In the birth department the children of dissenters were for some years put under a separate head, and specified as such, and there are frequent records of "children left," and "children picked up" in the parish. Lastly, there is mention made of Henry Humphreys having, by will in 1729, left £4 yearly to the incumbent of St. Michael's and £1 to the clerk, on condition they take care that his grave shall not be opened or touched except for the burial of his wife. This money was payable out of "a freehold messuage or tenement, lands, and premises in the parish of Kington, Worcestershire;" but the bequest has long been lost sight of and the estate is not known; there is, however, no doubt that the identification of the estate might be readily made out if its present owners were inclined to do justice to the claims of the church. Perhaps a former owner compounded with the then incumbent for a sum of money or other consideration.
By far the most interesting and valuable of all the parochial records in the city are those of St. Michael's, the oldest account book going back to the year 1543, and, with the exception of from 1611 to 1640, which years are omitted, the records come up to the present century. As these books take us back to a period before the completion of the Reformation, they contain evidence of religious ceremony and social custom which entitle them to the first place in this work. Among the ceremonials of the unreformed Church, the most conspicuous was that at Easter, when the Resurrection was represented. For this purpose a tomb or sepulchre was arranged in the chancel (a recess still to be seen in the chancel wall of most old churches), in which the effigy of the Saviour was laid, and watched day and night by persons appointed for the purpose, as well as by religious devotees, till it was raised out of the tomb on the morning of Easter Sunday, when the previous darkness in the church suddenly ceased, and a flood of light, together with the richest music, incense, and every sign of rejoicing, celebrated the event. In St. Michael's church, the clerk was paid 2d. (worth 2s. 6d. now) for watching on Easter eve, and also was presented with a pair of gloves. "Tacketts (small nails), pynnes, and thrydde, to dresse the sepulchre," were charged 2d., and 4d. for the labour of dressing, great pains having evidently been taken. Arras tapestry hangings or curtains were provided for the tomb, large wax lights and flowers were arranged on the altars (of which there were three in St. Michael's church), and the rood, which was a carved representation of the Crucifixion, elevated on the chancel arch, was also splendidly lit up and decorated with flowers, as were the niches containing figures of the saints. Oil, frankincense, and robes, are charged for in the accounts, the lighting of the rood and sepulchre amounting to as much as 7s. 1d.; for making 25 lbs. of wax, 12d., and for flowers for the tapers and rood light, 2d. A taper was also fixed over the font. The celebration of this festival did not terminate with the church, as the wardens on the same day (Easter Sunday, 1543) spent the sum of 3d. at the tavern. There is likewise an entry of 2d. paid for "nayles and pynnes for the sepulter on Palme Sunday, and wyer for the curteynes for the sepulter at Ester." The following obsequies were observed at St. Michael's church on the death of Henry VIII:
"At the kyngs highnes dirige and masse.
