Parish Priests and Their People in the Middle Ages in England Part 25

It is convenient to take into consideration here another survey of the Church which was taken about two centuries later.

When Crown, Parliament, and Church, in the sixteenth century, determined to throw off the patriarchal supremacy of Rome, for which its monstrous pecuniary exactions in one shape and another was one prominent motive, the clergy no doubt fondly expected that they would get rid for ever of the burden of first-fruits and tenths, but found themselves grievously disappointed. One of the political motives of the king in the complex series of events which we sum up under the general name of the Reformation, was the diminution of the power and wealth of the Church. The property of the monasteries, which he confiscated, the manors of the sees, which he compelled the bishops to surrender, did not suffice him. A subservient Parliament, pa.s.sing one Act in 1532 and another in 1534, put the first-fruits and tenths into his hands. It was a considerable addition to the royal revenue, and the king took measures to secure the full advantage of it. A commission was appointed to make a new survey of the income of the Church. The commissioners by themselves and their agents went carefully through every diocese, archdeaconry, rural deanery and parish, and required every person to state on oath what was the income which he derived from his benefice from every source. The returns were sent in by 1534.

The result, so far as it concerns us here, was a return of the condition of the Church at the close of the mediaeval period of great historical value. The returns are not given with the same fulness from every diocese, but where they are given fully they give not only the general return of the value of each benefice, but also the names of the clergy and in several dioceses a schedule of the sources of their income.[423]

The first thing to which attention is naturally directed is the number of parishes, and a comparison with the number in the "Taxatio" two centuries before. The enumeration is not free from difficulties, but the figures given may be taken as approximately correct.

We make out that the totals are as follows:--Total number of parishes, 8838; of vicarages, 3307; of chapels, 536; of chantries, 1733.[424]

Comparing these figures with those of the "Taxatio," it will be seen that the total number of parishes had increased very little in the interval, though the population of the country had increased from about 2,200,000 to about 4,350,000 souls.

This may be accounted for partly by the fact that the growth of population had caused the creation of few new centres of population, but only the increase of the populations of the existing centres. There were very few, if any, new towns or new parishes in the towns, but the old towns had grown larger; there were few new rural parishes, but the villages had a larger population; so that there was little increase in the number of parish priests, but each priest ministered to a larger flock; where new centres of population had sprung up, their wants were supplied by a chapel and its chaplain. The increase in the means of supplying the spiritual wants of the increased population had taken the form of the employment of Domestic Chaplains and Gild Chaplains, and the foundation of Chantries, which we shall have to deal with in subsequent chapters.

The next question to which we turn is the income of the Church as a whole, and of the parochial benefices in particular, and a comparison in this respect also between the "Taxatio" and the "Valor."

The ostentation of minute accuracy on the part of the taxers is almost ludicrous, the princely income of the Bishop of Lincoln is returned at 1962 17_s._ 4_d._ In dividing a sum of money among the minor canons of that cathedral, the accountant points out that a farthing remained over, which was indivisible; and in dividing the gross income of the benefices by ten, it was constantly recorded that there was a remainder of so much, which was "undecimable."

Very few new religious houses were founded after the thirteenth century; the cause was not so much that the Statute of Mortmain interposed a check to the free action of pious munificence, as that there was a general recognition that enough had been done in this direction. The two thousand chantries which had been founded in the two centuries probably did not average 5 a year income, and did not swell the general income by so much as 10,000 a year. The parochial benefices are seen, by actual comparison of the figures, to have increased in nominal amount of income, but the purchasing value of money had decreased, so that the real value of the benefices was probably somewhat less. The produce of the annual tenths would seem to indicate that the income of the Church had largely diminished, for whereas we have seen that by the "Taxatio" of 1291 it amounted to 20,000, we learn, from a letter of Henry VII., to the Bishop of Chichester, that it had fallen by that time to 10,000; the Bishop of Oxford[425] attributes this to the multiplication of exemptions, especially of livings under ten marks.

One valuable feature of the "Valor" is the schedules of incomings and outgoings of the livings, and the incidental notices contained in them, which give glimpses of the economy of the parishes.

