,,how ,,to ,,write    ,,the ,,history   
,,of ,a ,,parish4            ,,how ,,to 
,,write    ,,the ,,history ,,of ,a      
,,parish4      ,,by    ,j4 ,,charles    
,,cox1      ,,author ,,of 8,,notes ,,on 
,,the ,,churches ,,of ,,derbyshire10    
,,etc4      8,every man's concern with  
the place where he lives1 has something 
more in it than the mere amount of rates
 and taxes that he    has to            
pay40--,toulmin ,smith4      ,,london3  
,,bemrose  ,,sons1 #aj1 ,,paternoster   
,,buildings2    ,,and ,,derby4    #ahgi4
          ,,entered ,,at ,,stationers'  
,,hall4              ,,to ,,the         
,,rev4 ,,thomas ,,preston ,,nowell      
,,baxter1 ,m4,a41    7,,late ,,fellow   
,,of ,,st4 ,,catharine',s ,,coll41      
,,cambridge47    ,,rector ,,of          
,,hawerby1 ,,and ,,rural ,,dean1        
,,who ,,first ,,suggested    ,,the      
,,writing ,,of ,,this ,,little          
,,hand-,,book1    ,,these ,,pages       
,,are ,,respectfully ,,dedicated4       
,illustration          ,illustration    

,,preface4      ,some of the ,clergy of 
the ,diocese of ,lincoln are responsible
 for the  issue of this booklet4 ,a     
much-needed county history of           
,lincolnshire is  now being projected1  
upon the basis of separate parochial    
histories4  ,a circular put forth in one
 of the rural deaneries was good enough 
to  refer in laudatory terms to the     
introduction to the first volume of  my 
,notes on the ,churches of ,derbyshire4 
,this led to my being asked  to         
re-publish that introduction2 but it    
applied so peculiarly to  ,derbyshire   
that ,i felt it would be of small avail 
to those outside the  county4 ,hence ,i 
decided to put together some hints that 
might prove a  help to those who may be 
desirous of undertaking parochial       
history in  any part of the kingdom1    
whether manorial1 ecclesiastical1 or    
both4 ,in  the first part of these pages
 ,i am indebted to ,thomas's 8,handbook 
to  the ,public ,records10 and more     
especially to ,sims's invaluable        

8,manual  for the ,topographer and      
,genealogist20 but ,i have not referred 
to any  class of documents with which ,i
 am not in some measure personally      
conversant4    ,those who have been     
engaged in any literary work are well   
aware how  large a portion of time is   
often spent in merely learning the      
titles  and somewhat of the contents of 
those books that treat of the different 
branches of the subject selected4       
,various books connected with  parochial
 history1 especially those that have    
been proved by experience  to be the    
best hand-books1 are therefore mentioned
 in these pages to  facilitate          
reference4 ,space only has prevented me 
from considerably  adding both to their 
number and description1 but any further 
knowledge  that ,i may have gleaned on  
topographical literature is heartily at 
the  disposal of any worker who may     
privately apply to me4    ,i shall be   
grateful for any correction of errors1  
or for any suggestion  as to            

deficiencies4    ,illustration          
,illustration          ,illustration    
,,abbreviations4      ,p4,r4,o4--,for   
the ,public ,record ,office4 ,almost the
 whole of our national  records1 which  
were until recently in upwards of       
half-a-dozen different  buildings1 are  
now under one roof in ,fetter ,lane1    
,fleet ,street4 ,all  documents         
mentioned in the following pages must be
 understood to be at  the ,public       
,record ,office1 unless it is otherwise 
stated4 ,several of  the earlier folio  
publications of the ,record             
,commissioners1 to which  reference is  
herein made1 are out of print1 but they 
are to be found in  most of our public  
libraries4    ,b4 ,m4--,for the ,library
 of the ,british ,museum4    ,b4--,for  
the ,bodleian ,library1 ,oxford4        
,c4--,for the ,university ,library1     
,cambridge4    ,illustration            
,illustration    ,,how ,,to ,,write     
,,the ,,history ,,of ,a ,,parish4       
,etymology4      ,not only should the   

