ARTICLES OF VISITATION and ENQƲIRY Concerning Matters Ecclesiastical, EXHIBITED To the Ministers, Church-Wardens and Sidemen of every Parish within the Arch-deaconry of Gloucester, In the VISITATION OF THE ARCH-DEACON.
London Printed, 1665.
The Form of the Oath to be administred to the Church-wardens and Side-men of every Parish.
YOU shall Swear, That you will faithfully present to all the Articles given you in charge at this VISITATION, according to your best knowledge and ability. So help you God.
[Page 1]Articles of Visitation within the Arch-deaconry of GLOUCESTER.
SECT. 1. Concerning MINISTERS.
- I. IS your Parsonage or Vicaridge void of a Minister or Curate?
- II. IS your Minister a Priest, or Deacon ordained by a Bishop?
- III. HATH your Minister subscribed and declared publickly his unfeigned assent and consent to all things contained and prescribed in the Book of Common-Prayer, according to the Act of Vniformity in the words there set down?
- IV. IS your Minister constantly resident upon his Cure?
- V. IF your Minister hath a Curate to assist him, is the said Curate in Holy Orders? and is he Licensed by the Bishop of the Diocess?
- VI. DOTH your Minister and Curate when either of them do Officiate, read the whole Common-Prayer distinctly and reverently, appointed to be read on all Sundays and Holy-dayes, at Morning and Evening Service: and doth he observe the Orders, Rites and Ceremonies prescribed in [Page 2]that Book of Common-Prayer, in all Administrations of the Holy Sacraments, Celebration of Marriage, Churching of Women after Childbirth, Visitation of the Sick, Burial of the Dead, and pronouncing of Gods commination against Sinners? Doth he read the Letany without addition, diminution or alteration of the same, or in any part of Divine Service prescribed in the foresaid Book?
- VII. DOTH your Minister give notice of the Sacrament, and read the Exhortation prescribed to be read on the Sunday before the day he shall appoint to administer the Sacrament, as it is appointed by the Book of Common-prayer? and doth he admit to the Sacrament any person, that doth not kneel?
- VIII. DOTH your Minister or Curate wear a Surplice, and being a Graduate, wear a Hood agreeable to his degrée in the celebration of Divine Offices in the Church, or Chappel?
- IX. DOTH your Minister preach one Sermon every Sunday, or read an Homily?
- X DOTH your Minister four times in the year at least declare the Kings Majesties power within his Realms to be the highest power under God, to whom all people within the same, owe obedience?
- XI. HATH your Minister preached any False, Heretical, or Seditious Doctrine?
- XII. HATH your Minister married any persons in private houses, or any being under the age of twenty one years without the consent of Parents: or without Banes first duly published on three Sundayes or Holy dayes in the Church, unless he had a sufficient Licence or Dispensation so to do?
- XIII. DOTH your Minister upon every Sunday and Holyday for some good space before Evening Prayer hear the Youth and ignorant persons of your parish repeat the [Page 3]Catechism set down in the Book of Common-Prayer, and after the second Lesson, instruct them, and expound to them some part of the same Catechism? doth he labour to reduce Recusants and Sectaries to the Church?
- XIV. DOTH he Baptise any person without Godfathers and Godmothers, or admit any to be Godfathers and Godmothers, who cannot give an account of their Christian Religion according to the Church Catechism?
- XV. DOTH any Minister preach in your parish as a Lecturer without License from the Bishop? and doth he before his Lecture read Divine Service according to the Book of Common-Prayer? and is he conformable to the Laws and Orders of the Church?
- XVI. DOTH your Minister, or other Lay-person hold any Conventicles, or private Meetings in any Houses, or other places in your parish?
- XVII. IS your Parson, Vicar, Curate or Lecturer a man of a sober, honest and exemplary life? Is he vehemently suspected, or guilty of any scandalous Vice? Is he contentious and ready to set neighbours at variance, and to encourage suits and contentions?
SECT. 2. Concerning Churches and Chappels with the Ornaments thereto belonging, and also Church yards.
- I. IS your Parish Church, or Chappel and Chancell kept in sufficient repair, well covered and roofed, and all things in it, and about it so decently ordered as becomes the house of God? Are your Steeple and Bells in such order as they ought to be? Is no part of your Church or Chappell, converted to prophane Vses?
