TST: Church Records information for Hethersett and places above it in the hierarchy

Norfolk: Hethersett

Parish Register Extracts

These have been found by the Norfolk transcribers for FreeREG, at the end of the Hethersett St Remigius register of baptisms and burials 1782-1812.

Inoculations in 1795
Part of Mr Wm. Hughes's Will (died May 1803)
Keeping of Registers
Contents of Registers
Duty on Births, Deaths and Marriages

Inoculations in 1795

: In the winter of the year 1795, 195 persons, varying in age from 2 years to 52, were inoculated & not one died.

Part of Mr Wm. Hughes's Will (died May 1803)

A copy of a clause in the will of the late Mr Wm. Hughes.

I give & bequeath to the Minister Churwardens [sic] & Overseers of the Parish of Hetherset for the time being & for ever three hundred pounds 3 per cent Consols Bank annuities to be paid by them to the Schoolmaster of that Parish for ever by two even & equal half yearly payments as interest money arising from the last mentioned sum for & towards the education of six poor children belonging to that Parish only to be chosen by the Minister Churchwardens & Overseers & by the Schoolmaster of that Parish alternately for ever And it is my will & desire that this legacy should be paid & discharged within six calendar months after my wife's decease.
Mr Hughes died May 23rd 1803.

Executrix Mrs Hughes
Revd Charles Sutton
Revd CT Chapman Exe^rs.

This bequest is noted in White's Directory 1845.

Keeping of Registers

: Registers were enjoined by Cromwel 1538.
By Edw^d 6^th 1547 & by Eliz^th 1559. from which time they have been kept with tolerable regularity, & since the abolition of Inquisitiones post mortem by Char^s 2^nd, are the best evidences of family descents.
S^r John Cullum Bart.

Contents of Registers

Calf begins with Bap^ms 1730 'till it
meets Burials 1730 viz 3 Pages.
Burials continue 1½ Pages then Marriages
in 1732 & Bap^ms at foot of same Page
which from thence continue to 1733
Mar^gs at Page 8 to 1733. Burials op: Page to
1733 Then Bap^ms at foot of same Page to
1734. turn over 4 Leaves the Mar^g 1735
Ditto op page mar of 1734, same page
Burials 1734 next Pa Bap^s 1734 to 1736

Then D^r. Berney
Burials 1736
Bap^ms 1736

Old parchm^t 1616 to 1655
Bap^s & Marg^s from 1616 to 1652
Buried from 1616 to 1650

A ragged old parchm^t book contains some Burials & Baptisms
in the year between 1729 & 1730

Duty on Births, Deaths and Marriages

: Feb^ry 16^th 1785 Rec^d for the duty on Births Deaths & Marriages for this Parish from the first of Oct^r 1783 to 1^st Oct^r 1784 the sum of nine shillings
Stepⁿ Child for John Gay Jun^r Collector

Methodist Records

Primitive Methodist - Norwich Circuit - 1832

The Primitive Methodist Church preaching rota was based on Circuits. This document shows who was scheduled to preach where in the Norwich Circuit over the months of April/May/June/July 1832.

Preachers plans available

1832 - this document.
1834

Name Index

The following surnames are contained in the document. The numbers following each are as allocated and indicate where in the table following the preacher was due at a particular day/time. An additional letter is also given where P=Preacher and T=On Trial. One or two names were printed in UPPERCASE letters on the original and this has been preserved here.

Baley (32 P)
Barnes (25 P)
Batley (43 T)
Bowthorpe (34 T)
Branford (18 P)
C. Brown (24 P)
J. Brown (38 T)
S. Buck (41 T)
Bultitude (21 P)
Codman (42 T)
Coleman (9 P)
COWLING (2 P)
Cullem (13 P)

Douglass (33 T)
Farrow (31 P)
E. F. (37 T)
Fisher (37 T)
Fitt (8 P)
M. Fitt (42 T)
Frost (4 P)
E. Fuller (23 P)
S. Fuller (11 P)
Hammond (16 P)
Harcourt (22 P)
Hipperson (19 P)
Howes (10 P)

Huggins (5 P)
E. Jarmey (17 P)
M. Jarmey (30 P)
Jenkinson (3 P)
Johnson (14 P)
Kent (15 P)
Kett (39 T)
Latimer (26 P)
Lenny (44 T)
Livock (43 T)
Middleton (7 P)
Nichols (35 T)
Parish (6 P)

G. R. (36 T)
Royal (44 T)
Rush (20 P)
Scarles (36 T)
Scarlet (27 P)
Seaman (29 P)
E. Smith (40 T)
Staff (28 P)
STEELE (1 P)
Walker (12 P)
G. Y. (35 T)
J.Youngs (45 T)

Notes

G. R. may be G. Rix
E. F. may be E. Frost
G. Y. is unknown at present.

This printed plan contains the following information :-

Primitive Methodist Preachers'

Plan of the Norwich Circuit.

"There remaineth yet much land to be possessed." Joshua xiii. 1.

