Articles TO BE JNQVIRED OF BY ●…e Churchwardens and sworn-men of ●…e Diocese and jurisdiction of Peterborough, the visitation of the Reverend father in God, Thomas by God's permission L. Bishop of Peterborough, in the year of our Lord God 1602. and in the xliiij. year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth by the grace of God of England, France, and Ireland Queen, Defender of the faith, etc.  
Printed 1602.   

The tenor of the oath to be ministered to all and every of the Churchwardens and sworn-men in the said visitation.  
YE shall swear by almighty God, that you shall diligently consider all and every the Articles given to you in charge, and make a true answer to the same in writing under your hands or marks, presenting all and every such person and persons dwelling within your parish, as have committed any offence or fault, or made any default mentioned in any of the same Articles, or which are suspected or defamed of any such offence, or default: wherein ye shall not present any person or persons of any evil will, malice, or hatred, contrary to the truth, nor shall for love, favour, meed, dread, or any corrupt affection, spare to present any that be offenders suspected or defamed in any of these cases, but shall do uprightly as men having the fear of God before their eyes, and desirous to maintain virtue and suppress vice. So God help you, etc.   

Articles to be inquired of within the Diocese of Peterborough, etc.  
INprimis, whether your parson, vicar, or Curate, be a preacher of God's word, a maintainer and furtherer of the true & sincere Religion of jesus Christ, now established in this Realm of England by public authority: and whether he be diligent and painful in preaching or reading of God's word, and in catechizing the youth of your parish the sabbath days and other festival days. And whether the churchwardens and sworn-men do assist the Minister as he shall prescribe ●…en in that godly action.  
2 Item, whether in the celebration of divine service, and the admi●…ration of the sacraments, he do in every respect observe the form, ●…er, and manner prescribed and set down in the book of Common prayer, wearing then such decent ornaments as by her majesties ●…es and Injunctions are appointed.  
3 Item, whether his life and conversation be sober, honest, and ●…ly, and his ordinary attire decent and comely beseeming a mini●… And if in any thing he be offensive, than what the same is where●… he is so blemished or defamed.  
4 Item, whether you have had sermons in your parish Church ●…thly at the least: and whether are the Homilies read when there 〈◊〉 sermon: and whether such beneficed men as be lawfully absent 〈◊〉 their benefices, do leave their Cures to an honest, learned, and 〈◊〉 Curate, lawfully authorized: & whether you have the Queen's ●…esties Injunctions read quarterly, or no.  
5 Item, how often is the holy Communion celebrated in your ●…h yearly, and whether all within your parish which be of suffi●… years and discretion, do receive the holy Communion thrice in ●…re at the least, the feast of Easter being one of those times: whether they do receive it kneeling, and whether any excommunicate person, or any known or notorious offender, or any not instructed in the principles of Religion be admitted to the Communion, and if any such be admitted, then to show who they be.  
6 Item, whether your Parson or Vicar be resident upon his benefice, and thereon keepeth hospitality: and if he be not resident, then what distribution is made by him yearly among the poor people o●… your said parish.  
7 Item, whether your said parson, vicar, or Curate hath denied o●… delayed to visit the sick, to bury the dead, to use the perambulation i●… the Rogation week: & whether hath he married any persons without banes three several sundays or holidays first published, or within the time by law and order forbidden, being not lawfully licenced the●… unto.  
8 Item, whether your chancel, your parsonage and vicaridg●… houses be in good and sufficient reparations, and whether the same houses be in any sort abused, by keeping any victualling, drinking, 〈◊〉 gaming therein, or by any other ways or means whatsoever.  
9 Item, whether your parson, vicar, or Curate hath bought the●… benefices or Ecclesiastical promotion, or came by them by fra●…guile, deceit, or simmonie; and whether he hath more benefices or there Ecclesiastical living than he ought to have, not having sufficie●… licence or dispensation thereunto, and how many they be.  
