By the late F. A. Carrington, Esq, 257 



Vicar there in administration of the Sacraments savinge the sayd 

 Incumbent [of the Chantry J whereupon the Vicar w th all the reste 

 of the Parissheners desyre the Kingis moost honble Councell to con- 

 sider them accordingly." 



This is accounted for by the practice of the Romish Church, which 

 prevailed here down to the time of the Reformation, that every 

 person above 14 years old — the age of confirmation— who did not 

 confess and receive absolution in Passion Week was not allowed to 

 receive the holy sacrament on Easter Day, and if he or she did not 

 do so, and died within the year, such persons would not have been 

 allowed Christian burial, except for some very special cause. 



The parish registers commence in the year 1637, and there are 

 no entries from 1640 to 1645, both inclusive, and with the date of 

 1642 there is written : — " Times of Civil Disorder no Register kept," 

 but in one of the register books is found the following entry : — 



" Buried Anno Dni 1707 W m Wild was born on Easter Eve being in y e year 

 1590 died ye 29th of June 1707 in ye hundred and sixteenth year 

 of his Age & was buried .... July 1st." 



The Chantry . 



At Aldbourne there was a Chantry called " Our Lady's Guild." 

 Its possessions are described in the Certif. of Chantries (Certif. 58, 

 No. 56), where it is stated that " Landes were gyven to the 

 ffrat.nytie of 0 r Lady in Aldborne, Adam Herryett Incumbente." 



Church Goods. 



In the return of the Commissioners of Church Goods is the fol- 

 lowing entry : — 



41 Alborne delivered to Thomas hatte and to William Sexton") viij ovnc. di. bellis 

 won Cvppe or Challis by Indenture of viij ovnc di. and \ iij and a sanct 3 

 iiij bells J belL 



The Chace. 



From the census of 1851 it appears that the parish of Aldbourne 

 is 8495 acres in extent ; and from the " Survey of Sir John Poyntz " 

 in the Duchy of Lancaster Record Office, 33 Eliz., from which 

 the account of the boundaries is tak en/ it is stated that the 

 1 Printed in Wilts Arch. Mag., vol. vi., p. 188. 



