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 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY the church of St. Augustine before the gate of St. Paul's land on which an enlargement of the church with an altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary should be built. In return he and Rose and his former wife Alice were to be ' participants in all benefits and prayers which should be made in that church for ever, and especially should be named on Sundays in common prayers for the benefactors of the said church, and in every mass which should be cele- brated at the altar of St. Mary a special collect should be said for his soul and those of his benefactors.'^" In 1250 a piece of land to the west of the cemetery was granted by Roger son of Richard to the church of St. Nicholas Olave.^"" The valuation known as the Taxation of Pope Nicholas, which was made in 1291, does not include all the London churches, probably because some were worth less than two marks.^"^ Another valuation was made in 1302—3,'" which is also incomplete, as it excludes the thirteen peculiars of the archbishop and a few other churches. The two lists together,"^ however, give the valuation of all the London churches but ten. Compared with that made half a century earlier there was a slight general increase of wealth, though they were still far behind most of those in country districts. Forty- five churches had increased in value and thirty had decreased, some very considerably, such as St. Martin Vintry from 10 marks to 2^, and St. Benet Paul's Wharf from 5 marks to half a mark. The value remains unchanged in seven cases. Including the only vicarage mentioned, that of St. Sepulchre, worth iooj-., there are altogether fifty-five churches worth under 2 marks, seventeen over 2 and up to 5 marks, eighteen between 6 and 10 marks, and seven between 10 and 20 marks. These values are apparently given with the pensions due to religious houses deducted. The pensions are almost identical with those in the earlier return ; in three cases they have been lowered, in one raised, and of two formerly paid no mention is made. The Taxation also gives the assessment of the Westminster and Southwark churches. St. Margaret Westminster, with the chapel of Paddington, was worth 30 marks, with a vicar's portion of 12 marks, St. Martin in the Fields 15 marks, and St. Clement Danes 3 marks. St. George South- wark was worth 10 marks with a pension of i mark, St. Margaret's 13 marks with a pension of 2 marks, St. Mary Magdalen 6 marks with a pension of 4J-., and St. Olave's 9 marks with a pension of 6 marks.**"* Concerning the equipment of the churches at the end of this century there is unfortunately very little evidence, only two visitations, those of St. Gregory's and St. Faith's taken in 1298, having been discovered. These churches, from their relationship to St. Paul's, can hardly be taken as entirely representative, but if they are any guide to the general condition of the parochial churches the increase in furniture, vestments, and books had been much greater than that in pecuniary value.*"*^ '" D. & C. St. Paul's A. box 2, no. 219. "° Ibid. A. box 21, no. 1593. '"' Pope Nkh. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 19 seqq. '"' Mun. GUdhaliae Land. (Rolls Ser.) ii (l), 231 seqq. ™' They coincide exactly in values, though there are one or two slight differences in the pensions paid to religious houses. ^"^ Poie Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 17, 207. '""' The inventory for St. Gregory's is printed in full in Arckaeologia, 1, 463, and that for St. Faith's in Dugdale, Hut. of St. PauFs (ed. 1818), 335. 1 193 25