ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



The uncertainty as to the eventual outcome of the clash of conflicting 

 religious opinions, and the not unnatural expectation that the spoiling of the 

 religious houses would be followed by the spoiling of the churches, led to a 

 large amount of appropriation and embezzlement of church goods during the 

 closing months of the reign of Henry VIII. In a few counties, such as 

 Suffolk, where foreign-bred Protestantism was obtaining a considerable hold, 

 the churchwardens and parishioners agreed to the sale of much of their church 

 ornaments and valuables, appropriating the money for a variety of purposes. 

 They apparently foresaw what was coming, and wisely thought that if such 

 things were to go, the value had better be used for local than imperial 

 purposes. 



In 1547 commissioners were appointed to draw up inventories of church 

 goods, more especially, as stated, that the goods might be preserved for the 

 churches and not disposed of; but in reality as a preparatory step to their 

 wholesale seizure by the crown. There was, however, just a certain amount 

 of sincerity in the preamble to the commissioners, for in several cases where 

 church goods had been embezzled by individuals, restitution in kindormonev 

 was enforced from the offenders. 



Suffolk affords an instance of this private embezzlement by a man of 

 position. Philip Woolverstone, esq., of Woolverstone, took from that church 

 and sold two bells and two vestments which were declared to be worth 

 £2.0, and he was called upon to pay over that sum to the Court of Augmen- 

 tations. But a certificate was afterwards handed in, sealed by eleven of 

 the parishioners, to the effect that ' the grettyst bell was no more of 

 wayte than one man myght cary yn hys Armes,' and they both were not 

 worth above £5. As to the vestments, one was of old white silk with a 

 red cross of Bruges satin, and the other of old crimson velvet, both of 

 small value. Moreover, Mr. Woolverstone took them supposing the church 

 to be his own chapel. 1 



There are extant an exceptional number of the original returns from 

 Suffolk made by the parish authorities to the inquiries of 1547. 2 Thev 

 show the considerable prevalence of the desire of the parishioners to profit 

 by sales of their own, and in most of the cases the sale had evidently been of 

 quite recent occurrence. 



At Aldeburgh the parish had realized the large sum of £40 (£400 of 

 our money) by the sale of a cross, a pair of chalices, a pair of censers, two 

 candlesticks, a pax, and a pyx, all of silver. With this money they stated 

 that they had purchased ' powder and shot for the realm,' as well as ordnance, 

 bows, and harness. The small parish of Ashfield certified that they had sold 

 church goods worth 40/., which they had spent on the setting forth of soldiers. 

 The churchwardens of Barking, with the consent of the whole parish, had sold 

 a cross, three pairs of chalices, two pyxes, a pair of censers, a ship, and two 

 paxes for the large sum of £54. With part of the proceeds they had bought 

 a pair of organs, which cost (in addition to the pair of old organs) £14. 

 Beccles had sold silver to the yet larger amount of ^59' using the money on 

 building their fine detached steeple. Also in 1 Edward VI they sold more 



1 Q. R. Ch. Goods 4*. 



' Aug. Off. Misc. Bks. cccccix. These returns, numbering 1 76, are made on paper, and have been 

 mounted in book form. 



2 33 5 