- II. HAVE you a Font of Stone with a convenient cover thereto, standing in a convenient place in the lower part of the Church for the Administration of Baptism?
- [Page 4]III. IS there in your Chancel a decent Communion Table covered with a Carpet of Silk, Stuff, or fine Woollen Cloth in time of Divine Service, and another covering of fine white Linnen to spread on it at the administration of the Sacrament? and have you a Plate or Paten, and a fair Communion Cupp or Chalice, with a Cover of Silver, or one or more Flaggons of Silver, or Pewter, set apart for that purpose? and are they used by any to any other common use?
- IV. HAVE you in your Church or Chappell a convenient Pew and Desk for your Minister to read Divine Service in? A Pulpit with a comely Cloth and Cushion for the same? A Bible of the last Translation in a large Volume well bound? Have you two Books of Common-prayer of the latest Edition set forth by Authority of this present Parliament? Have you the Books and Forms of Divine Service set forth for the Fifth of November, the Thirtieth of January, and the Twenty ninth of May? Have you also the Book of Homilies set forth by Authority? Have you a Book of Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiastical? Have you a Printed Table of the Degrees of Consanguinity and Affinity, wherein Marriage is prohibited and void in Law, hang▪d in a convenient place in your Church?
- V. HAVE you a fair large Surplice, which is to be provided and washed at the charge of the Parish, and which your Minister is to use and wear in the time of Divine Service, and Administration of the Sacraments?
- VI HAVE you a Register Book of Parchment? and are therein Registred the Names and Sirnames of all such persons that are Married, Christned or Buryed within your Parish, together with the Names and Sirnames of both the Parents of the Children so Christned? Are therein expressed the Day, Moneth and Year of all such Marriages, Christnings and Burials? and is the Copy thereof [Page 5]written in parchment within one Moneth after the [...] fifth of March yearly brought into the Bishops Registry?
- VII H [...]VE you another Book of paper to write down the Church [...] accounts, and the names and Licenses of strangers as are admitted to preach in your Parish Church or Chappel?
- VIII. HAVE you a strong Chest with Locks and Keyes wherein to keep the foresaid Books, with all other Vtensils and Furniture of your Church in safe custody? And have you a convenient Bier for the Buriall of the Dead?
- IX. IS your Churchyard set apart for Buriall of the Dead, sufficiently mounded and fenced with Walls, Rails, or Pales, and decently kept from Annoyance of Swine, and other Cattle? and are your Dead buryed there, or within the Church?
SETC. 3. Concerning the Houses, Gleabs and Tythes belonging to Churches and Ministers.
- I. IS the House of your Parson, or Vicar, with all Outhouses belonging to it kept in sufficient reparation? or hath any part thereof been pulled down by any private person? Hath any man encroached upon any Garden, Orchard, Yard, Close belonging to your Parsonage or Vicarige, cut any Trees growing thereon?
- II. HAVE you a true Terrier of all the Glebe Lands, Gardens, Orchards or Tenements belonging to your Parsonage, or Vicarige? and is this Terrier kept in your common Chest, and a copy of it delivered into the Bishops Registry?
- III. HAVE any of the antient Glebe Lands belonging to your Parsonage or Vicarige been taken away, or [Page 6]exchanged for others without the free consent and license of the Ordinary? if so, declare, when, and by whom; as also what Tythes, Rates, portions of Tythes, Pensions, or yearly profits are detained from your Minister.
SECT. 4. Concerning the Parishioners.
- I. IS there in your Parish any person known or reputed to be an Heretick or Schismatick? Any Papish, Familist, Anabaptist, Quaker, or other Sectary, that refuse to come to Divine Service established in the Church of England? Is there any that impugn the kings Supremay in Causes Ecclesiastical, or the Book of Common-prayer?
- II. IS there in your Parish any that lyes under a faine or vehement suspicion of Adultery, Incest, or Fornication? Any that harbour such incontinent persons? Are there any common Drunkards, common Swearers, any Blasphemers of Gods Word, or his holy Name? Any Deboist persons? any Sowers of Rebellion, Sedition, Faction and Discord among Neighbours within your parish?
- III. HAVE you any in your parish that prophane and mispend the Lords Day by opening their Shops, trading, buying or selling? Do [...]ny Vintners, Victuallers, Alehouse-keepers suffer any persons to tipple or game in their houses on that Day? Declare the names of the Offendors herein.
