a stop to the embezzlement, concealment, and
appropriation by private persons of the condemned church property, and to
recover as much of it as possible for the King's Exchequer. For, under
pretence of a burning zeal for the reformed faith, there had been much
sacrilegious spoliation--church plate finding its way on to the table of
the neighbouring gentry, marble coffins being utilised as horse-troughs,
altar cloths serving as tapestry for parlour walls, and similar
malpractices by those who ought to have known better. This property was
to be retrieved, and the detected offenders were to be heavily fined.

The Return made for Willenhall Church by the Commissioners and their
official "Surveyor," or assessor, runs, verbatim:--

WYLNALL.

Fyrste one challes of sylver with a paten parcell gilte weyinge by
estimacon viij ounces; iij vestement one of whyte fustian another of
blacke chamlett and the thyrd of bleu sarsynet; iij alter clothes; ij
cruetts of ledde; a bucket of brasse; iij candelstyks of maslyn; a
paxe of brass; a corporas with the case; ij towells; one cheste; a
lampe of latynn; ij small bells.

Mem.--That all these parcells before rekened were delyvered unto
Richard Forsett, Surveyor to the Kynge's Majesti, as shall appare by
his acquytance, except ij belles the whyche remayne still within the
sayd chapell.

A few words in explanation of the above terms may, perhaps, be necessary
for the general reader. The chalice and the paten were the vessels used
at the Sacrament, the former being the wine cup, which was of silver, and
the latter the bread dish, partly gilt. The priestly vestments were
those forbidden by the reformed church, and were of different textures
for different parts of the Roman ceremonial; the fustian was a coarse
piled fabric, or kind of cotton velvet, imported from the East; chamlett,
or camlett, was a cloth so called because originally woven from camel
hair; and the sarsnett was a thin kind of silk. The altar cloths had to
be discarded when the "Mass" was reformed into the "Holy Communion." The
cruets were pairs of metal jars for containing the wine and the water
previous to their admixture in the sacrament of the Mass. The bucket was
for use at the font. The candle-sticks were for the lighted tapers upon
the altar and in this case were made of maslin, an alloy like brass, but
with a harder grain; latten, of