etymology of the name of the parish be  
carefully  considered1 and its various  
forms of spelling be collected1 from    
,domesday ,book downwards1 but a list   
should be made of the whole of the      
names of the physical features1 such as 
hills1 streams1 and lanes1 and          
especially of the field-names4          
,field-names--which will often establish
  the sites of disused chapels or       
manor-houses1 of ,celtic burials or     
,roman roads1 as well as help to decide 
the nationality of the colonists  that  
predominated in the district--can be    
sometimes gleaned from old  private     
estate maps1 or other exceptional       
sources1 but the 8,award0  maps of      
,inclosure ,commissioners from #agaj    
downwards1 or the ,tithe  ,commutation  
maps of #ahcf1 are the chief and most   
reliable sources4  ,these maps should be
 in most parish chests1 but they have   
often  illegally strayed into the       
private hands of solicitors1            
churchwardens1  etc4 ,when lost or      

difficult of access1 the original maps  
can usually  be seen at the offices of  
the ,copyhold ,inclosure and ,tithe     
,commission1  #c1 ,st4 ,james's ,square1
 on payment of #bs4 #f;d42 but under    
certain ,acts  the originals will be    
found1 or rather ought to be found and  
to be  accessible1 at the ,clerk of the 
,peace's office for the county4    ,the 
best hand-books on local etymology      
are--,taylor's 8,words and  ,places10   
and ,edmund's 8,names of ,places40 ,leo 
on 8,the ,local ,nomenclature  of the   
,anglo-,saxons10 ,charnock's 8,local    
,etymology and ,derivative              
,dictionary10 and ,ferguson's 8,river   
,names10 and 8,teutonic ,name ,system0  
may also be consulted with advantage4   
8,prehistoric0 ,remains4      ,if there 
are any so-called 8,druidical0 7almost  
invariably a complete  misnomer7 or     
other 8prehistoric0 remains of that     
class1 not a word  should be written    
respecting them until ,fergusson's      
8,rude ,stone  ,monuments0 has been     

thoroughly digested4 ,though published  
in #ahgb1 not  one of the old-fashioned 
antiquaries has made any serious attempt
 to  refute its conclusions4    ,the    
best work on tumuli1 or barrows1 is     
,canon ,greenwell's 8,british           
,barrows40 ,see also ,bateman's 8,ten   
,years' ,diggings in ,celtic and ,saxon 
,grave ,hills40 ,the two last essays of 
,sir ,john ,lubbock's 8,scientific      
,lectures0 give a popular account of    
that branch of prehistoric  archology   
which deals with the palolithic and     
neolithic periods1  i4e41 with the races
 who respectively used the chipped and  
ground  weapons of stone4               
,history of the ,manor4      ,,the      
,,anglo-,,saxon ,,chronicle1 and other  
,old ,english chronicles1 should  be    
consulted for possible early mention of 
the parish4 ,most of these  have been   
cheaply printed in an ,english dress in 
,bohn's ,antiquarian  ,series4 ,in      
,kemble's 8,saxons in ,england0 will be 
found a good list of  the old tribal    

divisions into 8marks40 ,thorpe's       
,diplomatarium ,anglicum  vi ,saxonici  
is an admirable collection of early     
charters 7with  translations72 some of  
the wills contain many place-names2 the 
volume  is indifferently indexed4       
,,the ,,domesday ,,book1 compiled in    
#ajhe-f1 is preserved at the ,chapter   
,house1 ,westminster4 ,it gives         
particulars of all the different manors 
throughout ,england1 excepting those of 
,northumberland1 ,cumberland1           
,westmoreland1 and ,durham4 ,it was     
printed in two large volumes in #aghc1  
and a third volume of indexes and       
introductory matter added in #ahaa4  ,a 
most valuable 8,general ,introduction0  
was published in #ahcc1 by ,sir  ,henry 
,ellis4 ,the ,ordnance ,survey have     
recently brought out a fac-simile       
edition of the ,domesday ,book1 produced
 by ,photo-zincography1 which can  be   
obtained in separate counties4 ,the     
extended text and translation of  most  
counties can also be procured4    ,the  

