England Miscellaneous Civil Records found in Parish Chests (National Institute)

Historical Notes
Depending on the particular interests of the incumbent one may see accounts of coronations and deaths of monarchs, military and naval victories and defeats, or threats of invasion. A few examples are offered next:

Flight of Charles II to France after Battle of Worcester 1651 

The Great Fire of London 1666

The Dutch War 1673

Lists of Parishioners
Almost any kind of list found in the parish chest is useful to the family historian, from the children attending church picnics to opponents to the established church, often papists (Roman Catholics).

Local Agriculture and Economy
The price of wheat may be noted, or of locally important crops. At Elworthy, Somerset the vicar noted that 1784 was a good year for cider! However, at Olveston in Gloucestershire an 18th century vicar wrote in his register:

A Good Year for Cider 1786—Olveston, Gloucestershire

Medical Notes

 * Cures

Quaint old medical recipes are occasionally preserved in parish chests. That for curing the bite of a mad dog occurs in several parish registers, for example in Axbridge, Somerset in 1754. That of Phillack, Cornwall contains a recipe for the prevention and cure of the plague. The concoction comprised wine, sage, rice, long pepper, ginger, nutmeg, treacle, mithridate, and angelica water.


 * Epidemics

Epidemics of plague or smallpox with numbers buried may have been noted.


 * Smallpox Inoculations

Prior to the vaccination procedure, inoculation was often noted as well as occasional deaths therefrom!


 * The King’s Evil

The disease of scrofula, a swelling of the lymphatic glands accompanied by a tendency to develop tuberculosis, was believed to be able to be cured by a touch from the king or queen’s hand. It isn’t known for certain when the custom started but it was well recognized by the start of written parish registers in 1538 and continued until Queen Anne’s death in 1714. Special church services were held in London, and sometimes elsewhere as the monarch travelled. During these each sufferer was touched and presented with a touch-piece, which was a golden angel pierced for hanging around the neck. The sufferer needed to first obtain a certificate from his local church testifying that his affliction was genuine and that he had not been so treated previously. The list of certificates issued was often kept in the parish chest, as shown below.

Touching for The King’s Evil

Militia Lists and Musters
Militia Lists are lists of eligible men, and Musters are the lists of those who were ballotted to serve, or their substitutes. They turn up in the parish chest and elsewhere.

Records of Other Taxes
St. Margaret Westminster 1856-1873 has a record of the local Public Libraries and Museum Rates.

Relevant Acts of Parliament
Some Ministers would write up the wording, or paste in a printed copy, of recent acts of parliament that affected their callings. An example is in Staplehurst, Kent where a printed copy of ''An Act for repealing the Duties on the registry of Burials, Births, Marriages, and Christenings 34 Geo.III. cap. II [1st March 1794]'', also known as The Stamp Act has been pasted onto a fly leaf of the parish register. Other notices and proclamations of interest to the parish officials, or of especial relevance to the parish are also sometimes found.

Severe Weather
Years of heavy snow, low temperatures (severe frost), hot summers, or droughts, as well as the occasional hurricane can all be found noted in parish chests. Some incumbents seemed to regard their registers as a kind of parish diary for notable events of this kind.

Severe Weather in aldenham, Hertfordshire

Severe Weather in Devon

The researcher will find many more types of records filmed amongst these parish papers, from notes on parish history, population figures for the parish, special census schedules (especially for 1801-1831), poetry and rosters for ladies to provide flowers in the church.

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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online course English: Poor Law and Parish Chest Records offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To learn more about this course or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at [mailto:wiki@genealogicalstudies.com wiki@genealogicalstudies.com]

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