▁present ▁associations . ▁Their ▁chief ▁object ▁was ▁care ▁for ▁the ▁poor ▁sou ls . ▁Among ▁these ▁might ▁be ▁included ▁the ▁associations ▁dev oting ▁themselves ▁to ▁the ▁spiritual ▁w elf are ▁of ▁the ▁dying ▁and ▁their ▁bur ial . ▁Of ▁the ▁con fr atern ities ▁of ▁the ▁dead , ▁only ▁examples ▁can ▁be ▁c ited ▁from ▁the ▁earlier ▁centuries , ▁but ▁these ▁show ▁sufficiently ▁clearly ▁how ▁w ides p read ▁these ▁must ▁then ▁have ▁been . ▁According ▁to ▁an ▁ins cription ▁in ▁the ▁Church ▁of ▁S s . ▁Cos mas ▁& ▁Dam ian ▁in ▁Rome ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁pri ests ▁and ▁b ish ops ▁in ▁Rome ▁formed ▁themselves ▁into ▁an ▁association ▁of ▁sod ales ▁( c . ▁ 9 8 5 ), ▁each ▁prom ising ▁that ▁on ▁the ▁death ▁of ▁a ▁member ▁he ▁would ▁immediately ▁sing ▁forty ▁Mass es ▁for ▁the ▁rep ose ▁of ▁his ▁soul . ▁ ▁The ▁ 1 1 th ▁to ▁ 1 5 th ▁centuries ▁At ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 1 th ▁century , ▁the ▁friends ▁of ▁Kn ut ▁the ▁Great ▁ere cted ▁in ▁his ▁honour ▁a ▁con fr atern ity ▁at ▁Abb ots bury , ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁stat utes ▁of ▁which ▁each ▁member ▁should ▁on ▁the ▁death ▁of ▁another ▁contribute ▁a ▁pen ny ▁for ▁the ▁rep ose ▁of ▁his ▁soul . ▁In ▁ 1 2 2 0 ▁Peter , ▁Bishop ▁of ▁S ens ▁rat ified ▁a ▁con fr atern ity ▁formed ▁by ▁th ir teen ▁cler gy ▁who ▁bound ▁themselves ▁to ▁celebr ate ▁ann ually ▁four