Equipos de secado

Much of what guilds sought to do and promote was seen in parish life too. The provision of charity and intercession has been dealt with above. Concern for peace and trust within the community can be seen in a couple of other cases. When Robert Colet, the vicar of Little Wakering, complained that the parson of Paglesham had deprived him of certain tithes that were his, the emphasis of the complaint was that the parson had got eight men to swear that he was in the right 'uppon the hol y evangilist*• In the plaintiff's mind these men were guilty of perjury, 'to the gret joperdie of the seid parson and the perjured persons yf condinge ponysment and pennaunce should not be h a d e ' . ^

Clearly the vicar of Little Wakering wished to improve his own financial position. However, his complaint was couched in language which reveals a belief that perjured persons, people who had sworn an untruth in the name of God, were endangering their souls by that action, and that the danger could be relieved only by discovery, repentance and punishment. Similarly, when the parishioners of Great Waltham complained to Cardinal Wolsey about the theft of church goods, their grievance centred on the belief that the defence of the accused, John Cornysh, was perjured. At this time perjury was regarded as being so great a sin that it could be confessed only to a bishop.9^

Theft was not the only disturbance with which a parish church had to put up during the early years of Henry VIII*s reign. Edward Broke of Barking complained that he was attacked in his parish church. It is clear from the complaint of Broke, and the reply of one of the accused, Ralph Tracy, that there was much ill feeling within the parish. Broke claimed that one John Haryson had slandered him, which resulted in Broke losing his job. Not content with this, on Easter Day Haryson, Tracy and others had attacked Broke and illegally put him in the stocks at Great Ilford for three days and nights. In Tracy's account of these events it was Broke and another man who had attacked Haryson in the church, and Broke and the

other were detained with the agreement of the local justice of the p e a c e . ^

Which of these accounts was more accurate is less important here than the descriptions each made of these events. Broke claimed that when he was attacked he was:

at Barkyng aforsaid in gods peace and yours and in the parisshe churche there/ entending to haue receyued the moost blyssed sacrament of the alter according to the godly order usid in Cristes relegion.

As has been stated above, only those who were at peace could receive the sacrament, while for most of the laity Easter was the only occasion during the year when communion was taken. Here Broke is clearly portraying himself as being 'in charity', despite the wrong done to him, and preparing to act as a true Christian should at Easter time. Thus the attack upon him was both vindictive and unchristian.

Even though Ralph Tracy described events very differently he was concerned to show a similar set of values. Broke is portrayed as a perjurer, for not only is he said to have been the one to break the peace, but it is claimed that he had taken the sacrament on Maundy Thursday. In this case, he had not only gone to church on

Caster Sunday with the intention of attacking Haryson, but had received communion while being in a state of hostility. Furthermore, it was Broke and his companion w h o caused disquiet, for their actions 'grettly troubled and dysturbyd' the gathered parishioners. Tracy and the others had acted with the law of the land and that of God on their side.

All three of the above cases were basically secular matters. In spite of this, all show that Christian notions were rooted in men's minds. In each the natural order of things in a Christian society is portrayed as having been contravened in some way. Furthermore, such illegal acts are seen as threatening the culprit's soul in the next world as much as the victim's well-being in this.

The sanctity of religious buildings was at risk not only from theft and brawling, however. Another case which came before the Star Chamber involved a murder committed in the sanctuary of St John's abbey, Colchester. In the two bills that survive John Raynfford denied that he had anything to do with the murder of one Michael, a servant of Sir Henry M e r n e y . ^

These documents reveal that there was a well defined lay community within this monastery. In the two depositions only one monk is mentioned, and he was very

much an extra in this drama. Various laymen are named, including 'Black Tom', who was 'a taylor by his ocupacyon & kepith a shoppe within the sayd seyntuary' In another passage, Raynfford said he took the mortally wounded Michael back to his chamber. " Thus this monastery had a fair amount of interaction with the lay population, if w i t h a rather unsavoury group. These layfolk seem to have had a fairly well organised life within the monastery's walls.

For those in sanctuary the monastery was a central part of their life. Assuming they were avoiding civil justice, the sanctuary was an essential escape route, while the religious were determined to protect their privilege. In 1526 William Gilbank, having had a felony charge brought against him, took sanctuary in St John's abbey, Colchester. Later he left and went instead to the house of Crossed Friars in that town. When the king's officers demanded that the prior deliver Gilbank to them, he refused. The prior claimed that the privilege of sanctuary was as great for his house as it was for St John's, although h e was unable to produce a grant for the liberty of sanctuary. The officers saw Gilbank in the choir, near to the high altar, but dared not take h i m . " Thus the power of the Church in such cases was recognised by officials and they were not prepared to risk going

against that power, even if doubt remained over how justified the claims of privilege were.