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PARISH
REGISTERS
(in brief)
Before 1837 when national registration was introduced parish registers are the major source of research information.
In 1538 Thomas Cromwell (Henry VIII's Vicar General) ordered that all the birth, marriages and deaths were to be henceforth recorded in Parish Registers. Because the clergy could read and write it was ordered that they should be the ones to keep the registers up to date. In 1597 long after the fall of Cromwell, many of the registers were found to have been recorded on seperate sheets of paper. Elizabeth I decreed that all exisiting registers were to be copied into "parchment books". (books made from parchment). The clergy, if wealthy, would hire a "Scrivner" to carry out the task while other clergymen not so wealthy would have to undertake the task themselves.
Although Parish Registers started in 1538 there were areas which didnt start until many years later. Many of the clergy would scribble the details of an event on bits of paper for copying to the register at a later date, many of these were lost or the paper re-used for other purposes which resulted in many BMD records not being entered into the new parchment registers. Much of the earlier recordings (pre 1597) have been lost, burned, stolen, damaged by the elements and/or are too illegable through whatever reason over the years, to be of any use.
Depending on how much interest the clergy had for the task of copying the registers, depended on what or how much information was copied. Many of them used the quickest method they could by cutting the entries down to the bare minimum words. eg. where the original loose paper parish register entry might state: "Baptysed John Blogges ye soone of John Blogges ye woodman and of Martha his wyf" the clergy might have entered just the bare bones of: "Baptysed John soone of John Blogges"
Bishop Transcripts (BTs)
From about 1561 clergymen were to hand over an exact copy of the parish register to the Bishop although the order didnt seem to have been enforced. From 1598 it was ordered the register copies (BTs) must be a yearly copy. The Bishop's Archdeacon would visit the parishes (usually at Easter) to collect the registers. Not being very practical to visit every parish the Archdeacon would visit a particular parish and the clergy from neighbouring parishes were required to take their copied registers (BTs) to him. Paper at this time wasnt cheap so the registers were often just scribbled details on bits of paper rather than sheets of paper. Many of these papers scraps were either lost or the paper used for other purposes.
Add the lost entries to the fact that a number of clergy didnt always hand their BT copies over each year and you finish up with Bishop Transcripts which hold less information than the original parish registers. (although the opposite can also be true for various reasons) It always pays to check both copies (if both copies still exsist that is).
Clerks Rough Books
Rough books were books (or perhaps also loose papers) kept by the clerk in which he entered events as and when they occurred. The entries would then be copied to the "fair register" (parish register) either by the clerk himself or by the parson. Copying the clerks rough book would be done sporadically and in many cases where the parish was small only at the end of the year. If the book was lost or the writing was illegible then mistakes and omissions would occur along with the many other frequent spelling errors in the transcription to the parish register. It was usual for the clerk to keep possession of the rough books which he probably destroyed when they became full. Some do still survive but very few and far between.
In large towns the clerks was usually full time but in the smaller parishes the job was undertaken by a schoolmaster or someone who was able to read and write. The clerks other duties included collection of fees, writing the list of banns to be read out by the parson, noting the absentees from church services and many others besides. A sort of clerical dogsbody I suppose.
The 1754 Hardwicke Act
Theoretically, marriages were always to take place in the parish church however the more wealthy would obtain licences to marry in another church. Anyone who had taken Holy Orders even though he wasnt a beneficed clergyman could legally perform a marriage ceremony anywhere and anytime. This led to more and more abuse of marriages taking place especially by runaway daughters of wealthy parents.
To stop this abuse of runaway heiresses marriages, Philip Yorke, Lord Hardwicke introduced in 1753 the Hardwicke Act. The purpose of which was the "better prevention of clandestine marriages".
From March 1754 marriages were legal only if they were carried out in the parish church of one of the marriage parties after the banns had been called for three Sundays in open church. The marriage normally being carried out by the parish clergyman, though he had the power to allow another beneficed clergyman to officiate in his place. Marriage by licence was still allowed at churches where banns had been called.
The legal requirement of residency in the parish was three weeks. So where on the marriage entry its stated "of this parish" it doesnt neccessarily mean the person was a full time resident. Some clergymen would enter "sojourner here" meaning "of temporary residence" and perhaps in some cases make a note of the persons actual permanent parish residence.
The Hardwicke Act didnt apply to Scotland which meant there was an opening for young couples to run away to Gretna Green and a few other places across the border where they could make a simple "declaration of intent" in front of two witnesses for them to be married. Many of these runaway marriages were to be re-solemnised on their return back across the border in England.
Baptisms
The baptism registers dont normally include the actual birth date although a few clergymen did opt to include it. New borns were more at risk of infections in the town areas than those born in the country hence many town living wealthier families would send the expectant mother to a country home for the birth. Young mothers to be would also return home to their parents home to be cared for by their mother while she gave birth, especially so with the first born. Baptisms may well have taken place in the grandparents parish before the new mother and child returned home. Of course the opposite also happened or families would wait until a visit to the grandparents home before baptising the child or children. Parents of ill or sick new born babies would request a visit from the clergyman to "half-baptise the child in the home. If the baby survived a later church baptism would also take place.
It was usual to have children baptised all at once or in twos and threes. Because of this its not to be assumed children baptised the same date are twins or triplets etc. Many families would have their children (and / or themselves) baptised because they were noncomformists who were in need of assistance from the parish relief funds. Being baptised was often forced upon them before any parish relief was given.
Burials
In the second half of the 1600s a law was passed that all corpses could be buried " in sheeps wool only". A fine payable to the poor box would be imposed on anyone doing otherwise. The reason of the law was to give the wool trade which was in decline a much needed lift. Relatives or friends of the deceased would have eight days to swear on oath to the local J.P. or a clergyman of a neighbouring parish that the corpse had indeed been buried in sheeps wool.