Take heed what you hear. Mark iv. 24.	Time.	Apr 22	Apr 29	May 6	May 13	May 20	May 27	Jun 3	Jun 10	Jun 17	Jun 24	Jul 1	Jul 8	Jul 15
LAKENHAM CHAPEL Monday after date	10½ 2½ 6½ 7½	1 1 1m	2 27 1g	1 1 2d	1 1l 2t	2 2 1m	1 9 1g	1 1s 2	CM l 2d	1c 1c W	1 12 1m	2 2 2g	1 21 2	1 1s 1d
COULTON * Friday	10½ 2½ 7½	4 2	41	13 1t		32 2	12	25 1	24	9c 2	29	28 1	34	6 2
POSTWICK *	2½ 6½ 6½	3	17	7	10t	30	21	8c			24	40	8	33
HEVINGHAM * Wednesday	10½2½ 7	27	4 1	43	29 2	11	13 1t	CM	38 2	12c	30 1	1	41 2	39
NEWTON ST. FAITH'S Thursday	2½ 6½ 7	27	4 1	41	24 2	23	3 1t	6	18 2	17c	8 1	13 1	30 2	7
BRADESTON * Thursday	10½ 2½ 7	32	5 45	31 p	6	33 1t	16	20c	36	23 1	CM	7 2	14	38
TROWSE * Friday	2½ 6½ 7	43 38	27 2 1	34	15 2t	26	9 1 1	32	2	8c	12 1 1	25	37 2	28
TASBURGH * Tuesday	10½ 2½ 6½ 7	34	15 2	16	23 1t	19	17 2	18	20 1	30c	7 2	21	CM 1	24
SURLINGHAM *	10½ 2½	19	36	28	3t	38	14	15	4 45	18c	27	32	39	42
NEWTON FLOTMAN *	2½	11	15	44	23	27t	17	39	20	34c	7	36		41
ROCKLAND *	10½ 2½	19	36	28	3t	38	14	15	4	18c	27	32	39 45	42
ASHWELLTHORPE *	10½ 2½	29	7	20	12t		24	27	28	3c	35	41	6	31
BEDINGHAM * Thursday	10½ 2½ 6½ 7½	39	14 2	40	33 15	15	6 2t	19	3 1	41c	9 2	22	32 1	CM
SAXLINGHAM STREET *	2½ 6	7		4	35	6	5	16	15	11c	18	23	25	32
LINGWOOD * Wednesday	2½ 6 7	36 1	38	3 45	5	31 1t	35	41 2	39	4c		42 2	11	27 1
TACOLNSTONE	2½	23		18		3		34		32c		44		10
PORINGLAND	6	42	13	19	16	8	15	30	40	25c	20	24	18	21
NEW ROAD Tuesday	9 6½ 7	14	32 1	42	41 2t	40	8 1	26	2	15c	39 1	30	5 1 2	12
PEAFIELD Friday after	7½	1		2		1		2		1		2		1
HIGH STOKE	2½	42	13	19	16	8	15	30	40	25c	20	24	18	21
HETHERSETT * Thursday	10½ 2½ 7	6 MM	8	23	9	16 2t		31 1	14	13c 2	22	38 1	27	30 2
WYMONDHAM * Wednesday	10½ 2½ 7	37	30	11 p	34	18 2t	CM	22 1	33	28c 2	13	16 1	7	23 2
MOULTON * Tuesday	2½ 6 7	31	6	37 MM	11	12 1t	28	3 2	13	16c 1	10	20	22	40 1
FUNDENHALL Tuesday	10½ 2½ 6 7	29 9 MM	44 7	20 21	26 12	CM 2t	39 24	27 14 1	11 28	2c 2c 2	5 35	41 17 1	13 6	31 16 2
UPPER HEIGHAM * Monday	6½ 7	16 2	35	17 1t	4	7 2	18	12 1	43	20c 37	3	26 1	24	25 2
PLUMSTEAD *	2½ 6 6	30	40	33	36	9t	29	24c		CM	6	31	5	26
HEMPNALL * Wednesday	10½ 2½ 7	12 MM	CM 2	5	14 19	4	44 2	17	19 1	22c	15 2	33	26 1	11
BLOFIELD * Tues. Wednes. & Thurs.	6½ 7	32 1 thurs	5 45	31 MM wed.	6	33	16	20 2 thurs	36	23c 1 wed.	28	7 2 tues.	14	38
HEDENHAM	10½ 2½	39	14	40	33	15	6	19	3c	41	9	22	32
TOPER'S SQUARE	6½	17		24		10		42		14		35		9
BUNWELL	2½	22	44	9	26	37	39	29	11	31c	5	6	13	34
COLTISHALL	2½	8	9	22	20	13	27	4	16	29c	33	CM	10	18
LITTLE MELTON	6½	6	21	23	9	16	37	31	14	13c	22	38	27	30
EASTON	2½		41		CM		12		24		29		34
ASHBY	2½	15	24	10	19	17	20	33	41	37c	23	29	31	36
LONG STRATTON	2½	CM	18	26	37	39	19	13	17	21c	31	10	12	5
FORNCETT	10½ 2½	28	29	39	27	34	33	37	21	5c	26	14	23	3
BUNGAY	2½	2	11	CM	22	5	26	28	32	27c	19	39	15	14
FRITTON	2½	26	23	29	28	41	36	11	22	44c	25	5	17	19
BAWBURGH	6½	4	41	13	39	32	12	25	24	9c	29	28	34	6
BARFORD	2 6	24	12	27	21	28	22	5	6c	7	34	4	29	8
It is affectionately requested that the Preachers will attend to their own appointments, the Classes, and be particular in settling the class papers, at the places marked thus *	CAMP MEET -INGS as appoi. above	5 13 18 41 44	1 16 19 28 33 34	2 6 12 14 15 32	2 8 30 39 43	1 14 20 21 29 44	2 4 1 25 31	2 7 9 10 23 35	1 2 &c. &c.	26 33 38 39 40 36	2 21 24 28 45	9 11 12 27 37 43	2 3 4 20 42	1 15 17 20 22 29

References

c - Quarterly Collection
d - Leaders' Meeting
g - Circuit Committee Meeting
m - Local preachers' Meeting
MM - Missionary Meeting
l - lovefeast

p - Prayer Meeting
s - Sacrament
CM - Camp Meeting
t - tickets
W - Watch Night

Missionary Meetings. - FUNDENHALL, Apr 24th, - HEMPNALL, ditto 25th. - HETHERSETT, ditto 26th.-
MOULTON, May 8th. - BLOFIELD, ditto 9th. - ROCKLAND, ditto 10th.
QUARTER_DAY BOARD, June 18th. Preachers' Meeting to begin at Nine o'Clock.

Go, and the Lord be with thee. 1 Sam. xvii. 37.

1832

Preachers.

1 STEELE
2 COWLING
3 Jenkinson
4 Frost
5 Huggins
6 Parish
7 Middleton
8 Fitt

9 Coleman
10 Howes
11 S. Fuller
12 Walker
13 Cullem
14 Johnson
15 Kent
16 Hammond

17 E. Jarmey
18 Branford
19 Hipperson
20 Rush
21 Bultitude
22 Harcourt
23 E. Fuller
24 C. Brown

25 Barnes
26 Latimer
27 Scarlet
28 Staff
29 Seaman
30 M. Jarmey
31 Farrow
32 Baley

On Trial.

