THE CHURCH OF ST. ANDREW, PLYMOUTH. 213 
in the presence of the said wardens, or one of them, write and 
record in the same all the weddings, christenings, and burials made 
the whole week afore; and that done, to lay up the book in the said 
coffer as afore. And for every time that the same shall be omitted, 
the parties that shall be in the fault thereof shall forfeit to the said 
church 3s. 4d., to be employed on the reparation of the said church.” 
In all probability the registers of St. Andrew were commenced 
soon after the issuing of the injunction, for the St. Budeaux 
register begins in 1538. Any book claiming to be of earlier date 
cannot properly be called a register. Entries it may have relating 
to either births, deaths, or marriages, or perhaps to all; but it will 
not be found to be complete or kept with any definite purpose 
until this time. But there must have been talk of the matter 
before 1538, because the complaints of those who joined in the 
Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 were, “‘that the king designed to get 
all the gold of England into his hands, under colour of recoining 
it ; that he would seize ali unmarked cattle, and all the ornaments 
of parish churches; and that they should be forced to pay for 
christenings, marriages, and burials.” * 
Sir Piers Edgcumbe, in this neighbourhood, was alarmed at the 
threatening state of affairs, and wrote thus to Cromwell : 
“Sir Piers Eggecomb to Crumwell. 
“ Plesse it, ywr goode Lordeshyp, to be advertyssed, that the 
Kyngg’s Majesty hast commandyd me, at my beynge in hye gracius 
presens, that in casse I parceyvyd any grugge or myscontentacyon 
amongge hys sojectes, I shulde ther off advertysse ywr Lordeshyp 
by my wrytynge. Hyt ys now comme to my knolegge this 20 
daye of Apryll by a ryght trew honest man, a servant off myn, 
that ther is moche secrett and several communycacyons amongges 
the Kyngge’s sojettes: and that off them in sundry places with in 
the Scheres. off Cornwall and Devonsher, be in greate feer and 
mystrust, what the Kyngge’s Hyghnes and hys Conseyll schulde 
meane, to geve in commaundement to the parsons and vycars off 
every parisse, that they schulde make a booke, and surely to be 
kept, wher in to be specyffyyd the namys off as many as be weddyd 
and the namys off them that be buryyed and off all those that be 
crystyned. Now ye may perceyve the myndes off many, what ys 
to be don, to avoyde ther unserteyn conjecturyes, and to continue 
* Carte. 
12 
