| Description | The monks of Christ Church had to carry out various duties essential to the running of the priory and its estates. These posts were called obedientaries, and a fairly comprehensive list of them is to be found in 'Archeaologia Cantiana' vol. xxxvii (1925) p129. Some of the more significant of these obedientaries, responsible for whole departments of the priory, had to account for their expenditure and revenue, and there are series of rolls surviving for such as the sacrist, almoner, and treasurer. Others, such as the feretarian or infirmarian, have left only the occasional account, and some, such as the precentor, have left none at all.
The six greater obedientaries - subprior, precentor, penitencer, sacrist, cellarer, and chamberlain - were appointed by the archbishop from three nominees submitted by the prior. The prior and chapter appointed the lesser obedientaries - treasurers (usually two), almoner, anniversarian, granger, and bartoner.
The sacrist was the obedientary responsible for the physical upkeep of the church. His receipts came from the treasurer, some church pensions, tithes, rents, altars, court perks, and property in the boroughs of Street near Lympne, Geddinge in Wootton, and Barnsole in Staple. His expenses included wax, bell-ringing, incense, glass, rushes, repair of vestments, and the daily maintenance of the church. The accounts are in three sections: general church upkeep, 'redditum corporum sanctorum', and ' redditum altarium'. |
| Related Material | [URRY, W.G.], List of 70 accounts, ranging in date from 1341-2 to 1507-8(5 pp., typescript). [In black file labelled 'Christ Church Cathedral Priory,Canterbury'.[Archivist's Office.]
C.E. Woodruff listed 55 rolls, 1341-2 to 1474-5, and printed extracts from them and from the account for 1492-3 in Miscellaneous Accounts, vol. 9, 'The Sacrist's Rolls of Christ Church, Canterbury', Archaeologia Cantiana vol. 48(1936), pp.38-80.] |