203 
Of course, on the dissolution of the Monasteries, all ¢#ez treasures 
fell into the hands of the King (not without authority of Parliament), 
under the name of “ Church-stuff :” but a large quantity of the riches 
of cathedrals were also bestowed upon him. However, it is not fair 
to charge King Henry VIII. and his advisers with the whole of the 
spoliation which the Church suffered at this time. The Parish Plate 
remained untouched. Large quantities of silver were returned to the 
Commissioners of Edward VI., as in the possession of the parochial 
authorities, and when the returns had been received, it was decided 
in the last year of his reign (1552) that the Parish Plate, if not 
previously disposed of, should be seized and confiscated. And 
though, on the death of the young King and the accession of Queen 
Mary, these proceedings were suspended, yet the Protestant reaction 
which followed the accession of Elizabeth soon dealt with what 
remained of these old testimonies to the devotion of our ancestors. 
And it is not wonderful that parish authorities should take full 
advantage of the excuse offered them by the necessity of having to 
alter their churches to more simple forms of ritual, and to repair the 
damage caused by the destruction of images and stained glass figures 
as “monuments of superstition,” and should dispose of a portion of 
their more valuable property by way of meeting their extraordinary 
expenses. This process made such rapid progress that another 
Commission had to be issued with the view of stopping it and 
preserving all that was left. And the returns from many places 
honestly state that, “by the consent and agreement of the 
parishioners,” the Churchwardens had sold much of their plate and 
other property, and had spent the proceeds on necessary expenses, So 
that large quantities of “Church-stuff” came into private hands at 
this time. Parlours were found hung round with altar cloths, tables 
and beds covered with copes, carousing cups were made of chalices, 
and it is said by Keylin, “It was a sorry house, and not worth the 
naming, which had not some of this furniture in it.” But the un- 
‘certainty as to what might become of the remainder, and how much 
they might be allowed to keep for the use of their parishes, seems to 
have weighed much on the minds of many of them and to have 
suggested a short cut whereby they might be able to keep their own. 
If the returns of the Churchwardens can be trusted, almost every 
church in many counties was broken into and robbed of its Church 
Plate at some time or other between 1540 and 1553! This was found 
to be the simplest way of accounting for missing articles. 
- So matters went on until the last year of Edward VI.’s reign 
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