33 Douglass
34 Bowthorpe
35 Nichols
35 G. Y.

36 Scarles
36 G. R.
37 Fisher
37 E. F.
38 J. Brown

39 Kett
40 E. Smith
41 S. Buck
42 M. Fitt
42 Codman

43 Livock
43 Batley
44 Royal
44 Lenny
45 J.Youngs

Lakenham Watch Night.

Nos. 2, 40, 4, 45, 15, 44, 28, 34, 32, 30,14, 1.

Fast Day

June 1st, to implore Almighty God in behalf of a revival of true religion.

[End of Circuit Document]

Place names

COULTON refers to the village of Colton.
NEW ROAD is unidentified at present.
PEAFIELD refers to an area of Lakenham just to the south of Queens Road, Norwich.
TACOLNSTONE refers to Tacolneston
TOPER'S SQUARE was situated on the North side of Thorns Lane very near its junction with Ber Street.

Notes

All shorthand contractions in the document have been reproduced as written.

Baptisms, Banns, Marriages and Burials

Family Search: Church of England Parish Registers
Scanned images of the parish registers.
Norfolk Record Office: List of Parish Registers and Transcripts
This lists the NRO's holdings of original registers, Archdeacons' and Bishop's transcripts, published and unpublished transcripts and indexes.
Norfolk FHS: List of Parish Register Transcripts
This lists the transcriptions made by members of the Norfolk FHS of baptisms, banns, marriages and burials.
FreeREG: Baptism, Marriage and Burial Transcriptions
FreeREG is a project to transcribe the baptism, marriage and burial records from parish and non-conformist registers in the UK, and put them online in a free searchable database.
Mid-Norfolk FHS: List of Publications.
The Society of Genealogists holds copies of many Norfolk registers and transcriptions.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has microform copies of many records. These can be viewed in their Family History Libraries worldwide, and are listed in the FamilySearch Catalogue.

Baptisms

Norfolk Baptism Project 1813 to 1880

Baptisms and Marriages

LDS: International Genealogical Index (IGI)
This is quite limited in its coverage of Norfolk records. Apart from the online search above, it may also be seen at libraries and LDS Family History Centers.
To limit searches to particular parishes it is necessary to know the LDS Batch Numbers. See:
- IGI Batch Numbers for Norfolk.
- To identify other batch numbers see Finding LDS Batch Numbers
LDS: BVRI: The British Vital Records Index (Second Edition), on CDROM, contains baptisms and marriages for a few Norfolk parishes. It includes the parishes which were in the First Edition. Most are Church of England records, but there are some Nonconformist records. The parishes are:
Aylmerton, Barningham Northwood, Brandiston, Crownthorpe, Dunston, Hemblington, Hemsby, Houghton-in-the-Hole (ie Houghton St Giles), Lakenham, Lammas (ie Buxton Lammas), Langford, Norwich (St Martin at Oak, St Peter Mountergate), Riddlesworth and Gasthorpe, Roydon near Diss, Runton, Sprowston, Sprowston and Beeston, Stanford, Stoke Holy Cross, Tofts West, Walsingham Great, Welney, and Great Yarmouth (St Andrew, St Nicholas, St Peter).
See BVRI Norfolk Parishes: Births and Christenings
and BVRI Norfolk Parishes: Marriages
for full details, including the dates covered.

Marriage Licence Bonds

Norfolk Family History Society
Norfolk Peculiar Jurisdictions. Index to Probate Records 1416-1857, and Index of Marriage Licence Bonds 1624-1860.
[Norwich, Norfolk and Norwich Genealogical Society, Norfolk Genealogy volume 16, 1984]
Norfolk Family History Society
Norfolk Archdeaconry Marriage Licence Bonds 1780-1812 (held at the Norfolk Record Office).
[Norwich, Norfolk Family History Society, CD, 2009]
Norfolk Family History Society
Norfolk Archdeaconry Marriage Licence Bonds 1813-1837 (held at the Norfolk Record Office).
[Norwich, Norfolk and Norwich Genealogical Society, Norfolk Genealogy volume 25, 1993]
Norfolk Family History Society
Norwich Archdeaconry Marriage Licence Bonds 1813-1837 (held at the Norfolk Record Office).
[Norwich, Norfolk and Norwich Genealogical Society, Norfolk Genealogy volume 23, 1991]

Marriages

Boyd's Marriage Index: 1538-1837
- This is an index to English marriages that was created by Percival Boyd. It contains marriages in 275 Norfolk parishes (about 40% of the total), from parish registers, marriage licences and Bishop's Transcripts. The dates covered are from 1538 to 1837, though these vary for each parish depending on the availability and survival of records.
- The index contains the surname and forename of the bride and groom, the year and the parish, and may be abbreviated. It is always necessary to check the original entry.
- There is an online list of Norfolk parishes and the years covered. This is a link to an archived copy.
- There is a published list of parishes and the years covered in:
  List of Parishes in Boyd's Marriage Index.
  [Society of Genealogists, 1994]
- The Index is available on microform at libraries, record offices and LDS centres, and on Findmypast on a pay-to-view basis.
Phillimore's Marriage Registers: 1538-1837
- Norfolk Parishes in Phillimore's Marriage Registers.
Norfolk FHS Marriage Index: 1801-1837
- The Norfolk Marriage Index CD for 1801 to 1837 (this is a link to an archived copy) includes marriages from the 705 Norfolk parishes having relevant records, plus 25 Suffolk parishes mostly in the area around Lowestoft.

Burials

The National Burial Index (NBI) has been published on CDROM by the Federation of Family History Societies. There are about 176,000 Norfolk entries, mainly for the parishes around East Dereham, contributed by the Mid-Norfolk FHS. See the list of Parishes and Dates.
Mid-Norfolk FHS: Burial Index
This is part of the National Burial Index Project. It contains entries taken from the Parish Burial Registers for the parishes within a 10 mile radius of East Dereham. The Mid-Norfolk FHS will undertake searches (for a fee).
Ashmolean Brass Rubbings Collection.
Rubbings of Monumental Brasses in Norfolk parishes.
Dates are from 1347 to 1654 (with one of 1737) but mainly 15th and 16th centuries. There are very few surnames given.

