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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
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