The Elizabethan Parish in its Ecclesiastical and Financial Aspects | Page 7

Hallowe'en, or on the eve of All Souls; excessive tolling of bells at
funerals,[80] etc.
From the point of view of their fellow-parishioners, no doubt, the most
important function of the wardens was that of administering the parish
finances. This subject will be considered at length in the chapter which
follows, but the fact that the spiritual courts enforced the levying of
rates for church repair, etc., through the wardens, as well as an
accounting to the parish of all monies received or disbursed, concerns
us here. When the Ealing wardens were "detected" to the chancellor of
the bishop of London because they had no pulpit-cloth, no poor-box,
nor the Paraphrases of Erasmus, they appeared and declared in court
that they had not provided these things "nor can do it, for that there is
no churche stock wherewith to do it." Hereupon they were admonished
that the judge's pleasure was that they should procure Mr. Fleetwood
and Mr. Knight (evidently two prominent parishioners) to make an
assessment on the parish in order to purchase these articles, and further
that they (the wardens) should certify to the court at a later day fixed

that the rate had been laid and the missing requisites bought, unless,
indeed, some refused to pay, in which case their names should be
handed into court.[81] So, again, when rector and wardens of Sutton
were presented in the same court for letting their church go to ruin, they
protested that the reason was that £40 "will skant repayre it, and that so
mutch cannot be levied of all the land in the p[ar]ishe." But this excuse
was not for a moment admitted, and they were warned to appear in the
next consistory court to take out a warrant for the assessment of the
lands.[82]
Though the wardens did not themselves in practice always make the
rate directed by the archdeacon, yet they were held responsible for its
making. So true was this that if, after a duly called parish meeting for
the purpose of laying the rate in obedience to the archdeacon's orders,
no parishioners appear, then, in the words of the archdeacon's official
to the wardens of Ramsden Bellhouse (Essex): "if the inhabitants of the
said p[ar]ish will not join with the said church wardens &c., that then
the said churchwardens shall themselves make a rate for the leveinge of
the said charges [etc.] ..."[83]
Finally, the archdeacons or their officials always stood ready to enforce
an accounting by the outgoing wardens to the parishioners or their
representatives. If the accounting was delayed too long, or if the surplus
was not promptly handed over to the incoming (or newly elected)
wardens, then the delinquent officers were cited before the court.
Numerous instances are found in the court records of the enforcing of
this duty. [84]
A permanent parish officer and one over whose appointment the
parishioners had usually no control [85] was the parish minister,
whether officiating rector, vicar or curate. [86] Elizabethan statutes and
canons sought to increase the dignity of the incumbents of cures, [87]
but royal greed did yet more to lower it. [88]
The minister was usually addressed by his parishioners as "Sir" John,
or "Sir" George, etc., quite irrespective of his actual rank,[89] and this
in an age of punctilious distinctions in forms of address. In the small
country parishes the incumbent was often the only, or almost the only,
educated man in the community. His advice had naturally considerable
weight in parish affairs, and his pen was often required in the drawing
up of official or legal documents, certifications or testimonials, the

casting up of parish accounts and the like.[90]
We find in the act-books officiating rectors or vicars presented for
non-residence upon their cures;[91] while rectors and other recipients
of great tithes are "detected" at visitations for not repairing the chancels
in their churches; or not maintaining their vicarage buildings with barns
and dove-cotes;[92] or for not providing quarter sermons where the
clergyman serving the cure was not himself licenced to preach;[93]
beneficed men not resident are arraigned for not giving the fortieth part
of their revenue to the parish poor;[94] resident ministers indicted for
not keeping hospitality,[95] or for not visiting the sick.[96]
Just as the wardens were to look after the conduct of their minister, so
the minister was required to fill the office of a censor upon the behavior
of the wardens and to report to the ordinary their delinquencies--as,
indeed, the trespasses of any among his congregation, though the latter
task was more particularly assigned to the wardens and sidemen.[97]
Furthermore the minister was the vehicle through which the commands
of the authorities, lay or ecclesiastical, were conveyed to the
parishioners. He was compelled to read these commands or injunctions
at stated times and exhort his hearers