Archdeacon's Visitations may still strike fear into Church of England clergy, but they once struck fear into the whole parish. The clergy were meant to keep a close eye on the vices and virtues of their flock, and those who had broken Church law could find themselves hauled up in front of the Archdeacons and made to answer their sins. Records were kept which are now held at the Borthwick Institute in York. The following is really only a selection of the material available in the Archdeacon's Visitation Court Books. They're a window onto a world which seems completely different to the one we know today. Holy Trinity Church Low Moor was at the time the centre of the Chapelry of Wibsey which included Buttershaw and Wibsey village.

The earliest reference to Wibsey that I have found comes from 1664 when it was reported that the Archdeacon initiated cases:

Against Robert Tordoff for absenting himselfe from Church & not paying his Church lay [rate].
Against John Whitley & Edmund Rhoades for profanation of ye Sabbote day by keeping comepany in their houses drinking in ye time of divine Service.
Against JohnTordoff [and blank] Hartley also William Hartley for profaning ye Sabote by drinking in time of divine Service.

The latter two cases were obviously against local publicans. A later case in 1669, was:

Against Richard Hartley and his wife for keeping people drinkeing in their house in time of Divine Service.

Not attending Church could also result in consequences. In 1670, there was a case:

Against [Martha?] ffish for not coming to Church according to the rubricks[rules] & for keeping her child unbaptized.

Mothers of newborns were also required to be 'Churched' and there was a related prosecution in 1677:

Against Willum Broxeyy for keeping a child unbaptised.
Against Suzanna wife of William Broxeyy for not coming to be churched according to the Rubricke.

The following year (1678), there was a similar case against John Verity and his wife Mary. In 1685, Esther the wife of Randolph Wood was prosecuted "for not coming to Church to give thanks after child birth."

 

Taking of the sacrament periodically was also required, as this case from 1670 demonstrates:

Against Richard Verity, Thomas Walker, Edmond Rhoades jun., Edmond Rhoades Sen. and Samuel Rhoades for not receiving the Sacrament.

Six years later in 1676, the cases reported to the Archdeacon were all in this vein:

Against John Verity, John Maud, Richard Wheater for not coming to divine Service.
Against John Tordoff for not receiving the Communion.

In 1678, Douglas Tordoff was prosecuted "for not coming to divine service." In 1683, nine people were prosecuted for the same offence:

Against Will: Wamersley, Thomas Walker and Isabella his wife, Robert Birkby and Grace his wife & Thomas Arundell, John Verity and Mary his wife, and Isaiah Verity for not coming to Church.

Thomas Arundell, Mary Verity and Isabel (sic.) Walker were repeat offenders in 1685 when they were again prosecuted "for not coming to Church." In 1689, William Womersley was prosecuted "for not going to Church." This was after the Act of Toleration (1688) which legalised nonconformist meeting houses and may have rendered the prosecution impossible to enforce. After this date the courts tended to focus on cases of illegitimate children. Abraham Walker, probably the Wibsey Chapelwarden, fell foul of the Archdeacon in 1701 "for not appearing at the visitation." In 1719, William(?) Lister and Abraham Barraclough were prosecuted for the same offence.

Each year there were large numbers of cases against those who had illegitimate children. Those named include: Sarah Lister (1664), Thomas Blamires and Anna Darwent (1669), John Verity and Maria Fish (1670), John Tordoff and Abigail Hartley (1672), Joseph Wilman and Phebe Lum (1680), Joshua Waddington and Alice Driver (1688), Jacob Holmes and Susanna Bastey (Bastow?) (1689), Edward Smith and Sarah Rhodes (1691), Maria Potts of Wibsey and William Dennison of Normanton (1700), Elizabeth Barraclough and Sam Smith (1708), Sam Garnett and Alice Fawcett (1712), and Joshua Waddington and Elizabeth Woodhead (1715). A fairly late case appeared in 1764/5 but the mother, Mary Ingham, was let off when a "certificate was received on the behalf of the said Ingham wherefore she was dismissed." The certificate might have reported that she had already been convicted by the secular courts for having an illegitimate child.

Surprisingly this could include those who had married afterwards, although the birth (and subsequent baptism) of the baby must have made it obvious that the child had been conceived illegitimately. Such cases include Thomas Sugden and his wife Mary (1669), Richard Ollerton and his wife Martha (1670), Jeremiah Jowett and Margaret his wife (1672), Thomas Cordingley and Sarah his wife (1694), Richard Priestley and Elizabeth his wife (1701), James Holding (Holden?) and Susan his wife (1711), and John Wilkinson and Mary his wife (1715).

As the years went on the role of the Church courts diminished. In 1713, Wibsey reported "Omina bene" meaning 'all is well.' This was repeated in 1716 and 1722 or 1723. By 1734, the "All Well" was written in English. In later years the Courts mainly functioned for the swearing in of Churchwardens or Chapelwardens as the following examples show:

1761
Wibsey Chapel – Thomas Naylor Clerk Curate Appeared
Abraham Pighills, John Charnock – Old Ch: Wardens Sworn
The Same – New Ch: Wardens Sworn

1769
Wibsey Chapel – Joseph Hudson Clerk Curate, Samuel Hudson Clerk his Curate Exhibited
George ffearnley, William Barraclough Dead – Old Ch: Wardens Sworn
Jeremiah Thornton, Joseph Ackroyd – New Ch: Wardens Sworn

Ben Stables