THE CHURCH 187 



moiety of the sepulture from all time, and it had by purchase the 

 fourth part of the other alms when they happened. And whether 

 this chapel was dedicated or not, the hundred does not know." * 



Here, then, we have the district assigned to the mother 

 church at Thorney called a "parish," and the persons 

 assigned to the church at Stow called " parishioners ; " more- 

 over, the erection of the chapel at Thorney did not deprive 

 the mother church of all its fees, and the abstraction of 

 parishioners from the church at Stow was wrong, evidently 

 because the church was thereby deprived of fees. That it 

 was possible to move persons from one parish to another 

 shows that the parochial system had not crystallized into its 

 present form ; that an outcry was raised at its being done 

 shows that the crystallizing process had begun. Earl Roger 

 gave to his new abbey at Shrewsbury the church of St. Peter, 

 "where was the parish of the City," 2 another instance of 

 the use of the word " parish." 



Other cases of mother churches with dependent churches 

 or chapels can be found 



" Richer, the clerk, holds the church of this manor (Stoneham, 

 Hants) with two other churches near Southampton, which pertain to 

 this mother church, and to it pertain one hide of land and all the 

 tithes of the same vill, and also of the King's land." 3 



With this must be compared the record at Mottisfont, on 

 the next page 



" Archbishop Thomas (of York) holds one church and six chapels, 

 with all the dues of the living and dead." 4 



Again, at Thetford there was a church of St. Mary, to 

 which belonged the churches of St. Peter, St. John, St. Martin, 

 and St. Margaret ; 5 and at Dartford (Kent), in addition to 

 the church, there were three little churches (" ecclesiolae "). 6 



1 D. B., II. 281 b. 2 Id., I. 252 b I. 3 Id., I. 41 b 2. 



4 Id., I. 42 a. 5 Id., II. 118 b. 6 Id., I. 2 b I. 