,book of ,exeter and the ,book of ,ely  
are of the same date1 and  no doubt     
copied from the same returns as         
,domesday ,book itself1 but  they       
contain many more details4 ,the former1 
preserved at ,exeter  ,cathedral1       
comprises the counties of ,wilts1       
,dorset1 ,somerset1 ,devon1  and        
,cornwall2 the latter1 now in the       
,british ,museum1 relates to            
,cambridge1 ,hertford1 ,essex1 ,norfolk1
 ,suffolk1 and ,huntingdon4 ,the ,book  
of ,winchester 7,society of             
,antiquaries7 relates to that borough2  
it was  made in #aadh4 ,the ,boldon     
,book is a survey of the county         
palatinate of  ,durham1 taken in #aahc2 
there are three copies1 two at ,durham1 
and one  at the ,bodleian4 ,these four  
minor ,surveys were published by the    
,record  ,commissioners in one volume in
 #ahaf4    ,,knight',s ,,fees4 ,when    
,england was subdivided by the          
,conqueror among his  vassals1 the      
feudal custom of supplying the crown    

with a certain number  of knights was   
imposed upon them4 ,the number of       
knights that had to be  furnished was   
specified in the infeoffment4 ,these    
knights1 in their  turn1 held lands from
 the immediate tenants of the crown1    
which were  owned by homage1 fealty1 and
 a great variety of tenures1 as well as 
by  direct payments in money4 ,some     
tenures were merely nominal1 such as  a 
grain of cummin1 or a red rose2 others  
were of more or less value1  such as a  
pair of white gloves1 a tun of wine1 a  
gold spur1 or a silver  salver2 and     
others by such service as holding the   
lord's stirrup1  keeping a pack of      
hounds1 etc41 etc4 ,see ,blount's       
8,ancient ,tenures40  ,the lands of     
these knights were termed 8,fees10 and  
composed the barony  of a crown vassal4 
,a knight's fee was supposed to be so   
much land as  would suffice to maintain 
him1 and to enable him to present       
himself and  his retainers ready        
equipped for the field in times of      

emergency4 ,hence  a 8,knight's ,fee10  
as applied to land1 represents no       
definite quantity1  but a variable      
amount1 generally between one and five  
hundred acres of  cultivable land4 ,the 
term is also sometimes used for the rent
 paid to  the lord for the fee4    ,it  
is easy1 then1 to see that it became    
essential to the ,crown1 both  for      
monetary and judicial purposes1 as well 
national as local1 to know  from time to
 time the exact position of their       
vassals and sub-vassals4  ,hence1       
,inquisitions were held up and down the 
country before local  sworn juries1 and 
the barons made returns of that which   
they held1  and which was held under    
them4 ,these returns are among the      
earliest  of our national records2 and  
though brief1 are invaluable1 from their
  absolute authenticity1 to the         
genealogist and local historian4 ,the   
chief documents of this class are the   
,black ,book of the ,exchequer1  temp4  
,henry ,,ii41 the original of which is  

in the ,p4 ,r4 ,o41 but three           
manuscript copies are in the ,b4 ,m41   
,c41 and ,b4 respectively1 and it was   
published 7but imperfectly1 and not from
 the original7 by ,hearn1 in  two vols41
 #hvo41 last century2 the ,scutage and  
the ,marshall ,rolls1  temp41 ,edw4 ,i4 
,,ii41 ,p4 ,r4 ,o42 various lists of    
,tenants in ,capite  in our different   
public libraries2 and1 most important1  
the ,testa de  ,neville4 ,the           
last-mentioned of these documents       
consists of two ancient  volumes        
compiled temp4 ,edw4 ,,ii41 now in the  
,p4 ,r4 ,o4 ,they consist  of           
,inquisitions1 taken temp4 ,henry ,,iii4
 and ,edw4 ,i41 respecting the  ,fees   
held immediately or otherwise of the    
,king1 throughout the whole  of         
,england1 excepting the counties of     
,cambridge1 ,cheshire1 ,durham1         
,lancashire1 and ,monmouthshire4 ,these 
records were officially printed  in one 
vol41 folio1 in #ahjg2 there are many   
errors in the spelling of  place-names1 

but these can for the most part be      
readily detected by any  one having     
local knowledge4 ,another folio volume1 
printed in #ahjb1 is  the ,nonarum      
,inquisitiones2 it is of some value1 and
 may1 perhaps1 be  fairly included under
 the head of 8,knight's ,fees40 ,it     
consists1 in the  main1 of the finding  
upon oath by the parishioners1 of the   
value of  the ninth lamb1 fleece1 and   
sheep1 and in cities and boroughs of the
  ninth of goods and chattels1 which by 
an ,act #ad ,edw4 ,,iii4 were to be     
levied as a tax for two years towards   
the expenditure in the ,scotch and      
,french wars4 ,the rolls abound in the  
names of jurymen1 commissioners1  and   
landowners4 ,the published volume only  
contains the returns from  twenty-seven 
counties1 but the ,nona ,rolls for most 
of the missing ones1  e4g41 ,derby1     
,hertford1 ,northumberland1 and         
,warwick1 have since been  found4 ,,ms4 
indexes of these will be found in the   
small books lettered  8,exchequer       

