ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



churches of Leicestershire had no candlesticks left. 128 There never had been 

 any definite order for the disuse of incense, yet only eight out of the seventy- 

 five churches still retained censers, and there is no proof that even these few 

 were used. Such facts are strong evidence for the success and popularity of 

 Reformation principle in this county, and the rubrics of the new book of 

 1552 would in many cases only serve to authorize changes that had been made 

 already. 



The course which these would ordinarily follow is well shown in the 

 churchwardens' accounts of St. Martin's, Leicester. The sales of 1 547-8 have 

 been already noticed. In 1549 the expenses of the new books were covered 

 by the sale of vestments ; m in 1550 the order for the removal of altars was 

 obeyed with cheerful alacrity. 128 Some remaining images, the vaulting of two 

 or three chapels, the holy-water stock, and the altar candlesticks went with 

 the altar, and after their sale follow the entries ' Boards bought 41. 4^.' 

 ' Posts for the same table ' ' glew for the table.' Seats for the table, and 

 mats to be about it, complete the Genevan model, 129 and in the next year we 

 note the ' knolling of the bell for the lecture,' and the mending of glass win- 

 dows, which had probably been defaced as no longer in harmony with the 

 spirit of the times. 130 



When we remember that in 1 547 the parish churches of England were as 

 yet almost untouched, that every one still had its obvious and unmistakable 

 high altar, its candlesticks, crucifix, hanging pyx, and great rood cross, the 

 greatness of the changes wrought in five short years is almost beyond belief. 

 When in 1553 all these familiar objects of devotion were restored to their old 

 places, the more conservative of Englishmen must have felt as if the reign of 

 Edward VI had been nothing but a bad dream. It was the reign that followed, 

 however, which was more like a bad dream to those who favoured the reform ; 

 and the patience of churchwardens and congregations was sorely taxed by the 

 order to buy back at considerable expense m all the ornaments so recently 

 discarded. The vicar of St. Martin's apparently spoke his mind too plainly 

 on the subject, for he was ordered to appear before the Privy Council in 

 September, I553- 133 But, popular as the Reformation may have been, there 

 were very few in this county who were ready to face the flames in its defence. 

 Lawrence Saunders of All Hallows, Bread Street, who was burned at Coventry, 

 8 February, 1555, had been rector also of Church Langton since I535, 133 

 and may therefore be fairly reckoned among the martyrs of Leicestershire. 

 But at Cardinal Pole's visitation in I556, m only one case of obstinate heresy 

 was reported. Thomas More, a serving-man, was burned at Leicester on 

 21 April in that year for holding Zwinglian views as to the Blessed 



116 Of the twenty-one churches or chapels which still had candlesticks, only five certainly had them ' on 

 the altar ' or ' before the altar ' ; in three cases the past tense ' were ' or ' did stand ' shows that they were 

 disused. Of the remaining thirteen nothing certain can be said ; they are merely items on the list. The 

 probability is that in many cases they were discarded or sold, as at St. Martin's (see North, Chron. p. iii), when 

 the altars were taken down. Apart from ritual considerations, the candlesticks would be very inconvenient 

 when the table was moved out into the middle of the chancel or church. 



117 North, Cbnn. of St. Martin' 1 !, 102. " s Ibid. 1 1 1. I29 Ibid. 13 Ibid. 1 1 3. 



181 These expenses were, however, lessened by the fact, obvious from the churchwardens' accounts, that 

 the ornaments had not been destroyed in many cases, but sold to private persons. At St. Martin's the cross, 

 censers, holy-water and water stock were all bought from ' W. Syngelton ' : and the altar-stone had evidently 

 been kept at the mayor's house in hope of restoration. North, Chronicle of St. Martin's Church, 12740. 



1M Acts ofP.C. (Rec. Com.}, iv, 338. 133 Hill, History of Langton, 56-7. 



'" For details of this visitation see Stiype, Eccl. Mem. iii (2), 389. 



371 



