92 ENGLISH RURAL LIFE 



Moreover, in the Elizabethan age and the first half of 

 the following century the energy of the Church was, 

 owing to the quarrels between Presbyterians, Roman 

 Catholics and Anglicans, diverted from good works to 

 controversy. 



In the XVth century much of the work of relieving 

 poverty that the Church had previously undertaken 

 had already devolved on village societies or gilds. 

 At that time all the men of the various trades in a 

 country district combined as a matter of course into 

 societies or gilds of their own ; there were also many 

 social and religious gilds, consisting not only of men, 

 but of ' wives ' or of * maidens.' These associations 

 were spread throughout the country, and were in- 

 fluential and important in the XVth and in the first 

 half of the XVIth centuries. They acted, it appears, 

 as savings banks, possibly lent money to members, and 

 by undertaking the work of sick and benefit societies 

 gave help to the poor. The gilds also appear to have 

 organized and paid the expenses of pageants and 

 plays, and probably arranged the games and amuse- 

 ments that were characteristic of the age and gave to 

 England its title of ' Merry England.' They kept 

 people together and the village alive. Unfortunately, 

 Edward VI passed a statute J which resulted in the 

 appropriation of such part of the property of gilds 

 as was employed in religious purposes, and some, 

 though not all, of these societies must have been 

 destroyed. It seems as if at this time the passion 

 for appropriation of Church property spread through- 

 out the country, and much of the miscellaneous 

 property of the parish churches passed into lay 

 hands. The destruction of the wealth of the Church 



1 See Appendix, p. 176. 