,subsidies0 in the search room of the   
,p4 ,r4 ,o4    ,,rotuli4 ,under the     
general head of 8,rolls10 some of the   
most important  of our national         
documents have to be briefly considered4
    ,the ,great ,rolls of the           
,exchequer1 otherwise called the ,pipe  
,rolls1  are all but perfect from #b    
,henry ,,ii4 to the present time2 and   
there is  one roll of #ca ,henry ,i41   
the oldest national document now extant 
after  the ,domesday ,book4 ,they relate
 to the revenues of the ,crown1 digested
  under the heads of the several        
counties4 ,they are of much interest and
  utility in early pedigrees1 and relate
 to a far wider range of subjects  than 
,crown lands1 as the ,crown revenues    
come from so great a diversity  of      
sources4 ,the originals are in the ,p4  
,r4 ,o41 but most of the rolls  are in  
duplicate at the ,b4 ,m4 ,several       
volumes of transcripts are in the  ,b4  
,m4 and ,b4 ,the ,rolls for the #ca     
,henry ,i42 #c ,john2 #b1 #c1 and #d1   

,henry  ,,ii42 and #a ,richard ,i41 have
 been published by the ,record          
,commissioners4    ,the ,patent ,rolls  
commence with #c ,john1 and are fairly  
perfect  up to the present time4 ,on    
them are entered all grants of lands1   
offices1 honours1 pensions1 and         
particulars of individual or corporate  
privileges1 etc41 etc4 ,these invaluable
 ,rolls are unfortunately not  indexed4 
,a folio calendar of those from ,john to
 #bc ,edward ,,iv41 was  printed in     
#ahjb1 but it is only a capriciously    
made selection4 ,those  from the #crd to
 #ahth ,john have since been printed in 
full1 with an  admirable introduction4  
,in the ,b4 ,m4 are many volumes of     
selections  and extracts for particular 
periods4 ,manorial grants of 8free      
warren0  in these rolls will often      
supply a missing link in the history of 
a  manor4    ,the difference between the
 documents entered on the ,close ,rolls1
  and the ,patent ,rolls1 is that royal 
letters patent were delivered  open1    

with the ,great ,seal appended1 and were
 supposed to be of a  public nature and 
addressed to all the king's subjects2   
whilst the  ,close ,rolls contain       
entries of such instruments as were     
despatched  closed or sealed up1 and    
were of a more private nature4 ,these   
rolls begin in #abjd4 ,from that time to
 #aa ,henry ,,iii41 they have been      
printed in full in two folio volumes4   
,there are various copies and           
transcripts of particular parts in the  
,b4,m41 ,b41 and ,c41 and in the        
libraries of ,lincoln's ,inn and ,inner 
,temple4 ,the rolls are of infinite     
variety and importance4 ,among the      
subjects treated of are--,royal         
,prerogatives1 ,homage1 ,fealty1        
,knight's ,service1 ,treasure ,trove1   
,gold  and ,silver ,mining1 ,bail and   
,pardons1 ,livery of ,lands1 ,assignment
 of  ,dowers1 ,wardship of ,minors1     
,repairs of ,bridges1 etc41 etc4 ,they  
often1  therefore1 contain unexpected   
fragments of local history connected    

with  apparently insignificant parishes1
 and are even more fruitful than the    
better known ,patent ,rolls4    ,the    
,charter ,rolls contain a good deal of  
duplicate matter to that  on the ,patent
 ,rolls4 ,they chiefly consist of grants
 of privileges to  religious houses1    
cities1 and towns1 and grants of        
markets1 fairs1 and  free warren to     
individuals4 ,charters1 like ,letters   
,patent1 passed under  the ,great ,seal2
 but a charter differed from a patent   
inasmuch as the  former was witnessed by
 the council or by such persons as were 
present  at its execution1 and the      
latter was solely executed by the king4 
,the  ,charter ,rolls extend from #aaii 
to #adhc4 ,a complete calendar of these 
rolls1 well indexed1 was published in   
#ahjc1 and the rolls themselves  of the 
reign of ,john1 were also published by  
the ,record ,commissioners  in #ahcg4   
,the ,fine ,rolls contain accounts of   
fines paid to the ,crown for  licenses  
to alienate lands1 for freedom from     