| Item for fyve tapers | xd. |
| Item a masse | id. |
| Item for mendynge of the bere and herse | iid. |
| Item for the colourynge of two wodden canstycks blacke | iid. |
| Item for brede and ale for the ryngers then | ivd. |
| Item for ryngynge | vid. |
| Item for two papers of the kyngs armes to set on the kyngs herse | iiid." |
The progress of the Reformation during the reign of Edward VI is distinctly marked in these records, by the mode in which the churchwardens were compelled to set their house in order. A man named John Davyes was employed to "hewe downe the seates of the images in the church and to whytelyme it," for which he received 15d.; "an ares cov'yng (arras covering) wh. was used at the sepulter" was sold to Mr. Bland for 6s. 8d.; the lamp and censer, weighing 20 lb., for 4s.; "two standerdes of brasse, two cansticks, and a tynacle of brasse for holly (holy) water, weying 3 lb.," 14s.; "a coppe crosst," (the priest's cope, with a cross on it) 2s.; a platter, 18d.; "a holy water pott of led, and certein organne pypes of led, weying half C. and 12 lb.," 2s. 10d.; for "13 lb. of pewter of organne pypes and shelles for tapers, at 2d. a lb.," 2s. 2d.; two small bells were sold for 9d.; the top of the pulpit went for 2s., and the foot for 2d.; the organs, the "fayle and old clothes to cover the saynts," the tables that stood on each of the altars, the "trymmer" of the high altar, the altars themselves, and all the other appointments, disappeared like useless lumber. Two inventories of the church goods were written out for the commissioners, and the churchwardens and their friends made merry on the occasion at the tavern. Instead of the gorgeous altars, two "frames," or trestles (or "oyster boards," as the Bishop of Exeter would term them), were provided for the Lord's Supper; and in lieu of carved saints and mural emblazonments, a man was engaged to "write the Scriptures and paint the church at 2d. the yard," on those parts of it, at least, where the whitewasher's brush had not taken the precedence. In the fifth year of King Edward, the old churchwardens handed over to the new ones the church goods, of which the following is an inventory:
"A chalice, two pattens, the cover of a pyx, foot of a silver cross, a crucifix that was on the cover of the pyx, a little silver bowl, the little bowl of the pyx that the crucifix stood on, six pieces of silver and gylte, and a little image of St. Michael of silver gylt, a little bell without a clapp., two brasen canstycks, two painted clothes, a pawle of silk, two sirplices for children, two aubs (albs), a table cloth, five towels, the parson's sirplice and the clarks sirplice, a course pawle, and bere cloth."
Under the reign of Mary, old customs were partly revived, as charges were again made for the pascal taper, wax, frankincense, and charcoal in Lent; Mr. Blunt's man was remunerated "for his paines when he sett the cross and the rest of the stuffe;" Father Charlemayne was paid 6d. for mending the crysmatory; 7d. was charged for chains for the censer; "Raffe Pynner" mended the pyx; and apparently the high altar was reinstated, for after the death of her Majesty, 6d. was paid for taking down the altar, and 3s. "for paving the place and making clean of it." The parish went to but small expense in solemnising Queen Mary's death, 9d. only having been spent "for quene majesty's obit." The Paraphrases of Erasmus had been previously purchased at a cost of 11s., and, with a Bible in English, chained to a lectern. The rood loft was now pulled down, and sold as old timber for 3s. This was in 1561, at which time another inventory of the church goods was furnished, as follows:
"A processional, the portuas in two parts for the whole year, a missal, a manual, a book for christening and burying, a pall lyned, and a old pall onlyned, an old vestment of silk, a front of an alter of red and white satten, with flourdelich (fleur de lis), two albes, two surplices for childern, a little pillow of green, two towels with blew thredd, a bible, a book of comon ——, six stoles for the neck and arm, a book of the paraphrasis, two parelles for albes, a lamp, and certaine pieces of an old lamp, two iron roddes with stockynns upon them, and two curteins of red and yellow, the pastall tapur and eight endes of other tapurs, the sepultre without a hedd, a cross cloth of green silk, a corp —— case, a chalis and patten, two table cloths, two surplises for men, one old cloth to cover the com'n bord."
A "cupp and pott for the com'n bord" was purchased in 1566 at a cost of 3s., and 6d. for the carriage of it from London. The "frame where our little bell hanged"—probably the sanctus bell—was taken down in 1580. Fifteen years later, Nicholas Archbold, the churchwarden, chargeth himself with 7s. 9d. "received from Fowlke Broughton for the old bible of the church, and also with 12d., which this accountant, before the sale thereof, received of one Mr. Morrys, a relator to the Council in the Marches of Wales, in earnest of the said bible, which 12d. was forfeited by him, for that he fetcht not the book as he p'mised." Mr. Morris, no doubt, was more punctual in his subsequent dealings with churchwardens. The old communion book was also disposed of for 3s. 4d.; but "a newe fayer Englishe bible of the last translacon authorised in the church" was purchased for 16s., and a new communion book for 6s. 8d.