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 A HISTORY OF LONDON reproving the rest and adding ' of his own study ' to what they had said."^ These sermons are mentioned in several wills later in the century, rich citizens leaving gifts of money to the preachers, usually with the request that the congregation might be asked to remember the soul of the donor."'^ Some ecclesiastical customs were peculiar to London. That con- cerning bequests in mortmain has already been noticed. The liberty of the City in that respect was re-asserted about 1400 ; attempts to extend it were frustrated during the 15th century by strict rules about the enrolment of wills containing such bequests. ^^* Another custom was that in many parishes the parishioners, not the rector, were responsible for keeping the chancel of the church in repair."' Lastly, the churchwardens were chosen by the parishioners alone, the rector not having, as elsewhere, a right to nominate one of them, and together with the rector they formed a corporation which was capable of holding real as well as movable property."" Both these customs appear to have been established by the end of the 14th century.""^ The oldest of the existing parochial accounts indicate that at first the same wardens often held office for several successive years, but during the 1 5th century a period of two years became the rule, and in some parishes there developed another peculiar custom — that of electing only one new churchwarden at a time, so that the periods of office overlapped. The one last elected was often called the ' lower ' churchwarden, and became the ' upper ' when he entered upon his second year."^ The ' goods and ornaments ' for which the wardens were responsible had become very valuable before the middle of the 1 5th century. Most, if not all, of the London parishes had by then acquired real property,"* and though this was usually held subject to certain conditions, such as the maintenance of chantries, obits, or particular lights, there was often a con- siderable surplus to be used at their discretion. "^^ Five inventories of this period "' show that the churches were exceedingly rich in ornaments, '" Liier Albm (Rolls Ser.), 28 ; Stow, ^urv. (ed. Kingsford), i, 167. Stow implies that all five preachers were appointed by ' the prelates,' but the City Records show that those at the Spital were appointed by the Court of Aldermen. '"' Stow, op. cit. i, no, 168, 246 ; Sharpe, Cal. of Wills, ii, 510. By this will 25 marks were to be spent on yearly gifts to the preachers on Good Friday at Paul's Cross, and in Easter week at the Spital ; Husting Roll, 175 (193). ^^ Supra, pp. 187, 212; Sharpe, Cal. of Wills, ii, 357, 387 ; Rec. Corp. Letter Bk. K, fol. 140^ ; Journ. vi, fol. 176 ; cf. Letter Bk. L, fol. 175. '" Lyndewode, ProvinciaU (ed. 1679), p. S3 ; Rec. Corp. Letter Bk. O, fol. 141^ ; but cf. Cal. of Wills, ii, 424 ; Fisit. of Churches belonging to St. Paui^s (Camd. Soc), 108. "° Phillimore, Ecd. Law, 1472, 1484. Hoa "phere seems to have been no question about the first before the reign of James I ; see Parochial Records, and Phillimore, op. cit. 1472. For the second see Cal. Pat. 1340-3, p. 467 ; Sharpe, Cal of Wills, passim ; Cal. Letter Si. G, 137 ; Hist. MSS. Rep. vi, App. 407-12 — assuming that the various 'wardens' and ' elected parishioners ' there mentioned held the same office as those afterwards called churchwardens. '" Parochial Records (see Appendix). The decision to have two churchwardens and to choose them annually was made at St. Mary Woolchurch in 1458 ; Malcolm, LonJ. Rediv. iv, 431 ; cf. Arch. 1, 48, 54. The number was not invariably two ; there seem to have been four at St. Peter's Comhill in 1375 and at St. Michael's Wood Street in 1430 {Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. vi, App. 410 ; ix, App. i, 56.;), and at St. Margaret's South wark in the 15 th century there were at first four, then two, and in the i6th either two, three, or four. Cf. the lists for St. Saviour's and St. Olave's from 1548 to 1552 ; Surr. Arch. Coll iv, 78, 81. "' Cal. of Wills in Ct. of Husting and Cal. Pat. passim. "•^ For examples see CaL Pat. 1391-6, p. 173 ; 1405-8, p. 191. For a rent-roll of St. Peter Comhill in 1403 see Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. vi, App. 407, and of St. Martin Ludgate in 1 410 Guildhall MS. 131 1, fol. 19. '" St. Martin Ludgate (St. Paul's Eccl. Soc. Trans, v, 117), c. 1 400 ; St. Mary at Hill {Medieval Rec. of a City Church, Early Engl. Text Soc), and St. Peter Cheap {Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc, xxiv, 155), both 1431 ; St. Stephen Walbrook (Guildhall MS. 1056 [i]), c. 1440 ; St. James Garlickhithe (D. and C. VVestm. press 6, box 4, parcel 34, no. 4), 1449. The total value given in this last is over £,1"]^. 224