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Family history research in the 20th century is often based on
the recollections of family members which then lead to a diversity
of relevant documents, newspaper items, wills and so forth. For
the 19th century our research is broadly based on the census returns,
wills and the indexes of the civil registration of births, marriages
and deaths BMD certificates. However, for the family historian
who wishes to go back further than 1837 (the introduction of civil
registration) the search becomes a little more difficult. Under-pinning
this area of search is the Parish Chest and, in particular, the
Parish Registers (of baptisms, marriages and burials - not
births, marriages and deaths). Nowadays the researcher is
rarely allowed access to the original registers but microfilmed
or microfiche copies of them are available in their own local
history libraries and County Record Offices.
Many of the registers have not been formally indexed and this
is where the IGI becomes so important to the family historian.
The main value of the IGI (International Genealogical
Index, which was created by members of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints which is also known as LDS or the
Mormon Church) is that we can use it to find ancestors who were
born and married before 1837 and civil registration. They lead
us to the Parish Registers which are a vital source of information
for earlier generations. To search the IGI on the internet go
to the search site at http://www.familysearch.org', choose the
country in which they were born, the type of entry you want (baptism
or marriage and then type in the ancestor's name and forename
along with a date which can be precise or 'give or take' a number
of years. A list will then appear ( which includes spelling variants)
with a reference to a town/village and county and the date of
entry. Choose the one that looks likely, click on it and a record
of that entry appears. This is a copy of the basic details of
the entry in the Parish Register. Sometimes much more detail is
included in the actual register entry which can be invaluable,
and this is why it is important to actually see the entry, not
just a transcript. The other important factor is that transcripts,
like any other copied materials, are subject to human error..
What the index does provide, however, is the name of the parish
or church where the baptism or marriage took place. Most of these
Parish Registers have been filmed and they are available to view
in the Local History Centres and libraries. City Libraries often
carry copies of the films for the county and surrounding area.
If the location is more distant the film can be ordered and viewed
at the Mormon Family History Centre. A visit to see the film of
the original is a 'must' because there is always the possibility
that there might be other entries in that register that are important
to you and browsing them is rarely a waste of time.
One factor to remember, though, is that coverage of the registers
in the IGI, although very extensive and almost 100% in some areas,
is more sketchy in others. In the 20th century many local Parish
Register Societies were formed and they took on the task of transcribing
and indexing the registers. Their results were then published
and made available. It is worth checking if this has been done
in the area in which you're interested. The local record office
or local history library will be able to tell you.
Originally, the Parish Chest was, as its name implies, a large,
very strong, chest with locks and keys. For security reasons the
keys to the locks were kept by separate persons (The incumbent
and 2 churchwardens) so that no one person could open the chest
without proper authority. The term 'Parish' isn't just an ecclesiatical
definition; its representatives are also responsible for the secular
administration of the parish business. Each parish is a defined
area within which has its own Anglican Church. By the mid 16th
century there were almost 9,000 parishes with the numbers rising
to well over 14,000 by the start of the 20th century. They vary
in size depending on location. Where the parish covered a more
extensive area 'Chapels of ease' were built, saving parishioners
a long walk to services but there were limitations on the services
they could perform, especially marriages (in particular see ref
Hardwicke's bill of 1754). From the mid 16th century any documents
or registers that were of any importance to the Parish as a whole
were kept in this chest. These documents include those relating
to Parish responsibilities in regard to the collection and administration
of Poor Relief, maintaining roads, keeping the peace and moving
undesirables beyond the parish boundaries etc. Problems we face
are that the records are not maintained at a central office, there
are no comprehensive national indexes, information recorded is
less detailed than we expect in the 21st century and, finally
and importantly, although a very high percentage of the records
survived, not all did.
The Parish Chest came into being in 1538, following the Reformation
and Dissolution of the Monasteries, in King Henry Vlll's reign.Previously,
responsibility for the smooth running of a parish had been in
the hands of the Manorial Courts who dealt with legal disputes,
law and order etc. Religious houses were the main source of relief
for the poor and sick of a parish. It became a requirement that
the Parish Church and its incumbent should become responsible
for the keeping of records and the secular administration of the
Parish affairs. There was no required format for recording baptisms,
marriages and burials and many were on just single sheets of paper.
Some of the entries were detailed, including personal notes and
comments, whilst others were limited to bare facts, for example,
'baptised a daughter of Bob White', along with a date. Almost
60 years later Elizabeth 1 demanded that the registers be kept
in parchment books (entries for baptisms, marriages and deaths
were all kept in one book). She also made it a requirement that
a copy should be sent, annually, to the Bishop. These are known
as the Bishop's Transcripts and can provide valuable information
where the original registers have been lost. Records for the years
of the Commonwealth are scanty, a form of civil registration was
introduced although not properly kept, but some parishes did continue
with their own registers.
In 1754 Lord Hardwicke's act came into force, preventing 'clandestine'
marriages (ie those being performed by itinerant ministers in
places other than the parish church) from being considered legal.
Amongst other things it required a separate, pre-printed register
for marriages (Quakers and Jews were exempt but no other denominations
were). In 1813 separate books were introduced for baptisms and
burials.
There are other published indexes, more specific in purpose or
area which can be found and consulted, for example, Boyd's marriage
Index (which covers many parishes across the country); The Pallot
Index which is mainly London Parishes; and Bertram Merrill's Cheshire
Marriage Index. Many of these are available on pay-to-view websites
such as Ancestry.co.uk. An essential guide to the Parishes is
the Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers which has detailed
maps and information on locations of indexes.
Burials are not indexed in the IGI and to fill this gap a National
Burial Index has been compiled by the Federation of Family History
Societies and their affiliated members. Editions are available
on CD and new editions come out as more names are added.
Although, to the family historian, the Registers were the most
important items kept in the Parish Chest, there were many other
documents stored in it for safekeeping. Most of the surviving
material from these Parish Chests has been lodged with the Diocesan
Record Offices. Amongst them are the:
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Churchwardens' Accounts in which there are details of work
done by local craftsmen on the fabric of the church, or payments
for services like supplying rushes or destroying an infestation
of vermin etc;
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There were the Vestry Minutes which would contain an accounting
of rates levied and the subsequent expenditure.
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The Parish Overseers of the Poor were responsible for collecting
the Poor Rate and for its distribution. Detailed accounts
were kept and names of both those making payments and of those
recieving them are recorded. In some cases additional information
might be added regarding the circumstances under which a person
was entitled to Poor Relief.
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Tithe Records were kept detailing the tithes levied (one
tenth) on the produce of the parishioners. These records provide
valuable information on the wealth of the more affluent inhabitants
of the parish.
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Keeping law and order was the responibility of a parish constable
and his expenses were recorded in the Constables' Accounts.
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The Parish was responsible for keeping its highways in good
order and a surveyor was appointed to carry this out. His
records are in the Highway Surveyors' Accounts. These might
include names of workers employed on maintenance work.
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For many ministers an important source of income was that
from renting pews, in church. These were rented by the more
prosperous members of the congregation and, of course, names
would be included in the accounts.
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