ABSTRACT
From 1349 onwards it was the threat of an unsecured death that most concentrated minds on guaranteed provision for the dying. And equally important, for those who faced death daily, was adequate remembrance of the dead. Keeping the dead alive in the prayers of the living was an obligation long pre-dating the Black Death. Many English fraternities were founded well after the Black Death, and their association with plague mortalities is none too clear. Yet whatever the date and declared purpose of the huge majority of parish gilds, one thing is certain. Bishop Ralphs remedy was to advise his people that if when on the point of death they cannot secure the services of a properly ordained priest; they should make the confession of their sins to any lay person, even to a woman if a man is not available.