Norfolk Church Records -

Phillimore's Marriage Registers

"Phillimore's Marriage Registers" is a series of books published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Phillimore and Co. The books themselves are usually only found in libraries, but they are now available on CD and some are online. They exist for about 30 counties and there are 12 volumes for Norfolk, covering 127 parishes, which is about 17% of the total. The dates for each parish depend on the surviving registers, and there may be gaps.

Volumes 4, 5 and 7 are online - see below.

The volumes contain transcriptions of marriage registers for several parishes, with each entry being in a standard form, for example (using fictitious people):

John Smith & Mary Mason ... 19 Aug 1703

As with any transcription, it is advisable to check the original parish register, where there may also be additional information.

There is an index to Phillimore's Marriage Registers, but it is not a surname index. Instead it shows in which volumes a parish appears. This covers all the counties for which volumes were published, not only Norfolk.

Bryant Rosier, M.E. (compiler): Index to Parishes in Phillimore's Marriages.
[ISBN 095114653X, Huntingdon, Family Tree Magazine, 1988]

The volumes for Norfolk are shown below. Note that although some volumes contain parishes grouped together by location, others do not. For example, volume 1 contains parishes which are far apart, such as Acle and Narborough. Some parishes may appear in more than one volume, such as Castle Acre, or twice in one volume, such as Oby.

Volume 1: Acle (1664-1812), Braydeston (1623-1812), Brundall (1563-1812), Burlingham St Andrew (1540-1812), Burlingham St Peter (1560-1812), Calthorpe (1558-1812), Castle Acre (1710-1812, see also vol.5), Hemblington (1564-1812), Ingworth (1559-1812), Langley (1695-1812), East Lexham (1541-1812), Narborough (1558-1812), Southacre (1576-1812), Strumpshaw (1562-1812), Upton (1558-1812), Witton by Blofield (1582-1812).
[Phillimore and Co., 1899]
Volume 2: Babingley (1662-1812), Bawsey (1539-1771, see also vol.10), Chedgrave (1550-1812), Great Dunham (1538-1812), Heacham (1558-1812), Holkham (1542-1812), Litcham (1555-1812, see also vol.10), Narford (1559-1812), Sandringham (1561-1812), Snettisham (1682-1812), Wolverton (1653-1812).
[Phillimore and Co., 1900]
Volume 3: West Beckham (1689-1836), Booton (1560-1812), Great Cressingham (1557-1812), Horstead (1558-1812), Langham (1695-1812), Mundesley (1724-1812), Norwich St. Mary Coslany (1557-1812), Ranworth (1559-1812), Woodbastwick with Panxworth (1561-1813).
[Phillimore and Co., 1907]
Volume 4: Barton Turf (1558-1812), Bedingham (1561-1812), Burnham Sutton with Burnham Ulph (1653-1837), Carleton Rode (1560-1812), Gresham (1690-1812), Hedenham (1559-1812), Hickling (1657-1812), Weeting (1558-1812).
[Phillimore and Co., 1909]
Volume 5: Castle Acre (1600-1707, see also vol.1), Cringleford (1561-1837), Ditchingham (1559-1812), Fring (1700-1812), Holme next the Sea (1705-1812), Holme Hale (1539-1837), Mautby (1663-1834), West Newton (1561-1837), Runham (1538-1812), Stokesby with Herringby (1560-1812), Thrigby (1539-1812), Thwaite St. Mary (1539-1837), Topcroft (1557-1813), Woodton (1538-1812).
[Phillimore and Co., 1910]
Volume 6: East Barsham (1658-1837), North Barsham (1557-1837), West Barsham (1813-1837), Fakenham (1719-1837), Sculthorpe (1561-1837), Great Snoring (1560-1837), Little Snoring (1559-1837), Tatterford (1561-1837), Tattersett (1755-1837), Thursford (1692-1837), Toftrees (1754-1837).
[Phillimore and Co., 1912]
Volume 7: Billockby (1561-1748), Burgh St. Margaret (1813-1837), Caister-on-Sea (1563-1837), Filby (1561-1837), Hemsby (1556-1837), Oby (1563-1718), Ormesby St. Margaret (1601-1837), Ormesby St. Michael (1591-1837), West Somerton (1737-1837), Thurne with Oby and Ashby (1559-1837), Winterton with East Somerton (1747-1837).
[Phillimore and Co., 1912]
Volume 8: South Creake (1550-1837), Dunton-cum-Doughton (1784-1837), Helhoughton (1539-1837), Horningtoft (1539-1837), Little Massingham (1559-1837), East Rudham (1562-1837, with protestation roll for 1641/2), West Rudham (1565-1837), Shereford (1722-1837), Syderstone (1585-1837), Waterden (1743-1812), Whissonsett (1700-1837).
[Phillimore and Co., 1914]
Volume 9: Castle Rising (1573-1837), Congham (1581-1837), Flitcham (1755-1837), Gaywood (1653-1837), Grimston (1552-1837), Hillington (1695-1837), Roydon (1721-1837), North Wootton (1655-1837), South Wootton (1556-1837).
[Phillimore and Co., 1914]
Volume 10: Ashwicken with Leziate (1717-1837), Bawsey (corrections, see also vol.2), West Bilney (1562-1837), Gayton (1702-1837), Gayton Thorpe (1575-1837), Litcham (corrections, see also vol.2), Great Massingham (1564-1837), Middleton (1560-1839), Pentney (1731-1837), East Walton (1560-1837), Westacre (1665-1837), East Winch (1690-1837).
[Phillimore and Co., 1916]
Volume 11: East Rainham (1601-1837), South Rainham (1601-1837), West Rainham (1538-1764), North Runcton (1563-1837), Swaffham (1559-1837).
[Phillimore and Co., 1926]
Volume 12: Anmer (1600-1837), Bagthorpe (1562-1837), Bircham Newton (1562-1837), Bircham St. Mary (1669-1837), Bircham Tofts (1698-1837), Dersingham (1653-1837), Docking with Southmere (1558-1837), Ingoldisthorpe (1754-1837), Sedgeford (1560-1837), Shernborne (1755-1838), Stanhoe with Barwick (1567-1837).
[Phillimore and Co., 1936]

Parish Accounts

This is a brief overview of the main Parish Accounts to be found covering the period 1597-1837. For more information see the reference section.

