoeuer open their shops for sale of wares vpon those dayes or doe hedge ditch digge carry or drawe burdens by themselues their seruants horses or other cattle whatsoeuer on such daies The holy Communion 23 Haue you a decent Communion Table on a frame with a seemly carpet and a cloth of Linnen a communion cup and couer of siluer a faire Flagon of pewter or purer mettle for the Wine a place for the Bread a Towell to lay ouer it 24 Whether is there any in your parish which being full fixteene yeares of age and vpward hath not receaued the holy communion three seuerall times in the yeare past at least in his or her parish church whereof Easter to be one of the three times 25 Doth your Minister instruct and examine his Parishioners concerning the Sacraments at conuenient times before hee administer the Communion And doth he admit any thereto that cannot say at least the Lords praier the Articles of the Christian faith and the ten Commandements 26 Is your Communion ministred with Bread and Wine consecrated in such order as in the booke of common prayer is appointed And doth your Minister deliuer both kindes to euery severall Communicant with the blessing prescribed in the booke of common prayer 27 Doth any in your parish receaue the holy Communion either sitting standing or otherwise then kneeling as is prescribed in the booke of common prayer or doe any refuse to receaue the same kneeling and doth your Minister admit any to receaue the communion otherwise then kneeling 28 Doth your Minister admit any notorious offenders or any schismatickes to the holy communion before due pennance enioyned by the Ordinary be duly performed by them or doth hee admit any notoriously knowne to be out of charity or any that hath done any open wrong to his Neighbour before reconciliation made to the party wronged 29 Whether doth your Minister appoint and obserue so many Commumons in one yeare as that the parishioners may conveniently receaue all of them there three seuerall times in the yeare And doth he vse to giue publique notice thereof in the Church the Saboth day next going before every such Communions that the Parishioners may prepare themselues to be pertakers thereof Baptisme 30 Haue you in your Church a convenient Font of stone well kept and couered standing in the ancient place doth your Minister Baptise therein or in any Bason or other thing or with any other ceremonies thē such as are allowed in the booke of common prayer or doth he omit neglect of not vse all the ceremonies therein prescribed and doth hee vse the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme 31 Doth your Minister refuse to Baptise any children of Christian parents that are brought to the Church 32 Are Parents vrged to be present at the Baptising of their Children or be any admitted to be Godfathers or Godmothers that haue not receaued the holy Communion or doe any parents refuse to haue their children signed with the signe of the croste in their Baptisme 33 Haue any children that were borne in your parish beene carried out of the parish to be baptised elsewhere or haue any not beene baptised at all or in places or by parties vuknowne 34 Whether hath your Minister refused deferred or delaied to come vnto and to Christen any child being in weaknesse or in danger of death being therevnto required by reason whereof such a child hath through his negligence or by his default died vnbaptised Catechisme 35 Doth your Minister or his Curate duely Catechise according to the laie Canon every Sunday such children and servants of both sexes as are of convenient age or at least so many of them by course as the time will serue 36 Doe Parents and Housholders bring or send their children and servants to the Church every Sunday duely to be catechised according as the late Canons require and who are negligent therein Matrimonie 37 Whether is Matrimonie solemnized in your church or chappell according to the booke of common prayer 38 Haue you in your church a Table of Degrees of Mariage are any married within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity therein forbidden or doe any children vnder the age of twenty one yeares contrace themselues or marry without consent of their Parents or Gardians
ARTICLES TO BE ENQVIRED OF By the Church-wardens and Sworne men within the Archdeaconry of WORCESTER in the first visitation of the R. Worshipfull HVGH FLOYD Dr of Diuinity Archdeacon of Worcester Anno Dom. 1624. AC OX AT OXFORD Printed by IOHN LICHFIELD and IAMES SHORT Printers to the famous Vniuersity 1624. 1624. A note of due Fees to be paid and receaued in this first Visitation of M. Archdeacon of Worcester Anno Dom. 1624. the better to satisfie all sorts and to keepe every one from being wrouged herein CLERGIE For entring the Act of Appearance of euery proprietary Parson V car Curat Sequestrator Schoolemaster Vsher such like to the Register 4d For exhibiting euery Proxie for excuse of any ones absence to the Register 2s For exhibiting euery Plurality to the Register 2s For any Acts Iudicially done 4d. For continuing any matter 4d. and for Exhibiting of Letters of Orders Institutions Inductions 4d Licenses c. for euery one of them to the Register 4d LAITIE For M. Archdeacon for his Articles in Print from the Church-wardens of euery parish Church and Chappell which are to exhibite presentments 6d For making examining each bill of presentment for the Cleark allowed in the office 