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.ÿþa Communion Table Cloth of Green Velvet three yards Long & two yardswide with a Silver fringe. 72 A pulpit cushion of silk or velvet upon whichthe minister placed his sermon manifested the special reverence accorded topreaching.73 On the other hand, no eighteenth-century parish undertook tosupply pew copies of Bibles and Prayer Books.Persons who could afford per-sonal copies brought them to public worship.Those who owned none or wereilliterate presumably memorized their responses through constant repetitionor, failing that, participated silently.Vessels or utensils for Holy Communion included a flagon (a vessel usedto hold the wine), a chalice or cup, and a paten (a shallow dish or plate).Pewter and pottery vessels were commonplace early in the century, but in thecourse of time many parishes obtained silver communion services.Some par-ishes provided communion vessels for each congregation.William Douglas,veteran parson of St.James Northam Parish in Goochland County, recordedthe utensels at his disposal for two of his congregations.Dover Church pos-sessed a large tablecloth, a quart-sized pewter tankard, a pewter basin for bap-tisms, a Delph plate for the sacramental bread, and a crystal cup.Licking-hole Church had identical items except that its baptismal bowl was delftwarerather than pewter.74 More commonly a single parish set would be carried fromcongregation to congregation.Parishes obtained cloths and vessels of fine quality.A Louisa Countychurchwarden writing to his English merchant contact specified: As I am em-powered by the vestry of the parish in which I live to send for some ornamentsfor the Church I now apply to you for a new pulpit cloth & cushion, whichmust be made of good purple velvet, with a neat silk fringe round the cloth &silk tassels to the cushion. 75 St.Paul s Parish (Stafford) possessed a chalice,flagon, and paten fashioned by the London silversmith John Fainell.76 Accom-panying its order for a Compleat Sett of Crimson Velvet Ornaments for Pul-pit, Communion, and Altar Pieces on Paste Board, the vestry of WicomicoParish specified that the front of the Pulpit Cloth is to be mark d Wico-comoco Parrish 1771 in Gold Letters. 77The communion elements bread and wine complete this inventory ofmaterials for worship.Annually parishes reimbursed churchwardens, vestry-men, or their parsons for the purchase of wine.As for the provision of bread,the story is less clear.Parish minutes at times record the purchase of commu-nion elements, which on the face of it would seem to mean both bread andwine.More commonly they listed wine separately.Bread went unmentioned,which suggests a traditional practice of parishioners donating bread.Provisions: Divine Services 67
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