* 



A. D. 1527. . 67 



to be fo much increafed, that all the alms of the realm were not fuffi- 

 cient to relieve them ; occafioned (fays he) by counterfeit holy beg- 

 gars, who have got into their hands more than a third part of the 

 realm ; the goodlieil lordfhips and manors aretheir's, befules the tithes, 

 oblations, mortuaries, &c. But his computations in poUtical arithme- 

 tic are extremely erroneous ; for inflance, he fays, there are 52,000 

 parifhes in England, and 10 houfeholds to each parilh, in all 520,000 

 houfeholds : That every one of the five orders of friars received a pen- 

 ny a quarter, and 20^ yearly from each houfehold ; fo that thofe friars, 

 though not the four-hundredth perfon of the realm, had half its 

 profits. 



It was even long afi:er this time a queftion whether the precife num- 

 ber of the parifhes of England was known. 



Their number in King Edward I's valuation (as per MS. copy in the 

 Bodleian library), was about 8900, without including chapels, many ot 

 which have fince been eredled into parifhes. 



According to the valuation in the king's books in King Henry VITI's 

 time, the number of parifhes was confiderably above 9000. 



Yet even in our own days, it is difputable whether there be quite 

 10,000 pariflies in England and Wales. If then the number of parifhes 

 remains ftill uncertain *, it camiot be wondered at that the number of 



* It is probable that the number of parifhes in (hires ; and he, except in a few inftances, exprelTes 

 the year 1527 was nearly the fame as in 1520, no doubt of its accuracy. As it appears to have 

 when an enumeration of t'lofe in every fhire was efcaped our author's relearch, it may not be un- 

 made by the direflion of Cardinal Wolfey, which acceptable even to thofe readers who poffels the 

 is fubjoined by Camden to his defcriptions of the Jjrilanr.ia, to fee coUefted in one view 



CAMDEN'S ENUMERATION OF THE PARISHES IN ENGLAND AND WALES, 



FROM CARDINAL WOLSEy's BOOK. 



575 

 660 



78 

 326 

 2oa 



48 



ed. 1600.) 



630 

 168 

 106 

 158 

 152 



»30 



170 



68 