6d For exhibiting every bill of presentment 4d for euery booke of Articles sent forth 2d. to the Register in toto 6d APPARATORS FEES For the Apparator from the Church-wardens of euery parish Church and Chappell which giueth vp any bill of presentment for giuing monition and summons and for carrying and deliuery of bookes of Articles to them for every such place 6d And for the Apparator for warning the Clergie Schoolemasters and other such like aboue said of every of them only 4d A note of Directions 1 THE old Church-wardens and Sidemen of euery parish Church and Chappell are to ioyne together in appearance and presentment vpon the Articles delivered them at the last Visitation and the Minister also may ioyne in presentment with them if hee will or otherwise the Minister may present alone And the new elected Churchwardens and Sidemen are to appeare and to take their oathes and to exhibite their presentments afterwards when they shall bee assigned as by the 118. and 119. Canon is required The presentments to be made are to bee plainely and particularly set downe to answere every part and branch of euery seuerall Article following to be subscribed testified vnder the hands and markes of all and singular the presentors 2 The Proprietaries Parsons Vicars Curats and Sequestrators of Ecclesiasticall Benefices their respectiue Farmers and all publique Lecturers Schoolemasters Vshers and vnder Schoolemasters c. of or within euery parish Church and Chappell are also to appeare and to exhibite their Letters of Orders Jnstitutions and Inductions all other their Dispensations Licenses and faculties whatsoeuer in this first Visitation of the moderne Archdeacon now visiting And they are also to make reall payment of all such Procurations and Synodals and other duties as are respectiuely due and payable by every of them severally in this Visitation THE TENOVR OF THE OATH TO BE ministred to all and every of the Churchwardens and Side men or Assistants in the said Visitation YOV and every of you shall sweare by Almighty God that all favour feare and affection and all other sinister corruption whatsoeuer set aside vpon due consideration of these Articles giuen you in charge you will make a true plaine perfect and particular answere and presentment in writing to the same Articles and to every branch and part thereof presenting all and every offenders offences therein mentioned so as may stand with the glory of God the discharge of your consciences and the iurisdiction of the Ecclesiasticall Court wherein you shall deale sincerely faithfully vprightly as before God So helpe you God in Christ Jesus ARTICLES Concerning Church and Church-yard WHether is your Church and Chancell in all respects wel and sufficiently repaired and kept sweet and cleane haue you therein the tenne Commandements the Articles of the beleefe and other godly sentences fairely written the Bible of the largest volume the bookes of Common prayer the two volumes of Homilies the booke intituled God and the King and all other bookes requisite a seemely Pulpet a convenient seat for the Minister at prayers a large comely Surplesse whole and vntorne 2 Haue you in your said Church a strong chest for Almes with a hole in the cop and three lockes and keyes thereto Is the mony therein put imploied to the vse of the poore 3 Haue you a Register of Christnings Weddings and Burialls in a booke of parchment duly kept in a chest with three lockes and keyes 4 Hath any man pulled downe or vncouered or suffered to decay any parsonage or vicorage houses or any Church Chancell Chappell Vesterie or Church house in part or in all 5 Whether is your Parsonage Vicorage or Ministers house or any part thereof conuerted made vsed or imployed to or for any common passage entry through-fare or common way for people or cattle vsually to passe through forth of the Churchyard and into or vnto any Alehouse Tipling or victualing house common Inne or wine Taverne And by whom and by whose sufferance and permission and how long hath the same beene so made enioyed vsed imploied or rather misused and misimployed as aforesaid 6 Whether are the pales fences enclosures and markes of the ancient bounds and limits of your parsonage vicorage or ministers house or of the courts entries gardens back-sides or other appurtenances beloning to the same or any part thereof remoued and altered or taken away from their ancient places bounds and limits thereof and laid and vsed to and with any victualing house common Iune or wine Cauerne And by whom when and by whose sufferance and how long time hath the same beene so done and suffered And whether by the continuance of the vse of the premises as aforesaid may not the same in short time growe out of knowledge and by some prescription become preiudiciall to the Church or succeeding Incumbent thereof 7 Are your Bells Bell-ropes and clocke in good repaire well ordered Is your Churchyard well fenced and decently kept Is it not prophaned with fighting brawling chiding gaming dancing playing or with vnlawfull cattle or otherwise and how and by whom and by whose default Ministers and Curates 8 Doth he read or say the whole diuine seruice euery Sunday and Holyday and administer the holy Sacraments according to the book of Common prayer Is your Minister a licensed Preacher doth hee diligently preach sound doctrine and for matters of gouernment seriously teach and maintaine the Kings supremacie vnder God within his Maiesties dominions ouer all persons and in causes aswell Ecclesiasticall as Ciuill and the abolishing of all forraigne power 9 Hath your Minister more Benefices then one if two or more doth he reside vpon one of them himselfe and maintaine a licensed Preacher on the other If he haue
