384 



Old Church Plate in Wilts. 



belonging to this fine chalice no longer exists. In the list of " goods 

 to be safelie kept/'' made by the Commissioners of Edward VI., in 

 1553, the following relates to this parish : — 



A Chalice or Cuppe Bells In Plate to the King's use 

 weylete xij di iij vij di 



The parish accounts still preserved in Salisbury, and perhaps in 

 many country places, would probably produce many curious and 

 interesting details connected with Church arrangements. In the 

 parish of St. Thomas the Martyr, Rolls of churchwardens' accounts 

 exist from the time of Henry VIII. In St. Edmund's parish it is 

 understood that an unusually early series of churchwardens'' accounts 

 are to be found, beginning with the reign of Edward IV. A 

 selection from these, made apparently late in the sixteenth century, 

 is to be found in the Record Office, extending from the first of 

 Edward IV. to the twenty-fifth of Elizabeth. 1 



The churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St. Martin, at 

 Salisbury, are still preserved to a great extent ; of these some few 

 extracts will be given. They commence A.D. 1567. At this period 

 nothing like a church rate seems to have been in use; the income of 

 the wardens came from a few small rents of tenements, certain 

 charges for graves, tolling bells, seats in the Church, also the pro- 

 ceeds of the "holy loaf," usually collected by the clerk. This 

 distribution of the holy bread amongst the congregation appears 

 to be the continuation of a custom prevalent before the Reformation. 



The following entries occur : " Beaceved for ye holy lofe an 0 dmi 

 1567 different sums varying from iiij d " to xx d - each month. In 



1 " Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series." Addenda, 1583, 1584. They 

 chiefly relate to expenses in the Church and churchyard, window mending and 

 cleaning, renovations and repairs for altar and other furniture, vestments, crosses, 

 &c, and for books, purchase of holy water and christening oil ; also for the clerk 

 that sang the gospel, bread, cheese, and ale for the masters, &c, and wages for 

 the officials. Amongst the entries are, 1st Edw. IV., " For all apparel and 

 furniture of players at the Corpus Christi " ; 10th Henry VII., " Stalls and 

 stations at the fair intra cemiterium et extra " ; 1551, ,f Hauling away and 

 plucking down of altars, rood lofts, tables, 8fc. The steeple plucked down, 

 and all the expenses about it" ; 1554, " Two mass boohs bought, the altars 

 set up, an antiphone and two grayles bought " ; 1556, " Sings to make Mary 

 and John fast to the wall xirj d ." 