10 Item, whether your parson, vicar, or Curate doth keep an elderly Register book in parchment, wherein he truly writeth 〈◊〉 names of all persons baptised, married, and buried within your paris●… with the several days thereof. And whether he doth every sabba●… day after morning or evening prayer publicly read the names of 〈◊〉 them who have been so baptised, married, and buried within yo●… said parish, the week next going before, as is appointed by the co●…stitutions lately set forth and confirmed by her Majesty under 〈◊〉 highness great seal.  
11 Item, whether hath he churched any woman after childbir●… begotten in incest, adultery, or fornication; or married any wom●… known to be with child so begotten, without public confession their several offences at the times of such their churching or ma●…ings before the whole congregation then assembled, being upon so●… ●…both or festival day at morning prayer time.  
12 Item, whether the exercises heretofore prescribed and enjoyed to the Clergy of this Diocese for the increase of their knowledge 〈◊〉 the holy scriptures be accordingly observed: and if not, in whose ●…ult the same hath been, or is so omitted or neglected.  
13 Item, whether are there within your parish any notorious ob●…nate Recusants, or any who negligently or seldom come to your ●…urch or chapel on the sabbath days or other festival days, and ●…o they be, and how long they have so continued, and of what estate, ●…gree, or condition they are of, and what are their abilities and livings ●…eemed to be.  
14 Item, whether any do usually go out of your said Church or ●…ppell, or walk, talk, or sleep, or use any other unseemly, vnre●…rent, or offensive behaviour in the times of public prayer, prea●…ng, celebration of the sacraments, or catechizing, and who they be.  
15 Item, whether there be any which publicly or privily do in ●…eches or otherwise deprave any part of the true religion of jesus ●…rist, now established within this Realm, or the Ministers or pro●…sours thereof, or any part of the book of Common prayer set forth ●…d confirmed by public authority, or any who dissuade from the ●…me, and who they be.  
16 Item, whether any jesuits, Seminaries, or any other known ●…isobedient persons in matters of Religion, do resort unto your pa●…ish, and where, and by whom are they known or suspected to be ●…boured or relieved.  
17 Item, whether have you any schoolmaster, who teacheth either publicly or privately within your said parish, not allowed thereunto by his Ordinary in writing under seal, and how long hath he ●…ught there: and whether doth he not usually catechize, or instruct ●…is scholars in the principles of religion.  
18 Item, whether have you in your Church or chapel all books and other things necessary and comely for the celebration of divine service and administration of the sacraments, and if not, what is wanting and in whose default.  
19 Item, whether is the body of your Church well repaired and reverently kept, and whether the seats and stools, and all other furniture and ornaments thereof be comely as is requisite: and if any default be, then wherein and in whom the same is.  
20 Item, whether your Church or chappellyard, be well fence and orderly kept; and whether any fought, railed, skolded, or used a●… game or sport in the same; and whether is there any fairs or marke●… kept therein.  
21 Item, whether any within your parish do suffer any to eat, drink, play, or jangle, and talk in their house or yards in the time o●… Common prayer, or any butchers, or other artificers, that usually keep 〈◊〉 open their shopwindowes, or sell meat, drink, or wares on sunda●… or other commanded holidays, in times of morning or evening prayer, sermon, or catechizing, or any who labour and work on the sabbath or other commanded festival days, to the profanation thereof, o●… the offence of others, and who they be.  
22 Item, whether are there used within your said parish, any bull-baytings, bearebayting, may-games, morricedancers, or any such lik●… profane pastimes, or assemblies on the sabbath days, or other commanded festival days, to the hindrance of prayers, sermons, or other godly exercises, or to the grief or offence of other godly and well disposed persons.  
23 Item, whether are there in your parish, any incestuous persons, adulterers, fornicators, usurers, drunkards, swearers, or any who are vehemently suspected or defamed for any such crimes, and who they be.  