39 Haue any been maried without Banes thrise asked in the church three seuerall sundaies or Holydaies vnlesse by License of the Ordinary granted vnder seale or at any time of the day then betwixt the houres of eight and twelue in the forenoone or at any times prohibited that is to say from advent Sunday to the Octaues of the Epiphany from Septuagesima Sunday to the Octaues of Easter from Rogation Sunday to Trinity Sunday 40 Haue any that dwell in your parish been married in any other parish or any of another parish beene married in your parish or haue any bin maried priuatly out of the church or face of the congregation when where by whom and who were present at such marriages 41 Haue any women not well knowne to be married beene deliuered of any child in your parish and in whose house or hath any woman in your parish beene carnally knowne or begotten with child before marriage by whom 42 Haue any forsaken their wiues or Husbands and married others haue any married againe after they haue beene divorced or doe any which haue beene divorced keepe company still together 43 Doe any married couples liue asunder and not together and doe either of them keepe in their house or secretly resort to any other to the raising of suspition of same of incontinency 44 Hath any in your parish for mony or reward Married any Woman that committed Fornication or Adultery with an other man Or hath any vnmarried Woman begotten with child gone out of your parish before she hath done peunance enioyned her by the Ordinary where was she or is she receaued or harbored at whose charge and who conveyed her away Visitation of the Sicke 45 Doth your Minister or Curate visit the sicke doth hee admonish them to repentance comfort the Penitent and exhort them to charitable almes deeds Buriall of the Dead 46 Are your Dead buried according to the forme of Buriall set down in the booke of Common prayer or haue any beene buried secretly or in the night who and by whom and who were present thereat 47 Doe the Executors or Administrators or other friends of them that are buried in church or chancell repaire againe the pauements giue any thing to the Church Churching of Women 48 Doe any Women refuse to giue God thankes openly in the church or as we tearme it to be churched at convenient times after child-birth or doth any Minister refuse to church them or church them any otherwise then is prescribed in the booke of common prayer 49 Hath any Woman vnlawfully begotten with child beene admitted to publique thankesgiuing in the church before she hath performed such pennance as was enioyned her by the Ordinary or at least beene churched in a white sheet and confessed her fault penitently before sufficient witnesses and vndertaken to stand to the censure of her Ordinary for her said offence Parish Clearkes 50 Haue you a Parish Clarke chosen by the Minister is hee of honest conversation hath he competent skill in reading writing and singing And doth any withhold or detaine his Wages or duties from him Schoolemasters 51 Haue you any Schoole house and how is it repaired And haue you any Schoolemaster in your Parish that teacheth publiquely or privately is he lawfully licensed Doth hee come duely to the Church and receiue the holy Communion Doth he instruct his Schollers in the Catechisme allowed in the Booke intituled God and the King causeth hee them to repaire to diuine Prayers in the Church and to heare and note Sermons Teacheth he any other Grammer then that which is allowed 52 Is any Schoole-master knowne or suspected publiquely or priuatly to read to his Schollers or suffer them to read any Booke that may confirme them in Poperie superstition or disobedience to the Kings Maiestie or to his lawes Ecclesiasticall or Ciuil how many either men or women doe teach children in your Parish and what be their names Schismatickes and Recusants of all sorts 53 Doe you know any that teach or maintaine any doctrine contrary to the Articles agreed vpon in the convocation Anno Dom. 1562. 54 Doth any preach minister the Communion baptize children oâ— church Women in priuate houses or ether where then in the Church except it be in cases of necessitie 55 Kâ—ow you any that absent themselues from the Church negligently or wilfully how long haue they so done And of them that are absent without a sufficient and lawfull cause is the forfeiture of xii d. taken euery sunday conuerted to the vse of the poore according to the statute Eliz. 1. 