This article is based on the Archbishops’ Transcripts of the Induction and Ordination Records in Lambeth Palace Library and the Visitation Records in Canterbury Cathedral Library. In Archbishop Parker's Return of the Parishes and Households of the diocese of Canterbury in 1563 there is a list of parishes which I have used as a basis for the statistical analysis. In some details I have had to differ from it. Parker's total of churches and chapels in the diocese was 276; mine is 240. For example, the church of St Mary-in-the-Castle at Canterbury is useless for our purpose: it was falling into ruin and there is no Visitation Record about it, since the parish had been joined with St Mildred's. The same is true of St Nicholas, Harbledown; of Warden, Churchley and others ‘being decayed’ or not served; of chapels-of-ease, such as Staple, Egerton and Huckinge; of chapels which were really private; and of churches such as Maidstone, Detling, Loose and others which, being peculiars, were exempt from the Archdeacon's Visitation. For the purpose of this survey, I shall use the parishes listed in the 1563 Return which also have the relevant details in the Visitations from 1552 to October 1562. Of these there are 240.