The History of Waltham Abby in Essex, Part 5
Church-alterations in the Reign of Queen MARY.
NEw Lady new Laws. Now ſtrange the Metamorphoſis in Waltham. Condemn not this our Como-graphie, or deſcription of a Country-Town, as too low and narrow a ſubject, ſeeing in ſome ſort the Hiſtorie of Waltham-Church is the Church-Hiſtory of England, all Pariſhes in that age being infected alike with ſuperſtition. Nor intend I hereby to renew the memorie of Idolatrie, but to revive our gratitude to God for the aboliſhing thereof, whoſe numerous trinkets here enſue.
Anno 1554. Mariae primo.
Imprimis, For a Croſs with a foot copper and gilt, twentie five ſhillings.
Item, For a Croſs-ſtaff copper and gilt, nine ſhillings and four pence.
Item, For a Pax copper and gilt, five ſhillings.] Greet one another, ſaith St a1 Cor 16. 20Paul, with an holy kiſs, on which words of the Apoſtle the Pax had its original. This Ceremony performed in the Primitive times, and Eaſtern Countries, was afterwards (to prevent wantonneſs, & to make the more expedition) commuted into a new cuſtome, viz. A piece of wood, or metall (with Chriſt's picture thereon) was made, and ſolemnly tendred to all people to kiſs. This was called the Pax, or Peace, to ſhew the unity and amity of all there aſſembled, who (though not immediately) by the Proxie of the Pax kiſſed one another.
Item, For a pair of Cenſers copper and gilt, nine ſhillings and eight pence.] Theſe were pots in the which frankincenſe was burned, perfuming the Church during Divine Service.
Item, For a Stock of braſs for the Holy-water, ſeven ſhillings.] Which by the Canon muſt be of marble, or metall, and in no caſe of brick, bDurantus de Ritibus Eccleſ. num. 6. pag. 173.leſt the ſacred liquor be ſuck'd up by the ſpungineſs thereof.
Item, For a Chriſmatory of pewter, three ſhillings four pence.] This was a veſſel in which the conſecrated oyl, uſed in Baptiſme, Confirmation, and Extreme Ʋnction, was depoſited.
Item, For a yard of ſilver Sarcenet for a cloth for the Sacrament, ſeven ſhillings eight pence.] Here ſome Silkeman or Mercer muſt ſatisfie us what this was. The price ſeems too low for Sarcenet inwoven with ſilver, and too high for plain Sarcenet of a ſilver colour.
Item, For a Pix of Pewter, two ſhillings.] This was a Box wherein the Hoſt, or conſecrated wafer, was put and preſerved.
Item, For Mary and John that ſtand in the Rood-loft, twenty ſix ſhillings eight pence.] Chriſt cJohn 19. 26▪ &c.on the Croſs ſaw his Mother, and the Diſciple whom he loved ſtanding by. In apiſh imitation whereof the Rood (when perfectly made with all the appurtenances thereof) was attended with theſe two images.
Item, For waſhing eleven Aubes and as many Head-clothes, ſix pence.] An Aube, or Albe, was a Prieſts garment of white linen down to their feet, girded about his middle. The thin matter denoted ſimplicity; colour, purity; length, (deep dDuranius de Ritibus Eccleſ num. 9. pag. 316.Divinitie) perſeverance: and the cincture thereof ſignified the perſon wearing it prompt and prepared for Gods ſervice. Their head-clothes were like our Sergeants Coifes, but cloſe, and not turned up.
Item, For watching the Sepulchre, eight pence.] Thus the price of that ſervice (but a groat in King Henries dayes) was doubled. However, though Popery was reſtored to its kinde, yet was it not re-eſtated in its former degree, in the ſhort Reign of Queen Mary, for we finde no mention of the former ſix Obits anniverſarily performed, the lands for whoſe maintenance were alienated in the Reign of King Edward, and the Vicar of the Pariſh not ſo charitable as to celebrate theſe Obits gratis without any reward for the ſame.
Item, For a Proceſsioner, and a Manual, twenty pence.
Item, For a Corporas-cloth, twelve pence.] This was a linen cloth laid over or under the conſecrated Hoſt.
Item, To the Apparitor for the Biſhops Book of Articles at the Viſit…ion, ſix pence.] This Biſhop was bloudy Bonner, that corpulent Tyrant, full (as one ſaid) of guts and empty of bowels; who viſited his Dicceſs before it was ſick, and made it ſick with his Viſitation. His Articles were in number thirty ſeven, and John aFox Acts & Mon. pag. 1474.Bale wrote a book againſt them. The Biſhops chief care herein was the ſetting up of compleat Roods, commonly called (but when without his ear-reach) Bonners Block-almightie. If any refuſed to provide ſuch blocks for him, let them expect he would procure fagots for them.
Anno 1556. Mariae tertio.
Imprimis, For coles to undermine a piece of the Steeple which ſtood after the firſt fall, two ſhillings.] This Steeple formerly ſtood in the middle (now Eaſt end) of the Church; and, being ruined paſt poſſibilitie of repair, fell down of it ſelf, onelyonly a remaining part was blown up by underminers. How quickly can a few deſtroy what required the age and induſtry of many in long time to raiſe and advance?
It ſoundeth not a little to the praiſe of this Pariſh, that neither burthenſome nor beholding to the Vicinage for a collection, they re-built the Steeple at the Weſt end of the Church, on their own proper coſt, enabled thereunto, partly by their ſtock in the Church-box, ariſing from the ſale (as is aforeſaid) of the goods of the Brotherhood, and partly by the voluntary contribution of the Pariſhioners. This Tower-Steeple is eighty ſix foot high from the foundation to the battlements, each bThe thirty three foot on the top (difficulty & danger of climbing made it the dearer) coſt fourty ſhillings a foot, as appeareth by the Churchwardens accounts, Anno 1563.foot whereof (beſides the materials preprovided) coſting thirty three ſhillings four pence the building. Three years paſſed from the founding to the finiſhing thereof (every years work diſcernable by the diſcolouration of the ſtones) and the Pariſh was forced, for the perfecting of the building, to ſell their Bells, hanging before in a wooden frame in the Church-yard; ſo that Waltham, which formerly had Steeple-leſs-Bells, now had for ſome years a Bell-leſs-Steeple.