There are a number of parish records which (where they have survived) can help to show the social structure and administrative organisation of each parish. The records which are described here are those from 1597 which taxed the occupiers and then the money was generally spent in the parish. The following refer mostly to the period up to 1837 although some continued unaltered until well beyond this date.

Parishes elected officials including the posts of Churchwarden, Overseer, Constable and Surveyor who had the task of collecting, spending and then getting their accounts accepted. For information about the duties of these officials see the descriptions at the National Archives.

These records include :-

Churchwardens' accounts.

The earliest appear in the 1650s.
Income came from rents for church lands (if any) and rates levied on occupiers of property.
Disbursements (or payments) were generally spent on church maintenance. There are a lot of very common entries which appear many times. These include :- Bread, Wine, Broom, Candle and Oil purchases, Surplice washing and mending, payments Clerks and ringers etc.
From one to four people were appointed to this post depending on the size of the parish (see Notes). Two separate sets of accounts have occasionally been seen where 2 churchwardens have been appointed.
What information can one find in these records?
- Some describe the property occupied eg. The Hall, Heath Farm, Public House, Lime Kiln and whether it was owned by the occupier.
- Some describe trades eg. Blacksmith, Carpenter, Glazier, Mason, Plumber, Thatcher or Stone Mason and may name people.
- Description and prices of materials and their source and transport.
- Some also list the previous occupiers names.
- List of the principal inhabitants who often signed the book when the churchwardens were picked.
- Schooling for the local children.
Briefs (which were issued by royal mandate) to raise money for disasters and other events appear occasionally in the records. These were read out in church and a collection made in the church (and sometimes later in the parish) for the good cause. Some examples of these are Redemption of Turkish slaves for 1670, Loss by Fire at Great Massingham and Relief of Protestants in the Principality of Orange both in 1703.

Overseers' accounts.

These officials raised money to relieve the poor who were settled in the parish.

The earliest appear in 1597-8.
Income came mostly from rates levied on occupiers of property and sometimes from charities.
Disbursements (or payments) were spent on maintaining their poor who lived in (and outside via out relief) the parish.
Some other occasional rates were amalgamated with them in 1738-9.
From one to two people were appointed to this post depending on the size of the parish (see Notes).
What information can one find in these records?
- Some describe the property occupied eg. Bury Hall, Lower Farm, Mill, Brick Kiln and whether it was owned by the occupier.
- Some describe trades eg. Cloth Seller, Doctor, Shoemaker, Tailor.
- Description of materials and their source and transport.
- Bastardy, Examinations, Removal Orders and Settlement cases.
- Military service substitutes.
- Payments (including many weekly ones) to the needy. Help was given with things such as apprenticeship (eg. Poor children of Horstead being placed in trades), childbirth, clothing, fuel, illness and burial costs.
- Work done on the local Town House.
- Payments to Houses of Industry.
- Subscriptions to Hospitals.

Surveyors' (also called Waywardens') accounts.

The earliest appear in the 1650s.
Income came from rates levied on occupiers of property and in some places from rents of clay, gravel, sand and water pits eg. Acle Surveyors Payments for 1828.
Disbursements (or payments) were spent on highway maintenance.
What information can one find in these records?
- Some describe trades eg. Labourer, Painter, Publican.
- Description of materials and their source and transport.
- Dates when roads/bridges/signs were built/repaired and when drains were laid, cut or cleared.
- Some describe the weather conditions eg. clearing the snow.
- Payments for toll roads or turnpikes.

Constables' accounts.

The earliest appear in the 1660s.
Income came from rates levied on occupiers of property.
Disbursements (or payments) were spent on maintaining law and order.

Notes

The dates that often appear in the accounts are the Quarter Days. These days were traditionally used to divide the year for legal, financial (as in rents) and leases. They are :-
Date Quarter Day
25 March Lady Day
24 June Midsummer Day
29 September Michaelmas
25 December Christmas Day
Easter (First Sunday after the calendar full moon falling on or next after 21 March) is seen very frequently as the time when parish officials are appointed and accounts ran from and to.
Rates were levied on occupiers who might live inside or outside (also known as Out Sitters/Out Setters/Outtownsmen or similar) the parish. Occasionally against some of the "Out Sitters" names is given their places of residence eg. Starston Overseers Rate for 1801.
Another heading seen is Quartermen eg. in the Worstead churchwardens' accounts.
Owners are generally not shown in Norfolk accounts until some start in the 1800s Surveyors records. They can be found in the Land Tax assessments for parishes.
In some small parishes some of the above posts were combined.
Women occasionally held these posts.
A few "Valuation surveys" which show the rents on which the rates would be calculated survive. An example for 1761 of one of these surveys can be found in Starston.
Other events sometimes find their way into these accounts such as:-
- Beating the Parish Bounds eg. Starston in 1801.
Sometimes an official was appointed who could not write and the accounts were written up by someone else.

Date	Quarter Day
25 March	Lady Day
24 June	Midsummer Day
29 September	Michaelmas
25 December	Christmas Day

References

Cannan, Edwin.: History of Local rates in England
[1927]
Tate, W. E.: The Parish Chest
[ISBN:0 85033 507 8, Cambridge University Press, 3rd ed. 1983]

See also Church Records

These pages are for personal use only. They may not be copied, and the links within them may not be harvested for use on your own web pages. Please see the Copyright Notice.