24 Item, whether 〈…〉 using Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in this Diocese, their Registers or Actuaries, Apparitors or Sumnors, have at any time winked at, and suffered any adulteries, fornications, incests, or any other faults or offences to pass and remain unpunished and uncorrected, for money, rewards, bribes, pleasure, friendship, or any other partial or affectionate respect, and what be their names.  
25 Item, whether such as have been presented for incontinency, for adultery, or other notorious crimes, have done public penance in white sheets, and with white wands in their hands in the parish Church of that town where such offences have been committed; and if not, what be their names which have so escaped, and by what means.  
26 Item, whether any exercising jurisdiction Ecclesiastical within this Diocese, have within two years last passed commuted the penance ●…ny offender within the said parish, by imposing upon him or her a ●…me of money; how much the said sum was to your knowledge, whom and for whom it was so done, and for what offence.  
27 Item, whether there be within your said parish any man that 〈◊〉 two wives, or any woman that hath two husbands living, any ●…ried within the degrees forbidden, or without banes three several ●…s first published, or in the time by law and order prohibited with●…●…cense thereunto, or any who have had carnal knowledge toge●… before marriage, or that are vehemently suspected thereof, and 〈◊〉 they be.  
28 Item, whether any in your parish have been privately married ●…ther by any unknown priest or minister, or any who have not ●…red their children to be baptised publicly in your said church ●…appell by your minister, according to the order, manner, and ●…e set down in the book of Common prayer, and who they be.  
29 Item, whether any within your said parish have harboured any 〈◊〉 begotten with child not being married, and have suffered them 〈◊〉 part away not punished, or any who do harbour or relieve any ●…ate excommunicated person, and what excommunicate persons ●…dere within your said parish, and how long they have so remai●…  
30 Item, whether any within your parish do refuse to contribute ●…ds the reparations of your Church or chapel, or towards the ●…sion of any necessary ornaments therein, or that refuse to pay 〈◊〉 Curate or parish clerk their wages, or other usual duties, and ●…ey be.  
31 Item, whether the Churwardens of the last year have faith●… and diligently discharged their offices, and made a just account 〈◊〉 payment of their Receipts to the Church use: And whether your ●…ch stock, or any other thing given to any public use, be de●… by any, or otherwise employed then appertaineth.  
32 Item, whether have you within your parish a decent Register●… in parchment, wherein are truly set down the names of all ●…s baptised, married, or buried at your said Church or Chapel, 〈◊〉 the beginning of the Queen's majesties reign that now is. And ●…er is the same book kept in a chest under three locks, as is commanded by the Constitutions aforesaid.  
33 Item, whether your Churwardens of the last and of the fo●… year, have within one month next after the feast of Easter in eit●… of the same years, made and sent into the office of Registership longing to the Lord Bishop of this Diocese, a true copy of all 〈◊〉 christenings, marriages, and burials which have been within your ●…rish, according to the tenor also of the same late Constitutions.  
34 Item, whether your parish Clarke be dutiful and diligen●… your Minister, and meet and sufficient to discharge his place.  
35 Item, whether any within your parish do occupy or in●… meddle with the goods or chattels of any deceased, whose will (if 〈◊〉 such be) is not lawfully approved, or dying intestate the administ●… on thereof not lawfully granted, and who they be.  
36 Item, whether your Archdeacon or his Official, or any o●… exercising Ecclesiastical jurisdiction within this Diocese in places ●…empt or not exempted (other than the Chancellor of the said Di●… especially since the xxiv. of August 1597. have taken upon the●… grant licenses for marriages, admissions of Curates, schoolema●… parish clerks, Sequestrations of vacant benefices, by any their su●…sed authority, and who they be.  
37 And lastly whether you know or have hard by common of any other crime worthy presentment, the reformation whereo●… longeth to the Ecclesiastical court. And if you do, that you d●… well present them which now come to your memory, as those 〈◊〉 shall hereafter come to your knowledge.  
FJNIS.