We give first one example, which is expressed in English, at full length, as a clue to the meaning of the more abbreviated form in which some others are given.

From the "Valor Ecclesiasticus," vol. vi. p. 2:--

Compotus of Wm. Richardson "Vicegerent" of John Emott rector, of his benefice of Brancaster in 1535.

First in glebe land, x acr', by the yearly value of vj.

Item in whete, xx cube [c.u.mbes].

Item in myxteleyn, xl cube.

Item in barley, xx cube.

Item in pes, fetches, and oots (pease, vetches, and oats), xvj cube.

Item in woll, xvj ston.

Item in lambs, l.

Item y{e} offering of iiij days, xxiiij_s._

Item in odyr offerings of other days, xx_s._

Item in lactage and p'vy (privy) tythes, x.x.xvj_s._

Item in hempe, hony, and waxe, iiij_s._

Item in pygyns, vj_s._ viij_d._

Item in gyse and chekyns, iij_s._ iiij_d._

Item in tythe piggs, iiij_s._

Item in eggys, iij_s._

Item in saffron, j li.

Theys ben y{e} pcells y{e} wych y{e} sayd John Emott psun of Brancast' aske y{e} allowance of

_s._ _d._

Fyrst in porcions to the monast? of Ramsey xl

Item to psun of Bebdale xxvj viij

Item to s.e.xton in y{e} monast? aforsaid xiij iiij

Item in poxys (proxies) vij vijob.

Item in sinage (elsewhere senage and synage, vol. v. 182, probably payment at synods) ij

William Richardson Curat' there affirms the said rectory to be of the annual value altogether of:--

GALFUS WORLE Const' } _s._ _d._ GILBTUS SMYTH} } Affirm _xxix_ _ii_ _xiob._ RIC CLERK } Parishioners } as _xxvi_ _ii_ _xiob._ JOHIS CRANE } } above. xxviij ix vijob.

Here are some examples taken from various localities; first, a country rural deanery:--

Deanery of Persh.o.r.e. Diocese of Worcester. ("Valor," iii. p. 263.)

Rectory of Kington, glebe, 3_s._ 4_d._; private t.i.the at Easter, 10_s._; oblations on the 4 princ.i.p.al feasts, 2_s._ 8_d._; t.i.the of corn and hay, 6 13_s._ 4_d._; various small t.i.thes, 17_s._; total, 8 6_s._ 4_d._

R. of Broughton Hakett, t.i.the of corn and hay, 7 2_s._ 8_d._; lambs and wool, 5_s._ 6_d._; other t.i.the, 11_s._ 6_d._; 4 days, 2_s._ 10_d._ (no pasch.); total, 8 2_s._ 6_d._

Vicarage of Hymulton, glebe, 6_s._ 8_d._; t.i.the of hay, etc., 2 6_s._ 0_d._; Easter, 42_s._ 2_d._; 4 days, 20_s._; pension from prior of W., 53_s._ 4_d._; total, 8 8_s._ 10_d._

R. of Churchelenche, glebe, 32_s._ 4_d._; t.i.the, 5 14_s._ 11_d._; Easter, 33_s._ 11_d._; 4 days, 13_s._ 6_d._; total, 9 14_s._ 8_d._

V. of Byshampton, glebe, 20_s._; t.i.the, 54_s._; pension, 40_s._; Easter, 30_s._; 4 days, 13_s._ 4_d._; total, 7 17_s._ 4_d._

R. of Segebarowe, glebe, 30_s._; t.i.the, 15 11_s._ 6_d._; Easter, 12_s._ 3_d._; 4 days, 6_s._ 3_d._; total, 15 0_s._ 0_d._

R. of Grafton Flyford, glebe, 66_s._; t.i.the, 16 14_s._ 5_d._; Easter, 21_s._ 5_d._; 4 days, 7_s._ 7_d._; total, 20 10_s._ 5_d._

Next to take a town--Droitwich.

Town of Wyche. ("Valor," vol. iii. p. 268.)