TO BRING THEM UP IN THE FEAR OF GOD - GUARDIANSHIP IN THE DIOCESE OF YORK, 1500-1668

This article examines the importance of family, kinship, hierarchy and community through the institution of guardianship. Wills from three c ontrasting parishes and bonds of tuition and curation for the Diocese of York reflect the nomination or appointment of different forms of gu ardians in a variety of circumstances. In wills, members of the family , particularly mothers, were usually nominated as tutors where availab le, but they were less prominent in the case of bonds. Uncles played a n important role in both sources. More distant kinsfolk, although occa sionally nominated, were rare, and their importance in different paris hes was less dependent on topography than on local demographic circums tances. Hierarchy and 'good neighbourliness' were both apparent in the appointment of guardians, but kinship may have created obligations ma intained over greater distances. When extreme circumstances forced a r eliance on persons outside the family circle, guardianship was a socia l obligation which employed and reinforced a variety of established ti es.