9 - Bishop William Chaderton's articles for Lincoln diocese, 1607. Collated with:

Summary

Articles to be enquired of, within the diocesse of Lincoln. In the visitation of the reverend father in God, William by Gods providence L. Bishop of Lincolne.

Touching the church, churchyard, parsonage, and vicaridge-house.

Whether your church, chappell, and chauncell be well, and sufficiently repaired in the walles, and roofe, the seates convenient, the floore paved, the windowes glazed, and all these cleanly kept, and the mansion house of your parson or vicar, with the building thereunto belonging, be likewise well and sufficiently repaired, and your churchyard well fenced with walles, railes, or pales, and cleanly kept?

2. Whether hath your church or churchyard bin abused and prophaned by any fighting, chiding, brawling or quarrelling, any playes, lords of misrule, sommer lords, morrisse dauncers, pedlers, bowlers, berewards, butchers, feastes, scooles, temporall courts, or leetes, lay iuries, musters, or other prophane usage in your church or churchyard, any bells superstitiously rong, on holy daies, or their eves, or at any other time without good cause, allowed by the minister, and churchwardens; have any trees been felled in your churchyard, and by whome?

3. Whether are your almeshouses, and church house sufficiently repaired, maintained, and to godly, and their right use imployed?

4. Whether you have in your church, all things necessary for common praier, as the bible in the largest volume, the booke of common praier lately authorised by his maiesty, the booke of homilies allowed, the two psalters, a convenient pulpit for the preaching, a decent seate for the minister to read service in, conveniently placed, a strong cheast, three lockes and keyes, one for the minister, the other for the churchwardens for the keeping of the register booke of the christenings, marriages and burials, and a poore mans box, with three lockes conveniently seated in the church doore?

5. Whether have you in your church a font of stone for baptisme set in the auntient usuall place. A decet table for the communion conveniently placed, covered with silke, or other decent stuffe in time of divine service, and with a faire linnen cloth over that, at the administration of the communion?