England:- Church Records

The Open Library has made Charles Cox's 1910 publication The parish registers of England available online.
FamilySearch has a useful page about Marriage Allegations, Bonds and Licences in England and Wales.
The L.D.S. (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) have now provided online search facilities for the I.G.I. (International Genealogical Index). As well as the general search facility, there is also a Custom Search page allowing more refined searches. Hugh Wallis has provided a search facility which greatly simplifies searching by batch number. See also Finding L.D.S. Batch Numbers.
The FreeREG Project provides free Internet searches of baptism, marriage, and burial records, which have been transcribed from English and Welsh parish and non-conformist church registers.
The largest single collection of Parish Register copies and transcripts is at the Society of Genealogists, and these searched for in the (online) catalogue of the library of the Society of Genealogists.
The contents of missing Parish Registers can often be obtained by finding the copies that since 1598 have had to be made annually and sent to the bishop, i.e the Bishop's Transcripts. The standard source for locating such copies is: J.S.W. Gibson, Bishops' Transcripts and Marriage Licences, Bonds and Allegations. (FFHS Publications).
Tithe payments, used to support the clergy, are fully explained on this National Archives page - Tithe Records.
G. Jaunay. A Parish Finder for England, published by Adelaide Proformat: South Plympton, Australia (2000) 468 p. Includes Ordnance Survey references for all English parishes, both ancient and modern, their diocese, deanery and county as at 1974, their date of creation and dedication, indicating for modern parishes the ancient parish(es) from which they were created, etc.
The Clergy of the Church of England Database (CCEd) is a collaborative project to create a relational database documenting the careers of all Church of England clergymen between 1540 and 1835.
Stan Mapstone once put online the list, as certified to the Registrar-General, of Denominations in England and Wales in 1867. Unfortunately these disappeared the closure of AOL's hometown pages, if anyone finds them online at another URL, please let me know using the report link below

Registers - Parishes A-D

Parish	Dedication	Year	Order Ref
Abram	St John the Evangelist	Bap, Mar, Bur 1838 -1841	CD178 Vol178
Accrington	St James	Bap 1745-1842, Mar & Bur 1743-1812	Vol197
Aldingham	St Cuthbert	Bap 1561-1694, Mar 1540-1694 & Bur 1554-1695	CD30
Aldingham	St Cuthbert	Bap. & Bur 1695-1756 Mar 1695-1754	CDM10
Altcar	St Michael	Bap. & Bur 1663-1810 Mar 1664-1812	CDM9
Altham	St James	Bap, Mar & Bur 1596-1695	CD36
Ashton-in-Makerfield	St Thomas	Bap 1698-1755 Mar 1700-1753	CDM3
		Bap 1756-1809 Bur 1746-1805	CDM14
		Bap 1810-1827 Bur 1806-1844	CD141 Vol141
		Bap 1828-1873	CD142 Vol142
Ashton-under-Lyne	St Michael & All Angels	Bap & Mar 1594-1720 Bur 1596-1720	CD65
		Bap Mar Bur 1720 1760	CD191 Vol191
		Bap Mar Bur 1761-1785	CD193 Vol193
	St Peter	Bap 1824-1837 Bur 1825-1837	CD129
Aughton	St Michael	Bap, Mar & Bur 1541-1764	CD81
Bacup	St John the Evangelist	Bap, Mar & Bur 1788-1812	CDNC5
Balderstone	St Leonard	Bap Mar Bur 1751-1841	CD194 Vol194
Bentham	St John the Baptist	Bap 1673-1812, Mar 1668-1812 & Bur 1666-1812	CD69
Billinge	St Aidan	Bap 1696-1812, Mar 1699-1810 & Bur 1699-1812	CD123
Billinge	St Aidan	Bap, Mar Bur 1813-1841	CD190 Vol190
Birch in Rusholme	St James	Bap & Bur 1752-1837	CDNC6
Bispham	All Hallows	Bap 1599-1754, Mar 1631-1754 & Bur 1631-1753	CD33
Blackburn	St Mary the Virgin	Bap, Mar & Bur 1600-1653	CD41
Blackburn	St Mary the Virgin	Bap, Mar & Bur 1653-1680	CD93
Blackley	St Peter	Mar 1668-1752, Bap & Bur 1655-1753	CD39
Blackley	St Peter	Bap & Bur 1754-1783	CD129
Blackrod	St Katharine	Bap 1606-1701, Mar 1613-1700, Bur 1607-1701	CD36
Blackrod	St Katharine	Bap, Mar & Bur 1701-1837	CD160 Vol160
Blawith	St John the Baptist	Bap 1728-1837 Mar & Bur 1730-1837	CD94
Bolton-le-Moors	St Peter	Bap 1573-4. 1590-1660, Mar 1573, 1587-1660, Bur 1573-4, 1587-1660	CD50
Bolton-le-Sands	St Michael	Bap & Bur 1655-1736, Mar 1653-1736	CD42
Brindle	St James	Bap, Mar & Bur 1558-1714	CD11
Broughton, near Preston	St John the Baptist	Bap 1653-1804, Mar 1653-1759, Bur 1653-1803	CD48
Broughton-in-Furness	St Mary Magdalene	Bap 1634-1812 Mar & Bur 1662-1812	CD90
Broughton-in-Furness	St Mary Magdalene	Bap, Mar, & Bur 1634-1720 and 1813-1837	CD185 Vol185
Burnley	St Peter	Bap, Mar & Bur 1562-1653	CD2
Burnley	St Peter	Bap, Mar & Bur 1653-1690	CD151 Vol151
Burtonwood	St Michael	Bap 1668-1837 Mar 1683-1730 Bur 1697-1837	CD84
Bury	St Mary the Virgin	Bap 1590-1616 Mar & Bur 1591-1616	CD1
		Bap, Mar & Bur 1617-1646	CD10
		Bap, Mar & Bur 1647-1698	CD24
Cartmel	St Mary the Virgin Priory Chapel	Bap 1559-1661, Mar 1559-1660 & Bur 1559-1659	CD28
		Bap, Mar & Bur 1660-1723	CD96
		Bap 1724-1772, Mar 1724-1790 & Bur 1724-1771	CDM4
Caton	St Paul	Bap 1585-1717 Mar 1586-1718 Bur 1585-1718	CD59
Childwall	All Saints	Bap, Mar & Bur 1557-1680	CD106
Childwall	All Saints	Bap, Mar & Bur 1681-1753	CD122
Chipping	St Bartholomew	Bap 1559-1693, Mar 1599-1692 & Bur 1599-1694	CD14
Chorley	St Lawrence	Bap, Mar & Bur 1548-1653	CD38
Chorley	St Lawrence	Bap & Bur 1653-1708 Mar 1654-1708	CD129
Chorlton cum Hardy	St Clement	Bap 1639, 1737-1837, Mar 1737-1751, Bur 1753-1837	CD124
Church Kirk	St James	Bap & Bur 1600-1746 Mar 1600-1747	CD102
		Bap, Mar, Bur 1747 – 1812	CD187 Vol187
		Bap, Mar & Bur 1813-1851	Vol198
Claughton	St Chad	Bap, Mar & Bur 1701-1812	CD59
Claughton	St Chad	Bap, Mar & Bur 1813-1901	CD176 Vol176
Clitheroe	St Mary Magdalene	Bap 1570-1725, Mar 1570-1727 & Bur 1570-1724	CD144 Vol144
Cockerham	St Michael	Bap 1595-1658, Mar & Bur 1595-1657	CD21
Colne	St Bartholomew	Bap 1599-1653, Mar 1599-1644 & Bur 1599-1650	CD17
Colton	Holy Trinity	Bap, Mar & Bur 1623-1812	CDM23
Colton	Holy Trinity	Bap, Mar & Bur 1813-1842	CD133 Vol133
Coniston	St Andrew	Bap 1599-1700, Mar 1604-1700 & Bur 1600-1700	CD30
Copp Chapel	St Anne	Mar 1737, Bap 1728-1837	CD143 Vol143
Coppull	chapel	Bap 1757-1842	CDM26
Croft with Southworth	Christ Church	Bap 1833-1841 Bur 1834-1841	CDM8
Crosby	St Luke	Bap 1749-1837	CD130
Croston	St Michael	Bap 1543-1727, Mar 1538-1685, Bur 1538-1684	CD6
Croston	St Michael	Mar & Bur 1690-1727	CD20
Dalton-in-Furness	St Mary	Bap, Mar & Bur 1565-1620	CD100
		Bap, Mar & Bur 1621-1691	CD104
		Bap, Mar & Bur 1692-1812	CD177 Vol177
		Bap Mar & Bur 1813-1837	CD185 Vol185
Darwen	St James	Bap 1723-59, Mar 1731-53, Bur 1728-59	CD171 Vol171
Deane	St Mary	Bap & Marr 1604-1750	CD53
		Bur 1604-1750	CD54
		Index 1604-1812 Bap, Mar & Bur 1751-1812	CD79
Denton	St Lawrence, originally St James	Bap 1695-1757, Mar 1698-1754, Bur 1695-1756	CD47
Didsbury	St James	Bap 1561-1711, Mar 1561-1712 & Bur 1562-1653	CD8/9
		Bap 1710-1757, Mar 1710-1751 & Bur 1654-1757	CD8/9
		(Index from 1561)	CD8/9
Downham	St Leonard	Bap, Mar & Bur 1606-1837	CD118