knight service1 or being  knighted1 for 
renewals of various charters1 etc41 etc4
 ,they begin  in the time of ,richard   
,i4 ,the ,fine ,rolls of ,john1 and     
extracts from  those of ,henry ,,iii41  
have been published by the              
,commissioners in three  #hvo4 volumes4 
,they are to be distinguished from the  
important ,pedes  ,finium1 subsequently 
explained4    ,the ,originalia are      
described in the ,public ,records       
,report as 8the  ,estreats transmitted  
from the ,court of ,chancery into this  
7,exchequer7  office1 of all grants of  
the ,crown inrolled on the ,patent and  
other  ,rolls1 whereon any rent is      
reserved1 any salary payable1 or any    
service  performed40 ,these rolls       
commence early in the reign of ,henry   
,,iii4  ,an abstract1 in two folio      
volumes1 of the ,originalia from #bj    
,henry  ,,iii4 to the end of ,edward    
,,iii41 was published by the            
,commissioners  in #ahje4 ,similar      
abstracts from #a ,richard ,,ii41 to end

 of ,james ,,ii41  were prepared for    
printing1 but never published2 the ,,ms4
 of this work  is in the ,b4 ,m4 ,an    
index to the ,originalia was published  
in #agic1 by  ,mr4 ,edward ,jones1 in   
two folio volumes4 ,those who have had  
occasion to  use ,mr4 ,jones's index    
know that the judgment 8very useful1 but
 very  imperfect10 is true in each      
particular4    ,the ,hundred ,rolls will
 often prove to be of the greatest      
interest for  one period of manorial    
history4 ,during the turbulent reign of 
,henry  ,,iii41 the ,crown revenues had 
been much diminished by the ,tenants in 
,capite alienating lands without        
license1 and by powerful ecclesiastics  
and laymen usurping the rights of       
holding courts1 and committing other    
encroachments4 ,the people1 too1 had    
been greatly oppressed by exactions  and
 oppressions at the hands of sheriffs   
and other officers1 and by  false claims
 to free warren and illegal tolls4 ,one 
of the first acts  of ,edward ,i41 on   

his return from the ,holy ,land1 at his 
father's death1  was to remedy these    
abuses4 ,the circuit of the itinerant   
justices was  only usually made once in 
seven years1 therefore the king         
appointed  ,special ,commissioners for  
inquiring into these grievances         
throughout  the realm4 ,these rolls are 
the result of the inquisitions taken in 
pursuance of this commission4 ,they     
afford evidence1 upon the oath of a     
jury of each hundred and town of--all   
demesne lands and manors then or        
formerly in the hands of the ,crown--all
 tenants in capite and tenants  in      
ancient demesne--alienations to the     
,church--rights of free warren1         
fisheries1 etc4--oppressions of nobility
 and clergy--exactions of  excessive    
toll--unlawful trading--encroachments on
 highways1 etc41 etc4  ,the whole of    
these rolls were published by the       
,record ,commissioners in  #ahab-ah1 in 
two large folio volumes1 but are not now
 to be purchased4  8,the genealogist may

 estimate the assistance these volumes  
are capable  of affording1 when it is   
mentioned that the ,indices of ,names   
contain  references to about #gj1jjj    
persons40 ,the mis-spelling of          
place-names  is sometimes a little      
misleading1 but ordinary care will      
rectify this1  as the returns are       
arranged in counties4 ,the rolls1 as    
printed1 may  be fairly relied on for   
historical purposes1 without the trouble
 of  collating the originals4           
,,placita4 ,the pleadings of our several
 courts1 with the judgments  thereon1   
have been for many centuries entered on 
rolls4 ,the greater  part of these are  
termed ,placita1 or pleading ,rolls4    
,their important  bearing on manorial   
history is obvious4 ,there is scarcely a
 manor in  the kingdom that had not     
occasion1 on an average of at least once
 a  century1 to put in an appearance in 
one or other of the courts on some      
matter involving litigation4    ,under  
our ,norman kings1 all pleadings were   

