A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 
of King Henry’s parks, as they were also from rectors and vicars of 
neighbouring parishes ; and the curates were so impoverished that they 
could scarce live upon them. It may be noted that the churches men- 
tioned had all belonged (except Ampthill) to various monasteries before 
the dissolution ; and the king or his grantee, while appropriating the 
rectorial tithes, had evidently forgotten the rector’s duty of repairing the 
chancel. Another sign of the times appeared at Dunstable. The 
churchwardens complained that their town was populous, but neither 
rector nor perpetual vicar was found there ; and ‘he that was hired could 
not preach.’ The loss of the ideal of the pastor in the ideal of the 
preacher is always the outcome of an age of controversy, and the balance 
sometimes takes a long while to readjust. 
There were probably very few deprivations in Bedfordshire in the 
beginning of the reign of Elizabeth. Of the higher clergy two were 
found ready to subscribe to the new Act of Uniformity—the archdeacon, 
Richard Barbar, and the prebendary of Biggleswade, Giles Forster— 
while two refused and were deprived—Anthony Draycot,’ prebendary of 
Bedford Major, and George Hunter, prebendary of Leighton Buzzard. 
No names of the lesser clergy are found on the lists of those deprived 
before 1562. 
The earliest documentary evidence as to the state of Bedfordshire 
in ecclesiastical matters during the reign of Elizabeth is the report of 
the visitations made by the archdeacon in 1578.’ He held his court at 
Ampthill, Bedford and Woburn; and the presentations do not give a very 
happy impression of the state of the archdeaconry. In three churches 
both nave and chancel were out of repair; in eight others only the 
chancel, by the default of the parson or patron.” Of these some had 
the windows broken, and others wanted paving. Two or three church- 
ards were in disorder, with broken hedges. Four of the clergy were 
called to show by what licence they served ; one could show none at all. 
Three or four did not preach ; only one however is presented for not 
wearing the surplice. A large number of people were presented for 
not coming to church, or for not making their communions at Easter. 
Sometimes the parish priest failed to give his people proper opportuni- 
ties: at Biddenham there had been ‘only one communion this year’ ; 
but at Clophill there was almost certainly a weekly celebration.” Only 
about thirty parishes are named in this report, and it would be rash to 
draw conclusions too melancholy from such premises as these ; espec- 
ially as the object of the visitation was to find out what was wrong, 
and not what was normal. There was probably a great diversity of 
practice as to the number of services ; and the amount of reverence and 
1 Draycot was also archdeacon of Huntingdon, and held another prebend and four livings besides. 
2 At present in the office of the archdeacon’s registrar at Bedford. Some extracts were printed in 
Beds N. and Q. iii. 16-18, 36-40. 
3 Wootton had the chancel in decay in 1556, when it was in the gift of Cardinal Pole; now it 
is ‘ by the queen’s default.’ 
4 There is mention of a celebration on Palm Sunday ; and one who had lapsed promised to prepare 
himself for nex¢ Sunday. 
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