Churchwardens' Accounts of Ashburton 1479-1580

Medieval churchwardens' accounts give invaluable details about parish life on the eve of the Reformation and during the changes which followed in the sixteenth century. They tell us about donations made to the church for prayers,devotional objects and books which were bought for the parish church, money spent on special festivals, the cost of repairs and many more everyday details of parish life. These accounts from Ashburton in Devon run from the late fifteenth century to the Elizabethan period and allow us to see how one parish responded to the many religious changes which took place during Reformation.