To order CDs, click the Order Reference number.

Finding L.D.S. Batch Numbers

Batch numbers are used to identify the sources of records included on the I.G.I. (International Genealogical Index). Now that the L.D.S. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) have provided online search facilities to this unparalleled resource, but without as yet providing means of limiting name searches to particular localities, batch numbers have become a valuable search aid because they can be used on the >Custom Search page to restrict searches to a particular parish. Unfortunately the L.D.S. have not provided an online index to batch numbers, and unofficial listings, while useful, are very far from complete and are not completely accurate. However, by following the steps below, it is possible to use the existing L.D.S. place search facility to determine batch numbers yourself:-

Please note: batch numbers for entries extracted from Scottish Civil Registration records (1855-1875) do not appear to be available online.

1	Go to the L.D.S. Place Search page.	You can also reach this page from the initial search page at http://www.familysearch.org - just select the "Custom" tab, then the "Family History Catalogue" link, and finally select "Place Search".
2	Enter the name of the parish or place in the Place Textbox and press the Search Button (or hit "Enter" on your keyboard").	You can limit the place search to a county or country by completing the optional "Part of" text box , but it is much safer to leave this blank and select from the resulting matches (step 3).
3	Select the appropriate location from the displayed list of place-name matches.	A "No Match" does not necessarily mean that the place or parish you are seeking is not included on the I.G.I. The indexes are apparently listed under "old" parish names only, and there are many places (e.g. villages and hamlets, which are not parishes and there are many parishes which are too modern to be included. In both cases indexes for your place/parish may well be included as a "title" within an "old" parish entry. For "places" you need to find which "old" parish included that place, and for modern parishes you need to identify its "mother parish". (Many GENUKI county pages now include gazetteers and/or church/parish indexes which may help identify the appropriate parish name to use.)
4	Select "... - Church Records -Indexes" from the list of available topics.	If this topic does not appear then unfortunately the parish is not included on the I.G.I. Please Note - the topic must be "Church Records - Indexes", NOT "Church Records".
5	Select the appropriate "Computer Printout" from the list of displayed titles.	The list of displayed titles may include non-conformist churches located within the parish and also "daughter" parishes of the parish you originally specified. Where no denomination is given, the church may be assumed to belong to the Church of England/Church of Scotland. The term "Computer Printout" seems rather inappropriate as it does not refer to a hard-copy, but to a set of electronic records in the L.D.S. database.
6	Note the Batch Numbers (in the first row of the "Notes" section).	If the term "Batch Number" does not appear, the selected records are not included on the I.G.I.
7	Produce a series of six digit numbers by combining each five digit number with each of the digits which follow the hyphen.	For example, 15565-1,2 would give you 155651 and 155652.
8	Where prefix letter(s) is/are specified, prefix each 6-digit number with those letters. The resulting "letter + 6-digit" strings are the batch numbers for the desired records. Otherwise, if no prefix is given, prefix each 6-digit number with M or E (for marriages), or P, C, I or J (for christenings). The resulting strings are potential batch numbers for the records in question and one or more of them will be valid.	In cases where the prefix is not specified, this step can only be a matter of trial and error - prefixes C, P and M are the most common prefixes and should be tried first, but E, I and J do occur quite regularly. Putative batch numbers can often be verified by making test searches using a very common surname. (Other prefix letters do exist but these relate to material submitted by L.D.S. members rather than to records resulting from the Church's record extraction programme.)

