The Parish Church In The 16th - 17th Centuries

Settlements such as Alwinton probably declined significantly during the 16th century. There is a vivid picture of condition to which parish churches in these upland Northumbrian districts had sunk by the early 17th century emerges from the following proceedings concerning Alwinton held before the court of high commission at Durham in 1627 (reproduced in NCH XV (1940), 407):

Jn Hearon, John Linton, and Roger Pott [appear] on the promocion of Alex Myngzies, curat of Allanton:  For prophanacion of the Sacramentes. Wm Sympson of Allanton, aged 55, [deposes] Linton and Pottt doe take away the wyne that remains upon administration of the Lords Supper and doth not leave it with the minister. Hearon doth usually take the Easter reconing in the quire at the very same instant when the minister is administering the Holy Communion in the body of the Church.

The people, when they make their said reconings, doe for the most part make an extraordinary disorder and noise that may be heard not only throughout the church but the churchyard alsoe, notwithstanding that the minister is at the same time administring the Holy Communion. The Holy Communion is but administered once in the yeare in the parishe church of Allanton which is commonly Easter day.

There doe usually receive 5 or 6 hundred persons, at which time the people in regard ofthere great number doe make such a confusion and noise and thronging that oftentimes the young and old people are carried down with there crouding. Hearon will not suffer Mr Mingies to keepe or medle with the church booke belonging to the parish.

There is an ailehouse keept by Mr Hearon's sufferance in the place which did anciently belong to the minister of Allanton, and the minister was forced to build a cottage house for himselfe forth of his poore pencion of 14 nobles by yeare. On Easter day Linton went into the pulpit and there keept the bread and wyne prepaired for the Holy Communion and would not deliver it to the minister. The walls of the church and chancell are in great decay, noe glasse in the windowes, and noe doores for the church, but it lieth all open.

The inhabitants of Alwinton were admonished to lay a cess for repairing the church in 1635.