originally heard ,aula sive  ,curia     
,regis1 in the hall or court of the     
king's palace4 ,in aid of the  ,king's  
,court1 itinerant justices were first   
appointed temp4 ,henry ,i41  and were   
finally established #bb ,henry ,,ii4    
,towards the end of the reign  of       
,richard ,i41 the ,curia ,regis was     
subdivided into courts of ,exchequer    
and ,chancery1 whilst the king's court  
still retained pleas immediately        
touching the ,crown1 and also common    
pleas1 both civil and criminal4 ,the    
,magna ,charta1 #ag ,john1 separated the
 ,common ,pleas from the royal court1   
after which the ,curia ,regis continued 
to be the superior court of law  for    
criminal matters1 and early in the reign
 of ,edward ,i4 lost its more  ancient  
title and became known as the ,court of 
,king's ,bench4    ,the ,rotuli ,curia  
,regis have been printed in full1 from  
#f ,richard ,i4  to #a ,john1 by the    
,record ,commissioners1 in two #hvo4    
volumes4 ,the same  rolls1 in addition  

to those of the ,king's ,bench1 down to 
the end of  the reign of ,edward ,,ii41 
were1 in #ahaa1 elaborately calendared  
and  indexed by the ,commissioners in a 
valuable folio volume1 under the        
title--,placitorum in ,domo ,capitulari 
,westmonasteriensi asservatorum         
,abbreviatio1 but the rolls are now in  
the ,p4 ,r4 ,o4 ,the abstract has  been 
made after a fickle fashion1 some       
pleadings are given in full1  whilst    
many others of more importance are      
condensed into a couple of  lines2 and  
there is nothing in the volume to tell  
the student whether  they are           
abbreviated or not4    ,the earliest    
provincial courts were those of the     
,itinerant ,justices1 or  ,justices in  
,eyre 7from the ,norman-,french word    
erre1 a journey72 they  held criminal   
and common pleas1 and also pleas of the 
forest4 ,these  justices afterwards gave
 way to ,circuit ,judges1 and the       
,justices in  ,eyre then became only    
another name for the ,justices of the   

,forest4  ,if there is or has been any  
royal ,forest or ,chace within the      
parish  under consideration1 special    
search should be made for its records4  
,most of the early proceedings relative 
to forests are entered on the  ,patent  
,rolls2 a considerable number of the    
ancient perambulations and  inquisitions
 have been printed in various reports   
made at different  dates4 ,copies of    
these reports1 bound in two large       
volumes1 can be  consulted at the ,p4   
,r4 ,o4 ,extracts from the rolls1       
relative to the  forests1 for special   
periods may be found both at the ,p4 ,r4
 ,o4 and the  ,b4 ,m4 ,the forest       
perambulations for the reigns of ,henry 
,,iii4 and ,edward  ,i4 have been       
completely indexed4    ,those rolls that
 may properly be termed ,records of     
,assize commence #f  ,richard ,i41 and  
end with the reign of ,edward ,,iv4 ,in 
the ,b4 ,m4 are many  ,,ms4 volumes of  
,placita ,itinerum pertaining to        
different reigns and  different         

counties4    ,in #ahah the ,record      
,commissioners published an important   
folio volume1  entitled ,placita de ,quo
 ,warranto temporibus ,edw4 ,i41 ,,ii41 
,,iii41  which forms an interesting     
sequel to the ,hundred ,rolls4 ,the     
,hundred  ,rolls1 as already mentioned1 
gave a great mass of sworn information  
as  to abuses4 ,those persons thus      
charged were summoned to answer 8,quo   
,warranto0 such and such things were    
done or left undone8 or by what  right  
such and such manors1 etc41 were held8  
,this volume contains  a full transcript
 of the roll of the pleadings in answer 
to these  summonses1 and the judgments  
thereon4 ,its utility in manorial       
history  cannot be exaggerated1 as the  
descent of the manor is often traced    
back  in these pleadings to the time of 
,john or even earlier4 ,the rolls are   
arranged under counties1 and include the
 whole of ,england1 with the  exception 
of the palatinate of ,durham4    ,the   
earliest records of the ,court of       

