Articles to be answered of the Sworne men in the Archdeacon of London his visitation, holden the yeere. 1584. the 15. and 19. of Ianuarie.

INprimis, who is your Parson, or Vicar, and how long he hath continued with you, and whether you haue any other, which doo ordinarily preache, reade, catechise or exercise any other function Ecclesiasticall amongst you, what be theyr names and where they dwell.

2. Whether your Parson or Vicar can preache, and Whether hee haue preached his quarterly Sermons in your Church in his owne person: or if any can not preache, or be not licenced themselues, whether they haue procured their quarter Sermons to be preached there. Item, whether beside these, they haue preached or procured their monthly Ser­mons or no. And whether you haue suffered anie to preache, whom you haue not knowne to haue beene sufficiently licensed therevnto, or hindred or forbidden any that were licensed.

3. Whether your person, vicar, or curate, hath obserued in dooing diuine seruice and ministring of Sacraments, the order set forth by act of Parliament, without putting in any thing of their owne or taking away, or hath omitted the Letany on such dayes as it ought to be read, or els hath omitted the wearing of the Surplesse in the time of their ministration, or no.

4. Item whether your Parsons or Vicars be resident vpon theyr benefice, and whether such as are not resident, giue the fortith part of their benefice, béeing aboue twenty pound a yeere, to the reléefe of the poore, or no.

5. Whether any doo reade, preache, or catechize with you, who doo not foure times in the yeere, at the least, say diuine seruice, and minister the sacraments according to the booke of common prayer, and what be their names.

6. Whether your preachers and others who be in eccleasticall orders, doo at all times weare and vse such kinde of apparell as is prescribed vnto them by the booke of Aduertissements, and her Maiesties Iniunctions. Anno primo.

7. Item whether your Parson, Vicar, or Curate, haue giuen notice, and warning in due time in theyr church for the due kéeping of all such fish daies, as are to be kept through the yéere, by the Lawes of this Realme, exhorting the people to due kéeping of them, not vpon any opinion of relgiō or holines, but vpon their dutifull obedience to Princes, which by Gods law is due to them, procuring the welfare of y e Realms and countries com­mitted to theyr charge. And also whether they haue the first sondy of euery moneth, giuen warning openly in the Church to such as be of theyr Pa­rishes, of what estate soeuer they be, to repaire to their parish Church in such sort as by the Lawes of this Realme is appointed, vppon paine to be presented for the same or no.

8. Whether your Curate doo serue in your Church not licensed and allowed by the Byshop, or other ordinarie, vnder his seale, or hand at the least, or béeing beneficed els where, doo serue with you as a Curat, or no.

9. Whether any Farmer of any benefice, take vpon him to admit or reiect any minister, to serue or not serue where he is Farmer, without the aucthoritie of the Ordinarie, or no.

10. Item, whether since the last visitation, your parish Clarke, or any other, not béeing minister, or Deacon, or not being licensed by the Or­dinarie, haue taken: vpon them to beginne or say seruice, or minister any Sacraments, or distribute the Lords cuppe, or reade the Homely in your Parish & what be theyr names.

11. Item what persons you haue in your parish, y t doo teach & instruct children, and what be the sayed scholemasters names, whether they teach publikely or priuately in any mans house, & whether such Schoolemaisters as doo teach the Latine tongue in your parish, doo reade vnto their Scho­lers twice euery wéeke at the least, an ordinary Lecture out of the Latine Catechisme, lately set foorth, and allowed by publique authoritie: And whether such as teache youth to reade English, doo bring vp their children in reading this Catechisme in English, and of other Bookes agréeable to the Quéenes procéedinges. And whether they behaue themselues honestly, and both repaire to Church orderly themselues and so much as lyeth in them, procure that theyr scholers also frequent the same.

12. Item whether you doo knowe, beléeue, or haue heard say, that your Parson, Vicar or Curate, doth sue any of his parishioners, or any other person before any lay Iudge, contrary to the Ecclesiasticall Lawes of his Realme, and the Statute made 2. Edw. 6. for any cause of thithes, or other Ecclesiastical duties.

13. Item whether such ground as in your Chansel or Church is broken vp for burials, or otherwise, be decently made vp againe, and if it be not, by whose fault it lyeth vnmade vp.

14. Whether your Churchwardens doo duely account once in the yéers before the Parson, Vicar or Curate, and the Parishioners, for all such Church goodes and stokes of money therevnto belonging, as hath cone to theyr handes in the time of theyr office, or no.

15. Item, whether you haue a comely Communion table, with furniture there vnto belonging, that is to know, a comely ioyned Table, a co­mely Carpet thereto, being no hearse cloth or pall for burials, a comfy table cloth, with two handsome Communion Cuppes, and a de [...]t patent of siluer, to minister the Lords bread vpon, and also two comely pots of Pewter to fetch wine to serue for the Lordes Table, reserued & kept cleane to that vse onely, being no Tauerne pots, or no.

16 Whether there be any in your Parish, that doth openly, courtely, or guilefully, by any sleight or colour, detaine any tithe or duety due to your Parson, Vicar, Clearke, or any other Ecclesiasticall officer, or no.

17 Item whether the bread and wine for the communions all the yéere be prouided by the Curate and Church [...] the charges of the parish according to the booke of common prayer and whether the same be truly collected of the parishioners and be bestowed according to the same vse of bread and wine onely, or no.

