Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775Reilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
Everyone in the village went to church on Sunday and brought gifts
such as grain to the priest. Later, contributions in the form of
money became customary, and then expected. They were called
"tithes" and were spent for church repair, the clergy, and poor
and needy laborers. Local custom determined the amount. There was
also church-scot: a payment to the clergy in lieu of the first
fruits of the land. The priest was the chaplain of a landlord and
his parish was coextensive with that landlord's holding and could
include one to several villages. The priest and other men who
helped him, lived in the church building. Some churches had lead
roofs and iron hinges, latches, and locks on their doors. The land
underneath had been given to the church by former kings and
persons who wanted the church to say prayers to help their souls
go from purgatory to heaven and who also selected the first
priest. The priest conducted Christianized Easter ceremonies in
the spring and (Christ's mass) ceremonies in winter in place of
the pagan Yuletide festivities. Burning incense took the place of
pagan burnt animal offerings, which were accompanied by incense to
disguise the odor of burning flesh. Holy water replaced haunted
wells and streams. Christian incantations replaced sorcerer's
spells. Nuns assisted priests in celebrating mass and
administering the sacraments. They alone consecrated new nuns.
Vestry meetings were community meetings held for church purposes.
The people said their prayers in English, and the priest conducted
the services in English. A person joined his hands in prayer as if
to offer them for binding together in submission.
The church baptized babies and officiated or gave blessings at
marriage ceremonies. It also said prayers for the dying, gave them
funerals, and buried them. There were burial service fees, candle
dues, and plough alms. A piece of stone with the dead person's
name marked his grave. It was thought that putting the name on the
grave would assist identification of that person for being taken
to heaven. The church heard the last wish or will of the person
dying concerning who he wanted to have his property. The church
taught that it was not necessary to bury possessions with the
deceased. The church taught boys and girls.
Every man carried a horn slung on his shoulder as he went about
his work so that he could at once send out a warning to his fellow
villagers or call them in chasing a thief or other offender. The
forests were full of outlaws, so strangers who did not blow a horn
to announce themselves were presumed to be fugitive offenders who
could be shot on sight. An eorl could call upon the ceorl farmers
for about forty days to fight off an invading group.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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