56 In your Parish where there is a Preacher doe any vse to absent themselues from his sermon and resort to any other 57 Know you any that forbeare to participate with the church of England in prayer or sacraments either denying the Church to be Apostolicall or condemning the ceremonies thereof as superstitious 58 Haue you in your parish any Popish Recusants any halfe Papists that come to the Church receiue not the Communion any Church Papists that come receiue themselues but either perswade others or maintaine their wiues children family or friends not to come 59 Doth any seminary Priest or Iesuite resort to any place within this Dioces or suspect you any such Or doe you know any that resort to any Popish Priest or Iesuite 60 Know you any that by writing talke or argument impugne the Kings supremacie or any that haue kept in their custodie that sell disperse carry or deliuer vnto others any vnlawfull Bookes against the Religion Gouernment established or in defence of any forraigne power or domestical consistorie Excommunicated persons 61 Are all excommunicated persons kept out of the Church from diuine Prayers receiuing of the holy communion vntill they bee lawfully absolued And are there any in your Parish which haue stood excommunicated forty dayes vpwards are such persons as stand excommunicated once in euery six moneths denounced in your Church in time of diuine service vpon some Sunday 62 Hath any Excommunicated person not absolued at least in his extremitie not giuing any testimony of his repentance before his departure beene buried in Christian burials who buried him her or them where and when and who were present at such burials 63 Do any retaine or keepe in their house or seruice any person denounced excommunicate or doe any way encourage them therein or conuerse with them in buying selling eating drinking or otherwise Wills Testaments and Administrations 64 Doe any in your parish administer the Goods of the dead or any way intermeddle therewith without lawfull authority committed vnto them vnder the Ordinaries seale 65 Know you any in your parish that suppresse the last Will of the Dead or any that forge or alter any Wills or any Executors that fulfil not the Testacors Will or any that detaine Legacies giuen to any charitable vses Seuerall Articles 66 Doe any in your parish prophane the Sabaoth dayes or not duely obserue the
Holy-dayes appointed Are the Ember Fasts orderly obserued at the foure times of the yeare appointed 67 Are the dayes and 〈…〉 â—…ramâ—ulation duely obserued in the Rogation weeke if not in whose default 68 Are the Canons Constitutions orders made agreed vpon in the convocation house Anno Dom. 1603. read ouer once euery yeare in your Church vpon Sundayes or Holy-dayes according to his Maiesties Commandement in that behalfe 69 Doth your Minister yearely present and giue vp in writing to the Ordinary the names of all Recusants halfe Recusants men women aswell soiourners as parishioners common guests in your parish aboue the age of thirteene yeares according to the 114 Canon or not 70 Doe any in your parish cake vpon them to practise Physicke or Chirurgery not being lawfully licensed 71 Are any in your parish or which were of your parish are now departed knowne suspected famed or reported to haue offended in Fornication Adultery Iucest Witchcraft Sorcery Charming Vsury Swearing Drunkennesse common slaundering sowing of discord brawling scolding or any other vncleannesse of life or bad manners 72 Are any Housholders in your parish in whose house there is any one that can read which haue not the booke intituled God the King and who be they which want the same 73 Haue any Apparators or others taken any reward to compound or conceale any offence presentable or punishable in the Ecclesiasticall Court let this be manifested information presentment made for euery offence accordingly 74 You shal further present whether any in your parish vpon Sundaies or Holydaies do vse any dauncing plaies or other sports or pastimes whatsoeuer before all Seruice on those daies be fully ended And are the same vsev by any of another parish or by any which haue not the same day been at diuine prayers in their own parish Church who be they which haue offended in any of the premistes Churchwardens and Sidemen 75 Are your Churchwardens Sidemen chosen yearely in the Easter weeke according to the Canons And doe the Churchwardens yearelie trulie make deliuer vp in writing their accompt of all their receipts disbursments whatsoeuer by them receiued 〈◊〉 out for the Parish of all the Church goods Bookes and other things as the Canons require 76 Doe your Churchwardens themselues come duely to the Church to diuine Praiers sermons doe they their best endeauours especiallie vpon Sundaies and Holidaies to cause all Parishioners to doe the like 77 Whether is there a transcript or covie of the Register Booke of the Church of christnings weddings 〈…〉 â—xhibited deliuered vp into the Registrie of the Ordinarie or not 78 Haue the late Churchwardens concealed any crime offence or disorder in their times not presented the same what be the matters so coÌ„cealed Or doth any trouble molest or vex the Minister churchwardens or sidemen for being presented by theÌ„ who be they that so do And haue your churchwardens continued in that office aboue one yeare without a new election 79 Haue you aduisedly diligentlie perused read or heard others read peruse this book of Articles euery particular Article branch thereof haue you framed your Answers presentments to the same accordingly 80 Generallie whether doe you know any of the Canons latelie set forth and approued by his Maiestie broken or any Ecclesiasticall matter worthie to be presented or not and if you doe you shall truely present the same by the Oath you haue taken aswell now as hereafter when it shall come to your knowledge 81 Whether any Churchwardens Questmen or Sidemen of any Parish haue beene called and inforced to present any faults committed in their Parishes otherwise then at the Visitations or time and times limited in the 116 Canon FINIS