18. Item whither anie parishioners taxed or rated to paye towardes the saide bread or wine at the sayde Cōmunions doe att anie time refuge to paye their portions once a yéere vnto the Churchwardens or ther deputyes when yt is demaunded, or no.

19. Whether your Churchwardens doo collect and gather at euery Communion, the offering of the communicants and after the Communion doo put the same in the poore mennes chest as it is appointed by the boke of common prayer. and whether the sayd collection, or any part thereof, be imployed to any other vse, then to the reléefe of the poore, and what the same vse is.

20. Whether there be any y t doo let or disturbe y e Minister, in y e time of reading the diuine seruice, or the preacher while he is in the pulpet, or no.

21. Whether there be any in your Parish that either obstinatlye refuge or by negligence doo not frequent in holy dayes & Sondayes your parish Church, to heare diuine seruice, or hath not, being of lawfull age & hauing no other lawfull impediment receaued the Holy Communion thrice this yéere, and what be theyr names.

22. Item you shall present so néere as you can learne howe the children of such as refuse to come to Church, are brought vp, vnder what Schole maister or Tutor, where and in what schoole. And also you shal diligently enquire of all recusant or not recusant, as haue any of their children beyōde the seas, and present who they be, and where their sayd children remaine as far as you know, beléeue or haue heard say.

23. And whether any persons being excommunicated, and not reconciled, or yong folke that can not say the Catechisme, or elderly folke that cannot say the Lordes prayer, the beléefe, and the ten commandements in the English tongue, or being stayned with any notorious vice, haue pre­sumed to receiue the holy Communion, and haue béene admitted therevnto, or no.

24. Item, whether there hath or dooth any stranger soiorne at any Inne, or other house in your Parish, at or about Easter, and hath continued there any long season at other times of the yéere, & hath not resorted to your church, & communicated there, who they be and what be theyr names.

25. Whether anie of your Parish hath detained theyr child or children from Baptisme in theyr owne Parish church, or haue carryed the same to be baptized in any other place, who they be, and what be theyr names.

26. Whether there be any bankets or common drinkings, enterludes, or playes kept in your Church or Chapell or no.

27. Whether any Artificer hath or doth follow theyr worke or science, or handicraft on the sunday, as Goldsmith, Tayler, Clothworker or such like And whether they or any other Artificer doo so occupy themselues, theyr seruants or apprentices, on that day or no.

28. Item whether there be any man or woman in your Parish, that suppresseth & fulfilleth not the last will and testament of the dead, or defeateth the children or other of theyr legacies or portions: or if any executor or executrix, administrator or administrators, do vniustly withhold any gift, or be quest made to any poore or impotent persons to hospitalles and poore prisoners, either of this Citie or els where, to poore scholers, maydens marriages, the mending of the high waies and bridges, or to any good and godly vse and purpose or no.

29. Item whether there be any in your Parish infected with any notorious vice, as whoredome open or secret maintainers thereof, or any that doth hanntany suspected houses, any persons married within the degrees of consanguinitie or affinitie forbidden, or any person béeing lawfully mar­ried that liues slaunderously a sunder or any that were maryed without banes three times orderlie asked, hauing no lawfull dipensation there­fore, or hath married againe, theyr olde wiues or husbandes being yet aliue shewing both the names of them that so were married, and the minister that so marryed them: any adulterers, swearers, drunkards, slaunderers of theyr neighbors, or any other like vice, or no.

30. Item, whether any doo vse any conuenticles or meetings, handling or expounding of scriptures in any priuat house or place, other then in the common Church, who they be, where and when they own.

31. Item, whether you doo know, that within your parish there is (or are) any person or persons notoriously knowne or suspected by probable tokens or common fame, to be an vsurer, or doth offend by any colour or meanes directly or indirectly in the same, if any such he, that you and euery of you, by vertue of your othe present the name or names of such offender or offenders.

32. Item whether your Byble or seruice bookes to doo you common seruice on be whole, not torne rente, nor blinde, and whether the same be of that translation which is authorised by consent of the Bishops of this Realme or no.

33. Item, whether you haue afitte booke of paper, to write in all christnings, burials, and weddings, doone in your Parish: whether your parson Vicar, or Curat, doo diligentlie note in that Booke once in the wéeke, the said christnings, burials, and weddings, in the presence of the Churchwar­dens or of one of them: and whether the sayd booke be safelie kept vnder lockes and keyes: whether the Parson, Vicar, or Curat hath one, and the Churchwardens another or no.

34. Item whether any housholder in your parish do suffer any plaies or games in his house or yard or let any people in, to the ende to sée any such playes or games, on any sunday or holy day before euening prayer be cleane doone in that Parish, who they be and what be their names.

35. Ithem whether you know any matter Ecclesiasticall woorthye of redresse in your Parish beside these that are set downe before, or no.

You are to bring your answere to all these Articles into Master Gods office on the 12. February 1584. also the 15. of March next, the 15. of Iune, and the 15. of September following because reformation may be bad of such offences as shalbe by you presented for many escape vnpresented, because you present but once a yeere.

Imprinted at London by I, W. for Nicholas Ling.

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this EEBO-TCP Phase II text, in whole or in part.