S 7 6 C H U 
ce.ife, and the people Ring a collect in praife of that faint 
to whom the church was to be dedicated ; then the corner 
ftone was brought to the bifhop, which he croffed, and 
laid for the foundation : and a great feaft was made on 
that day, or on the faint’s day to which it was dedicated j 
but the form of confecratioii was left to the difcretion of 
the bifliop, as it is at this day. 
A church in general confifts of three principal parts, 
that is, the belfrey or fteeple, the body of the church with 
the aides, and the chancel: and not only the freehold of 
the whole church, but of the church-yard, are in the par- 
l'on or reftor; and the parfon may have an adfion of tref- 
pafs againft any one that ftrull commit any trefpafs in the 
church or church-yard; as in the breaking of feats an¬ 
nexed to the church, or the windows, taking away the 
lead, or any of the materials of the church, cutting the 
trees in the church-yard, &c. But church-wardens may, 
by cuftom, have a fee for burying in the church; the 
church-yard is a common place of burial for all the pa¬ 
rilhioners. Vent. 274. Keb, 504. And it feems that adfions 
for taking away the feats muft be brought in the name of 
the church-wardens, the pariftiioners being at the ex¬ 
pence of them. Raym. 246. 12 Co. 105. If a man ere< 5 t a 
pew in a church, or hang up a bell therein, they thereby 
become church goods, though not exprelsly given to the 
church ; and he may not afterwards remove them, Shaw. 
P. L. 79. The parlon only is to give licence to bury in 
the church; but, for defacing a monument in a church, 
the builder or heir of the deceafed may have an aflion. 
Cro. Jac. 367. And a man may be indicted for digging 
up the graves of perfons buried, and taking pway their 
burial drelfes, See. The property whereof remains in the 
party who was the owner wdien uled, and it is laid an of¬ 
fender was found guilty of felony in this cafel but had his 
clergy. Co. Lit. 113. 
Though the parfon hath the freehold of the church and 
eli.urch-yard, he hath not the fee-limple, which is always 
in abeyance ; but in fome refpefls the parlon hath a fee- 
fnnple qualified. Lit. 644. The chancel of the church is 
to be repaired by the parfon, unjefs there be a cultom to 
the contrary; and, for thefe repairs, the parfon may cut 
down trees in the chnrcli-yard, but not otherwife. Stat. 
35 Ed. I. ( 1 . 2. The church-wardens are to fee that the 
body of the church and fteeple are in repair; but not any 
aide, chapel, &c. which any perfon claims by prefeription, 
to him or his houfe : concerning which repairs the canons 
require every perfon, who hath authority to hold eccleii- 
allical vilitation, to view' their churches within their jurif- 
diffions once in three years, either in perfon, or caufe it 
to be done; and they are to certify the defeats to the or¬ 
dinary, and the namqs of thole who ought to repair them ; 
and thefe repairs muft be .done by the church-wardens, at 
the charge of the parilhioners. Can. 86. 1 Mod. 236. 
By the common law, parilhioners of every parilli are 
bound to repair the church; but, by the canon law, the 
parfon is obliged to do it; and fo it is in foreign coun¬ 
tries. 1 Salk. 164. I11 London, the parilhioners repair both 
the church and the chancel. The fpiritual court may 
compel the parilhioners to repair the church, and excom¬ 
municate every one of them till it be repaired ; but thole 
that are willing to contribute lliall be abfolved till the 
greater part agree to a tax, w hen the excommunication is 
to be taken off; but the fpiritual court cannot alfefs them 
towards it. 1 Mod. 194. 1 Vent. 367. For though this 
court hath power to oblige the parilhioners to repair by 
eccleftaftical cenfures, yet they cannot appoint in what 
film, or let a rate, for that mult be fettled by the church¬ 
wardens, See. 2 Mod. 8. If a church be down, and the 
parilh is increafed, the greater part of the parilh may raile 
a tax for the necelfary enlarging it, as well as the repair¬ 
ing thereof, See. 1 Mod. 237. But in fome of the law¬ 
books it is laid, that if a church falls down, the pa¬ 
rilhioners are not obliged to rebuild it, though they ought 
to keep it in due repair. 1 Vent. 35. On rebuilding of 
churches, it has been the cuftom to apply for, and obtain 
R C H, 
briefs, on the petition of the parilhioners, to collect the 
charitable contributions of well-difpofed Chriftiansj to af- 
fdt them in the expence. For church ornaments; uten- 
fils, &c. the charge is upon the perfonal eftntes of the pa¬ 
rilhioners ; and for this reafon perfons mull; be charged 
for thefe where they live : but though generally lands 1 
ought not to be taxed for ornaments, yet by fpecial cul¬ 
tom, both lands and houfes may be liable to it. 2 Injl. 
