Protestantism wasn’t really established in England until after the death of Henry VIII. His son Edward VI was only 9 when his father died  and he was only 15 when he himself  died, so that during his reign, England was governed by a Council of Regency led at first by Edward Seymour, First Duke of Somerset and later by John Dudley, First Duke of Northumberland.

 It was this Council of Regency which imposed Protestantism. Whilst many of the former  trappings of the parish churches, especially the Roods, were ordered to be removed, a considerable proportion of the vestments and plate were allowed to remain. 

In 1552, The Council of Regency decided to check on what was still left in the churches and Commissions were sent out to persons of note in every county or towns, ordering them to survey what remained in the local churches, and send in returns.  In January 1553 a new Commission was sent out – this time authorising the appointment of deputies to carry away things which were deemed unnecessary for the divine service. In May of that year, a further return was made from each church listing what vestments and plate the churches still retained.

rood-screen.jpg 

In many churches, the Rood Screen, and the Rood (the figure of Christ on the Cross with accompanying figures) was replaced at a later date. This fine Rood Screen  was installed in 1890 and the Rood in 1919 at Brant Broughton Church in Lincolnshire. It gives some idea of what the original Rood and Rood Screen at Stottesdon would have looked like. The picture is the copyright of Richard Croft and is taken from the Geograph website under the terms of the licence which can be read at this link  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ 

The return for the church at Stottesdon in Shropshire has been preserved and is as follows:  STOURTON 

The  Inventorie of the Juelles Belles ornaments & vestments belongyng to the seid pe’sche churche exibetyd unto the kyngs co’missions by John Hamonde clerke Thomas Watmore & Thomas Hankyn p’yshonrs the Xth day of Auguste in the vjth yer of the Reign of or sou’aign lorde Edwarde the vjth by the grace of god kyng of englonde, ffranc and Irelonde Defender of the faith & in earth next under god the sup’eme head of the churche of englonde & Irelonde.

 Imprmis a chalice of sylur & a patten

A cautyll cope of red cassay

Itm a vestime’t of tawny velvet

Itm a vestime’t of Whytte satten of brugges

Itm awter clothe of diaper

Itm iiij belles and a lttel bell. 

From this list it would seem that there were very few trappings left at Stottesdon church. 

The witness, THOMAS WATMORE, who is referred to as a parishioner, would be Thomas the son of Humphrey Watmore and grandson of the William Watmough who had come to Stottesdon from Prescot.  This Thomas married Anne Grove and died in 1565 at Stottesdon.

 Not all the confiscated  trappings of the churches were taken away – some found their way into private hands by means fair or foul. In some cases, the process was carefully monitored by third parties who noted those items which seemed to have gone astray. As late as 20 Dec 1571, a Thomas Middleton (presumably a resident of Shrewsbury) listed in a letter the names of persons who had received items taken from the Shrewsbury churches, or had received money from the sale of these items. His list includes the following: ‘William Alowe and Richard Powell detain obligacions of £140 made of the ornaments and Jewels of the Church of St Chad’s and delivered by several oblications to divers men of the parish’ Since William Lowe was a wealthy draper, a Warden of the Draper Company, a burgess and sometime Bailiff of Shrewsbury (see earlier post on William Lowe – Bailiff of Shrewsbury), I feel that it is unlikely that he had been a party to any underhand dealing – especially since he is one of my own direct ancestors!