l clergy." In the instructions given to
Sir William Berkeley, Governor-General of Virginia, after the return of
the royal exile, Charles the Second, to the throne of his murdered
sire,--passing over, as we do, for the sake of brevity, much that might
interest the reader during the closing period of the reign of James,
that of Charles the First, and also that of the psalm-singing
blood-hunter Cromwell,--we find the recommendation of the duties of
religion, the use of "the booke of Common Prayer, the decent repairs of
Churches, and a competent provision for conforming ministers."[E] These
suggestions, we learn, were at once acted upon by the colonial
legislature, and provision was made for the building and due furniture
of churches, &c., &c. This was in 1660. The oldest records in the County
Court office date as far back as 1635. In 1644, I find the
_churchwardens_ presenting two females for offences, to the Court; and
in 1646, I find that Nicholas Brown, and William Armistead,
_churchwardens_, present one of their body to the Court, requesting that
Thomas Eaton be compelled to collect the _parish levy_, and make his
returns. This fixes the fact, then, that this was a _parish_, and that
there was _a church_ somewhere in this region in 1644, for, from the
English laws respecting the clergy, the object of the creation of
_churchwardens_ is "to protect _the edifice of the Church_, to
superintend the ceremonies of public worship, to promote the observance
of religious duties, &c., &c.[F]" I find, in 1644, the following on
record--"To paid Mr. Mallory for preaching 2 funeral sermons, 800 pounds
of tobacco." The next year I find the Rev. Mr. Justinian Aylmere, who
continued to officiate until the early part of 1667. We now find, in
those same records, the _first mention of the church_ immediately under
consideration, and it is as follows, being an extract from a will, and
bearing date December 21, 1667:

"I, Nicholas Baker, being very sicke in body, but of perfect
memory, doe make, constitute, and ordaine this my last will and
testament, revoking and disclayming all other wills by me made.
Imprimis, I give my soule unto God my redeemer, and my body to
bee decently buried in _ye new church of Kighotan_. Item, I
give and bequeathe unto Mr. Jeremy Taylor, minister,[G] my
cloath cloak, to bee delivered to him after my corpse carrying
out of ye house."

From these extracts I learn these two