489. Cro. Eliz. 843. It has been refolved that no man 
fhall be charged for his land to-contribute to the church 
reckonings, if he doth not refide in the fame parilh. 
Moor 554. 
By Hat. 37 Id. VIII. c. 21. churches not above fix pounds 
a year, in the king’s books, by alfeht of the ordinary, pa¬ 
tron, and incumbent, may be united: and, by Hat, 17 
Car. II. c. 3. in cities and corporations. See. churches may 
be united by the bilhop, patrons, and chief magilfrates,. 
unlefs the income exceeds iool. per annum; and then 
the pariftiioners are to confent. 
For completing of St. Paul’s church, and repairing 
Weftminfter Abbey, a duty of two Ihillings per chaldron 
on coals was granted; and the church-yara is to be i.n- 
clofed, and no perfons build thereon, except for the ufe 
of the church. 1 Ann. flat. 2. c. 12. Fifty new churches 
were alfo to be built in or near London and Weftminfter; 
for the building whereof a like duty is granted upon coals, 
and comniiftioners appointed to purchafe lands, afeertain 
bounds, Sec. The redfors of which churches were to be 
appointed by the crown, and the firft church-wardens 
and veftrymen, &c. to be elefted by the comniiftioners. Stat. 
9 Ann. c. 22. 10 Ann. c. ix. A duty is alfo granted on coals 
imported into London, to be appropriated for maintaining 
of minifters for the fifty new churches. Stat. 1 Geo. I. c. 23. 
No man lliall cover his head in the church in time of 
divine fervice, except he have fome infirmity, and then 
with a cap; and all perfons are to kneel and ftand, as di¬ 
rected by the Common Prayer-Book, during fervice. Can. 
18. No ill language is to be uled, or noife made, in, 
churches or church-yards; and perlons ftrikiitg, or lay¬ 
ing violent hands on others there, are to be excommuni¬ 
cated ; and ftriking with a weapon, or drawing a weapon 
with intent to ftrike, lhall lofe one of their ears : and a 
man may not lawfully return blows in his own defence 
in thefe cafes. Stat. 5 & 6 Ed. VI. c. 4. No fairs or markets 
lhall be kept in’church-yards. Stat. 13 E. I. Any perfon 
may be indiCted for indecent or irreverent behaviour in 
the church ; and tliofe that offend againft the a£ts of uni¬ 
formity, are punifhable either by indictment upon the fta- 
tute, or by the ordinary. 
The firft church publicly built by the Chriftians, fome 
authors maintain to be that of St. Saviour at Rome, 
founded by Conftantine; but others contend, that feve- 
ral churches, called by the name of St. Peter Vijnus, were 
built in honour of that apoftle during his life-time, and 
confequently much earlier than the former. When Chrif¬ 
tians came to be divided into fe£ts, or to adopt different 
ceremonies or forms of worlhip, their tenets firft began to 
be diftinguilhed by the name of their church ; as the Ro- 
mifli or Latin church ; the Greek or eaftern church ; the 
proteftant church ; the church of England, &c. 
The Latin, or Romifh church, extends its difeipline all 
over Italy and France, (until the revolution).; Spain, part 
of Africa, the north of Europe, and all other countries, 
whither the Romans carried their language and influence. 
But Great Britain, part of the Netherlands, almoft all 
Germany ; ' and feveral of the northern powers, have fepa- 
rated from the church of Rome ever fince the reforma¬ 
tion, in the reign of Henry VIII. and conftitute what is 
termed the refonned church, and what the Rdmanifts call 
the ’vjejlcrn fcbijtn. 
The Greek church extends over confiderable part of 
Greece, the Grecian ides, Wallachia, Moldavia, Egypt, 
Abyffinia, Nubia, Lybia, Arabia, Mefbpofamia, Syria, 
Cilicia, and Paleftine, and are all under the jurildiction 
of the patriarchs of Conftantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, 
and 
