Go West

The Medieval Village Priest 09 Feb 2008
The Priests income (or Living) was made up of
His house - the Parsonage
Some land- Glebe land
Tithes - every member of the community had to pay one tenth of all he grew to the church
Church fees - from baptisms, marriages, funerals etc.

But he did have responsiblities
The Pope expected priests to
Recite the offices regularly with proper reverence
Administer the sacraments, including confessions, properly
Maintain hospitality at the parsonage/vicarage
Keep the curch in good repair
Direct surplus revenue to the poor and needy
Avoid injurious contacts
and to make sure that his flock knew the Pater Nosta, the 10 Commandments and the Six points of faith

The Bishop or his archdeacon would visit churches to make sure that things were up to standard.  he would check the priest was
Providing the necessary services
Providing the necessary books, missils chalices, ornaments and bells
Making sure that linen and cloths were clean and up to scratch
Not charging unreasonable fees
Not allowing rough games in the churchyard
Not allowing animals to graze on the graves

1215  Pope Innocent 111 directed that all laity should take communion at least once a year and confess before doing so.   This contributed to the separation of the priest from the local peasants
1281 The Bishop of Worcester ordered his parish priests to make sure they instructed their flock properly.

And it did not always go according to plan
The priest did not often get all the tithes.  In Lindridge the €vicar€ was sent from St Mary€s Priory Worcester.  The Priory would have kept the €Great Tithes€ leaving the vicar with just the small tithes.