Search a batch at FamilySearch

Church

Records

Surname (optional) : Search in FamilySearch

PopulateBatchField();

UK and Ireland: Church Records

General

Find a Church - a Directory of Christian Churches in the UK and Ireland, providing basic location and contact information, details of services, etc.
Free searches of parish and nonconformist registers are provided by FreeReg.
FamilySearch's page on IGI Batch Numbers for the British Isles and North America
Hugh Wallis provides a batch number search facility, which greatly simplifies the task of searching the I.G.I. for records from particular churches (useful, for example, in case of strangely-spelled names). A further batch number site is provided by Archer Software.
The LDS also supply additional church baptism and marriage records on their British Vital Records Index (2nd Edition) CD. A breakdown of the number of records included on the BVRI from each county and parish is provided on the Genoots website.(archived copy)
Glossary of terms related to church records, by Martyn Parsons.
The Official Non-Parochial BMD Records Service - a free index search facility for various unpublished registries from 1534 to 1865, from National Archives Refrences RG4 and RG5, with a pay-per-view access to the original records.
The National Archives provides a Research Guide on Nonconformists - advice on TNA's holdings

Lyon-Turner, G. Original Records of Early Nonconformity Under Persecution and Indulgence - 3 vols. T. Fisher Unwin, London (1911) [Online copies: Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3]

Anglican

Two major marriage licence indexing projects: the Faculty Office Marriage Licence Index (of licences issued by the Master of Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the period 1714 to 1850), and the Vicar-General Marriage Licence Index (of licences issued by the Vicar-General of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the period 1701 to 1850 undertaken by the SoG are now on www.findmypast.co.uk.

Free searches of parish registers are provided by FamilySearch.
Commercial register search sites include Ancestry, TheGenealogist, and www.findmypast.co.uk.
An article on clandestine marriages - by Jennifer M. Payne.

M.W. Foster. "A Comedy of Errors" or "The Marriage Records of England and Wales, 1837-1899", 19 Khouri Avenue, Wellington 6005, New Zealand, (1998) 223 p. [ISBN 0 473 05581 3]

Baptist

The Baptist Historical Society - general information.
The Catholic Archive Society website provides information about the Society and a full Catalogue of its publications.
The Catholic Central Library has moved to Durham University library.
Catholic Heritage - website of a project to provide a centralised access point to an online collection of Archive and Library catalogues within the Catholic Church

Breed, Geoffrey. My Ancestors were Baptists (4th ed.). Society of Genealogists (2002) 135 pp. [ISBN: 1903462525]
[". . . a history of the church plus valuable information on what records can be obtained. A complete listing of all Baptist churches and dates by county and appendices showing for instance the important collection in Dr Williams Library.."]

Congregationalists

Surnam Index Online - a biographical index to the names of 32,000 Congregational Ministers from the mid-seventeenth century to 1972, with "where known, their dates, details of their education, ministries or other employment", provided by the Queen Mary Centre for Religion and Literature in English.

Clifford, David J.H. My ancestors were Congregationalists in England and Wales: how can I find out more about them?, Society of Genealogists (1997) 77 pp. [ISBN: 0946789460]
["Following a useful introduction this book comprises a location list by county of Independent and Congregationalist registers to 1850. Many exist outside the Public Record Office. Details of chapels where no registers have been located are also included."]

Huguenot

Randolph Vigne. Huguenot Family Research Made Easier, Genealogist's Magazine 27, 10 (June 2003) pp. 447-449.

Inghamites

Oates, P.J. My Ancestors Were Inghamites, Society of Genealogists (2003) 149 pp. [ISBN 1 903462 77 0]
["Includes a brief history of the Inghamites, sections on chapels and their records, index of people referred to in the conference books of the Inghamites Societies, various baptism and lists of members."]

Jewish

Joseph, Austen. My Ancestors were Jewish (3rd ed.), Society of Genealogists (2002) 60 pp. [ISBN: 1903462630]
["Covers the emancipation of Jews in Europe, marriage, death and burials, census, secular records, surname information, information on repositories, internet and more."]

Methodist

The Methodist Archives and Research Centre is located at John Rylands University Library of Manchester, and provides the page Researching Methodist History.
Information about Wesleyan Methodist ministers 1847-9 supplied by Bob Bester.

Leary, William. My Ancestors were Methodists (3rd ed.), Society of Genealogists (1997) 116 pp. [ISBN: 1859514030]
["The main text [of this 3rd edition] has not changed but the appendixes detailing holdings in the SoG have been revised and updated thoroughly. The book explains the records of Methodism and what to expect from these records."]

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Church Records information for Hethersett and places above it in the hierarchy

Hethersett

Parish Register Extracts

Inoculations in 1795

Part of Mr Wm. Hughes's Will (died May 1803)

Keeping of Registers

Contents of Registers

Duty on Births, Deaths and Marriages

Norfolk

Methodist Records

Primitive Methodist - Norwich Circuit - 1832

Preachers plans available

Name Index

Primitive Methodist Preachers'

Plan of the Norwich Circuit.

References

1832

Preachers.

On Trial.

Lakenham Watch Night.

Fast Day

Place names

Notes

Baptisms, Banns, Marriages and Burials

Baptisms

Baptisms and Marriages

Marriage Licence Bonds

Marriages

Burials

Parish Accounts

Churchwardens' accounts.

Overseers' accounts.

Surveyors' (also called Waywardens') accounts.

Constables' accounts.

Notes

References

England

UK and Ireland

Church

Records

General

Anglican

Baptist

Congregationalists

Huguenot

Inghamites

Jewish

Methodist