The number of communicants at the holy sacrament in 1548 in thirty-five parishes in the diocese of Worcester is given in the certificate of Colleges and Chantries, No. 60, now remaining in the Carlton Ride Record Office. This certificate was made by "Sir John Pakynton, Knyght, Sir Robert Acton, Knyght, John Skewdamour, Esquyer, William Sheldon, Esquyer, George Willoughby, William Grove, Willyam Crouche, and John Bourne, Gentilmen," under a commission from King Edward VI, bearing date the 14th day of February, in the second year of his reign. This certificate contains a column headed "The names of the Townes and Parishes withe the nomber of hosslyng people in the same;" and each entry is in the following form: "1. The parishe of Saynt Ellyns within the said Citie, wherein bee of hoselyng people the nombre of six hunderd." For the sake of brevity the names and numbers are here given. It is impossible to give the population of these places at the earlier date. The numbers of the communicants were carefully preserved by the ecclesiastical authorities, although the civil authorities paid no attention to the numbers of the population; but it is curious to mark, at a time when the numbers of the population must have been so much less than at present, how large a proportion the numbers of religious communicants in some instances bear to those of the present population. Communicants Pop. in 1548. in 1851. 1. St. Ellyns 600 1368 2. St. Swythyns 400 906 3. St. Andrews 600 1678 4. All Saints 600 2205 5. St. Nicholas 600 2030 6. St. Peters 500 4588 7. St. Martins -- 5050 8. Kemsey 420 1375 9. Claines 400 6819 10. Kingsnorton 910 7759 11. Bromesgrove 1000 10308 12. Severn Stoke 300 726 13. St. Andrews, Droitwich 200 983 14. St. Peters, Droitwich -- 812 15. Hampton Lovet 80 172 16. Salwarpe 200 446 17. Alvechurch 400 1600 18. Holy Cross, Pershore -- 2528 19. Kethermyster 700 23845 20. Olde Swyneford 700 20038 21. Chiddesley Corbett 500 1420 22. Tenbury 400 1786 23. Knyghton 160 523 24. Rocke, otherwise called Raka 260 1435 25. Rybbesford 940 3435 26. Rypple 300 1097 27. Byshampton 200 444 28. Blockley 400 2587 29.