History of Parish Registers

Timeline of Events: 1538 - 1853

Below is a timeline of events that should give you a better understanding of:

• why Parish Registers were started;
• how and when they were recorded;
• what hapenned over time to the books and parishes;
• and how the records changed.

	1538	Cromwell, from the court of Henry VIII, ordered that every wedding, baptism and burial was to be recorded.
	1553	There may be gaps in Parish Registers between 1553 and 1558 and the Catholic Mary Tudor was on the throne.
	1558	Although early records were made on paper, in 1558 parchment was used, and the older records were supposed to have been copied (although some never were and have been lost).
	1597	A second copy of the records had to be made and sent to the Bishop.
	1642	There may be gaps in the records during the English Civil War and Commonwealth (1642-1660), as records were poorly kept or hidden, and some have been lost.
	1678	Between 1678 and 1814 an affidavit was required to be sworn that when buried, the deceased was buried in wool or a fine of £5 was given.
	1751	Calender changes - One calendar year became Jan 1st to 31st December, rather than having each year start on March 25th.
	1783	A stamp duty of 3 pence was imposed on every entry, although paupers were exempt. Tax evasion naturally occured, and the Act was repealed in 1794, and declared unsuccessful.
	1812	Baptisms, marriages and burials were entered in seperate, specially printed books, eight entries per page and including more information.
	1837	Civil registration is introduced.