Curious old Parochial Accounts, from the Papers
of Sir Thomas Cawarden.

(66.)

Churchwardens' Account for the Parish Church of Blechingly, A. D. 1552. This paper bears evidence of the unsettled state of religion in the middle of the sixteenth century, when the new-born reformed church and the old papal hierarchy were striving as it were for the mastery. There are charges for setting up and pulling down the rood-loft, for watching the holy sepulchre at Easter, for painting a post or pillar in the Church, called the Paschal Post, with the blood of the Paschal Lamb, for defacing the altars, and for a table with forms for the celebration of the Eucharist. It will be recollected that it was for some time an unsettled point, whether the Holy Sacrament should be received sitting or kneeling; the Puritan sect advocating the first mentioned posture, and taking much offence that the holy table should be placed in the position of the antient high altar, instead of the body of the Church. These differences have been properly decided in favour of the most reverential practice.

The Accompte of John Dowber and Christopher Chapman, Churche wardens of the prishe Churche of Bleachingleighe, from the ffeast of St. Michell tharchangell, in the yere of our Lorde MVcLii, as followeth :

First, the saide Churchewardens charge themselves of lvs, as so moche money by them receyved of Richard Chomley, to the behof and use of ye said Churche, lvs.

Item, R' more for the buryall of the lady Putnam, vis

It'm, R' more of the Hognell* money at the ffeaste of the Nativite of o' Lord, in the xxxvij yere of the Reigne of our Soveraigne Lord King Henry the VIIIth, xxiijs vjd.

It'm, R' more one yere for Pascall money, &c. vjs ijd. It'm, the said Accompants charge themselfes wth xxvij vvjs xd receyved of one Cooke, goldsmythe, as so moch money by theym receyved by thandes (the hands) of Mr. Cawerden, for broken plate, whiche was solde for the repairing and garnishynge the Churche, by the consent of the pisshioners of the same. The expensys and charges appear hereafter particularlye, xxvij xvjs xd,

I'tm, they charge themselfes with cclxxii pounde of broken latten, sold to a candlesticke makers at xxs a hundrethe, amountyng to liiijs ijd ob. as so moche money by them receyved by thandes of Mr. Cawerden, and employed to the same use by the pisshioners consente, liiijs ijd ob. It'm, reed more for waxe solde by the said Churche, xx3 iiijd.

It'm, reed more for the buryall of Turner's wyffe, vjs viijd.

Payments, &c.

For setting up the rood lofte xd.

It'm, for nayles for the same ijd.

It'm, for tallow for the bells, and making cleane of the tables (pictures?) of the Roode lofte, and for small nayles, vjd.

It'm, to Thom's Porter, for mending vj bawderiks, vd.
It'm, to Robt Eyton, for mending of the seates, xvd.
It'm, paide for newe colleryng of a surples, ijd.
It'm, for mending fyve albes, iijd.

* Probably Hea Knell, corrupted into Hognell, being money collected for ringing the church bells at this time of the year, in celebration of the high feast of the Nativity of our Lord.

It'm, for xxviij lbs. of waxe, xiiijs.
It'm, for making ij tapers, ijd.

It'm, for ij torches, viijs vjd.

It'm, to Mr. Hewes, for mending the organs, ijs iijd.
For washing of the Churche clothes, ijs.

For painting of the pascall post, vjd.

To Brande, for watchyng the Sepulcre,* viijd,

To Walter Grome, paynter, for payntyng the hole body of the Church, and for all maner of colors to the same, xvijl vs jd.

To Will'm Johns, for paynting the queere, the Rood loft, the King's Armes, and the owt yle (outer aisle) joining to the quere, and for the colo' and stuffe otherwise apperteyning, vijl xvs ijd.

For a table for the comunyon to be ministered uppon, joyned upo' a frame, viijs.

For iij longe formes to the same, x8.

For iiij seatts with double desks, for the singing men to sitt in and to lay their books on, xx3.

It'm, for pluckyng the alters, plastering the walles, and mending of div'se places, vijs.

It'm, to labourers for poolyng (pulling) doune the roode, xiiijd.

It'm, the expensys of John Dawber and Xp'ofer Chapman, Churchwardens, John Turno', Thomas Lambe, syde men, being at the visitac'on at Ewell, ijs.

It'm, for the writing of a bill to be shewed to the King's Comissyoners, viijd.

It'm, the expenses of X'tofer Chapman and John Dawbere, Church wardens, Richard Chomley, John Turno', and Thom's Lambe, being at Ryegate before the Commrs,

* Of our Lord, at Easter.

when they required of the

the churche goods, vjs vjd.

pishion's an Inventory of

It'm, delyv'd a bill to the visiters of lands for horse meate and man's meate, xvd.

It'm, to John Brande, for watching of ye sepulcre, iiijd. It'm, for a pounde of sope, jd ob.

ij bushells of lyme, vd.

John Tooke, for mending of a hole over the vestry, ijd. John Brand, for watching of the vestry, ijd.

Edwd Kyllike, casting of a banke, saffe garde to the Churche pale, ijd.

To John Mathewe, for keepinge of the clocke,* by sight of Thom's Lambe, ixa.

(67.)

Account of the Church Ornaments, &c. chiefly of the Romish times, belonging to the Church of Bermondsey, rendered to Sir Thomas Cawarden and other Commissioners of the King, appointed to receive the same for the Hundred of Brixton in Surrey. The ceremonial furniture of this Church appears to have been remarkably rich; perhaps it had acquired some of the vestments belonging to the adjoining Abbey of Bermondsey at the suppression of religious houses. The sale of the decorations of the rood-loft, and substituting inscriptions from the Scriptures in their place, of the mass books, the enumeration of a Bible of the largest volume, communion books, a book of the Paraphrase, are contemporary illustrations of the abolition of superstitious forms and the revival of a pure faith, in conformity with reason and the revealed Word of God.

* i. e. Regulating the church clock.

There are among the manuscripts, accounts of the same description with the subjoined, rendered for the Churches of Clapham, Marten (Merton), Mortlacke, Newyngton Butts (a fragment only of the original), Putnei, Stratham, Totynge, Graveneye, Wannesworthe, Wymbledon, all within the Hundred of Brixton.

The P'ishe of Mary Maudelen in Barmsey.

Thys ys the Inventory indentyd and made of all the plate, juells, ornaments, and bells, wythe in the pshe cherche of Mary Mawdelyn of Barmondesey, in the countye of Surraye, made betwene Sir Thomas Carden, knyght, John Scot, Nycolas Lee, Esquyers, Comyssioners, by the kyng's majeste comyssyon, apoynted wythe in the hundred of Bryxton, in the sayde Countye, of the one ptye, and John Felpot and Richard Wells, pysheners of the sayd pyshe, of the other ptye, made the xviii day of October, in the vith yere of the raynge of ower sov'ay'ge lorde kyng Edward the syxte.

Fyrst, one chalys all gylte waying xv ownces and a quarter.

It'm,* ii other chalysys pscell (parcel) gylte,† waying xxiiij ownces and a hafe.

ii com'unyon cuppys pscell gylte, waying xxxiii ownces. ii copys (copes) of whyte damaske, wt flowers of golde. ii copys of blew damaske.

One cope of blew sylke wt whyte flowers.

* The word item is repeated before every fresh entry in the original account.

+ The distinction between wholly gilt and parcel (i. e. partly gilt) is marked by those entries. A silver chalice gilt only on the inside, would be styled parcel gilt.