It is not always easy to see old church plate where it originally
belonged. On the Scottish border, for instance, there were constant
raids, when the Scots would descend upon the English parish churches,
and bear off the communion plate, and again the English would cross
the border and return the compliment. In old churches, such as the
eleventh century structure at Torpenhow, in Cumberland, the deep
sockets still to be seen in the stone door jambs were intended
to support great beams with which the church had constantly to
be fortified against Scottish invasion. Another reason for the
disappearance of church plate, was the occasional sale of the silver
in order to continue necessary repairs on the fabric. In a church
in Norfolk, there is a record of sale of communion silver and "for
altering of our church and fynnishing of the same according to our
mindes and the parishioners." It goes on to state that the proceeds
were appropriated for putting new glass in the place of certain windows
"wherein were conteined the lives of certain prophane histories,"
and for "paving the king's highway" in the church precincts. At the
time of the Reformation many valuable examples of Church plate were
cast aside by order of the Commissioners, by which "all monuments
of feyned miracles, pilgrimages, idolatry, and superstition," were
to be destroyed. At this time a calf or a sheep might have been seen
browsing in the meadows with a sacring-bell fastened at its neck,
and the pigs refreshed themselves with drinking from holy-water
fonts!

Croziers of ornate design especially roused the ire of the Puritans.
In Mr. Alfred Maskell's incomparable book on Ivories, he translates
a satirical verse by Guy de Coquille, concerning these objectionable
pastoral staves (which were often made of finely sculptured ivory).

"The staff of a bishop of days that are old
Was of wood, and the bishop himself was of gold.
But a bishop of wood prefers gorgeous array,
So his staff is of gold in the new fashioned way!"

During the Renaissance especially, goldsmith's work was carried
to great technical perfection, and yet the natural properties of
the metal were frequently lost sight of, and the craftsmen tried
to produce effects such as would be more suitable in stone or
wood,--little architectonic features were introduced, and gold
was frequently made to do the work of other materials. Thus it
lost much of its inherent effectiveness. Too much atte