Vestries [ Religious Belief ]
… now be supplemented with a rapidly expanding literature on poor relief 5 as well as specialized studies of vestries in particular regional and chronological contexts. From the 1530s and culminating in the Elizabethan poor law of 1597-1601, … monitored communal finances very closely, making each parish a kind of ‘ratepayers’ republic’ where issues like participation, integrity and accountability were often hotly debated. (Eastwood 43) 2 . An early set starting in 1542 is documented at Addlethorpe (Lincolnshire): William E. Tate, The Parish Chest: A Study of the Records of …
Churches | Corruption | Finance | North America | Officials | Religion
Encyclopedia