- IV. DO all the persons of your parish, having no lawful impediment, duely resort to your Church or Chappel upon Sundayes and Holy dayes? Do they there abide quietly with Reverence, Order and Decency during all the time of Divine Service? Or is there any in your parish that [Page 7]forbear to partake of the Common-Prayer? present the names of the faulty.
- V. DOTH every person coming to Church reverently uncover his head, and so continue all the time of Divine Service; knéel at the receiving the Communion, and at prayers; stand up at the Créed, and when the Gospel is read?
- VI. ARE there any in your parish, that refuse or wilfully neglect to send their Infant-children to be baptized in the Church, unless in case of necessity or urgent danger? or do they send them to be baptized in other parishes, or after other form then is appointed? Or are there any Infants, or more aged persons in your parish Vnbaptized?
- VII. ARE there any in your parish, that on Sundayes, or Holy-dayes do not send their children and servants to the Church to be Catechized by the Minister?
- VIII. ARE there any in your parish who being fiftéen years of age, and well instructed and prepared, do not receive the Lords Supper frequently knéeling from the hand of the Minister? Or is there any that repair for it to other parishes? Or do any of other parishes, forsaking their own Church, repair to yours for that end?
- IX. ARE there any in your parish that being lawfully married, and not separated or divorced by due course of Law, do not dwell together as Man and Wife ought?
- X. ARE there any married Women in your parish, who after their delivery from the peril of Child-birth, refuse to make their publick Thanksgiving in the Church? and when they repair to Church so to do, do they then, and there offer their accustomed Offerings?
- XI. ARE there any in your parish, that refuse to pay their Easter-offerings to the Minister? or that refuse to pay the rate assessed upon them for the repair of your Church [Page 8]or Chappell, or for Bread and Wine used in the Holy Communion? or for such Books, Ornaments and Vtensils, as are requisite for the performance of Divine Offices there?
- XII. Do any of your parish refuse to bury their Dead according to the Form and Order of the Church of England?
- XIII. ARE there any Wills or Testaments of persons dead in your parish concealed, or not yet proved? or my goods of persons dying Intestate administred without due grant from the Ordinary?
- XIV. DID any dying in your parish or elsewhere leave any Legacy to your Church, or to the poor, or to any other pious and charitable use? Declare what those Legacies were, and how they have been bestowed, or in whose hands they are detained?
- XV. DO you know any persons that have presumed to brawle, fight, quarrell, or strike one the other in your Church, Chappel, or Church-yard? if such, present their Names.
SECT. 5. Concerning Church-wardens and Sidemen.
- I. ARE the Church wardens of your parish yearly and duly chosen by the consent of your Minister and Parishioners? or one of them by your Minister, and the other by the Parishioners, in defect of their joint consent?
- II. HAVE the former and last Church-wardens given up their just accompts to the parish, and delivered up to the succeeding Church-wardens, the moneys remaining in their hands, together with all other things belonging to your Church or Chappell?
- III. DO you against every Communion provide a sufficient quantity of fine white Bread, and of good Wine, according to the advice and direction given you by your Minister for the number of Communicants?
SECT. 6. Concerning Parish Clerks and Sextons.
- I. HAVE you a sufficient Parish Clerk, that can perform his duty in Reading, and Answering, and Singing? and doth attend in all Divine Services? and is his wages duly paid him?
- II. DOTH he or the Sexton, (if you have one) diligently lock and open your Church doors at due times? Doth he keep your Church or Chappel clean? Doth he toll and ring the Bells at the accustomed hours before Divine Service?
SECT. 7. Concerning Hospitals, Schools, and Schoolmasters.
- I. IS there any Hospital, School, or Almshouse founded in your Parish? if so, who was the Founder, and what is the yearly Revenue? and whether is the yearly Stipend paid to the Schoolmaster?
- II. DOTH any man keep a publick or private School in your Parish? Is he licensed and allowed thereto by the Bishop or Chancellor: Is your Schoolmaster of sound Religion, and good Life? Doth he teach his Schollars the Catechism set forth in the Common-Prayer Book? Doth he cause his Schollars upon Sundayes and Holydayes orderly to repair to your Church or Chappel? and see that they behave themselves quietly, and reverently all the time of Divine Service and Sermon?
FINIS.