At Easter time the churchwardens had to collect “Peter’s pence,” “Rome fardynges,” “Rome’s scot,” or “Peter farthings,” the contribution from each household to the Pope. It is well to remark, however, that it is obvious, from the accounts of this contribution to be found, that not more than 50 per cent. of the amount collected ever found its way into the papal coffers. The wardens collected the money and paid it to the archdeacon at the time of visitation. At St. Mary the Great, Cambridge, for example, they paid “at ye visytacion, for Rome Fardynges 22½_d._” Great care was taken to secure the punctual payment of these dues to the Holy See, and warnings were issued when the parish was in arrears. For continual neglect to pay it was punished with interdict. Lastly, there was another very general form of collection made by the churchwardens, called variously “wax-silver,” “candle-silver,” “Easter money,” or “Paschal money.” These were payments made in many parishes towards the annual expenses of the parish in finding candles and lamps to burn in the churches. In some places the amount paid by each parishioner was ½_d._ Besides the above, there were various forms of contribution in different places; as, for example, special payments for “the holy loaf,” or blessed bread. An examination of the various extant churchwardens’ accounts will show that these officials were never at a loss to obtain money from their fellow-parishioners when they needed it for any special purpose. One great resource, which apparently never failed them, took the form of social meetings at the Church House, or elsewhere; but as to these gatherings more will have to be said in a subsequent chapter. CHAPTER VII THE PARISH CHURCH SERVICES As the church was from the earliest times the centre of the parish, and the priest the head of his flock and the chief person--the parson--of the district, it is natural to look for the first indications of all parochial life in the church itself. From the cradle to the grave, as it has often been said, through the clergy, religion extended its care to every soul, and exerted its influence over man, woman, and child in every parochial district, mainly by means of the Church services and the administration of the Christian Sacraments. In this and the following chapter it is proposed to examine the nature and extent of these influences in pre-Reformation parochial life.