,chancery are of the #agth year  of     
,richard ,,ii41 the previous documents  
having been destroyed in the  ,wat      
,tyler rebellion4 ,there are no         
petitions extant to the ,chancellor  of 
the reign of ,henry ,,iv41 and but few  
of ,henry ,v41 but from the  beginning  
of the reign of ,henry ,,vi4 they seem  
to have been kept with  much regularity4
 ,calendars of the ,chancery proceedings
 of the reign  of ,elizabeth were       
published in three volumes folio1       
#ahbg-cb4 ,in the  introduction to this 
work are many examples of the earlier   
proceedings  of that court from ,richard
 ,,ii4 downwards4 ,it is hardly         
necessary to add  that the bills of     
complaint1 and their answers1 filed in  
this court1  often contain abundant     
information as to manorial descent4     
,numerous ,,ms4  volumes of indexes to  
,chancery proceedings are at the service
 of the  searcher in the ,p4 ,r4 ,o4    
,the volumes known as the ,year ,books  
contain reports in ,norman-,french  of  

cases argued and decided in the ,courts 
of ,common ,law4 ,they form the  basis  
of the 8lex non scripta0 of ,english    
jurisprudence1 and are  worthy of       
attention on account of the historical  
information and the  notices of public  
and private persons which they contain4 
,the frequent  disputes about heirship  
cause them often to be of value in      
manorial  history4 ,these ,reports begin
 in #abbj1 and an account of the        
different  books1 their dates1 etc41 may
 be found in ,worrall's 8,bibliotheca   
,legum  ,angli10 #aghh4 ,serjeant       
,maynard published an edition of early  
,year  ,books1 in eleven volumes1 in    
#afgi4 ,several of those of the reign of
  ,edward ,i4 have been edited by the   
,record ,commissioners4 ,lincoln's ,inn 
,library1 and the ,university ,library1 
,cambridge1 have a great number of      
,,ms4 ,year ,books4 ,a work of much     
research1 by ,mr4 ,bigelow1 has just    
been  published1 entitled 8,placita     
,anglo-,normannica10 it is a history of 

the litigation and legal procedure of   
the temporal courts during the  period  
from the ,norman ,conquest to the middle
 of the reign of ,richard  ,i4 ,if there
 has been any early dispute about the   
manor or manorial  rights1 this volume  
should certainly be consulted4          
,,inquisitiones4 ,inquisitiones post    
mortem1 are not unfrequently termed     
8,escheats10 from the writs being       
directed to the county official called  
the ,escheator2 but the term is         
incorrect1 and should never be used1 for
  there is a class of documents         
correctly called ,escheat ,rolls1 which 
differ altogether from these            
inquisitions1 and refer to the          
escheator's  accounts of lands and      
property escheated to the crown from    
various  causes1 and the profits and    
value of the same at different periods4 
,the ,inquisitio post mortem1 on the    
contrary1 was an inquiry held on  oath  
by a jury of the district1 summoned by  
virtue of a writ directed  to the county

 ,escheator1 on the death of every      
tenant in capite4 ,the  jury had to     
inquire 7#a7 of what lands the person   
died seized1 7#b7  by what rents or     
services the same were held1 and 7#c7   
who was his  next heir and of what age2 
they had also to ascertain whether the  
tenant was attainted of treason1 or an  
alien1 in which case the lands  reverted
 to the crown4 ,the return of the jury1 
together with the writ  authorising the 
inquiry1 were returned to the ,king's   
,chancery1 whence  a transcript was sent
 to the ,exchequer1 so that the proper  
officers  might be able to levy the     
duties and services thereupon due2 for  
on  the death of each tenant in capite1 
a tax termed a 8relief0 was due  to the 
crown1 and the heir could not take      
possession until the relief  was paid   
and homage done4 ,moreover1 if the heir 
was a minor1 the crown  administered the
 estates until he could make proof of   
his legal age  and perform homage4 ,the 
,exchequer transcripts of these         

,inquisitions1  together in most cases  
with the writ1 are still extant from the
 time  of ,henry ,,iii4 down to the end 
of the reign of ,charles ,i41 that is1  
until the feudal land system was finally
 overthrown4 ,calendars1 or  short      
abstracts of these ,inquisitions1       
carefully indexed1 have been  printed in
 four folio volumes by the ,record      
,commissioners1 #ahjf-ahbh1  up to the  
end of the reign of ,richard ,,iii4     
,these calendars1 which are  invaluable 
for reference1 must be used with        
caution1 and should never  be quoted as 
proving the death of any person by a    
particular date1 for  unfortunately not 
a few inquisitions that are not post    
mortem1 but  ad quod damnum1 are        
included amongst them4 ,there are also  
many errors  in nomenclature1 and in    
assigning manors to special counties2 it
 is  therefore wisest to make the rule  
of never quoting these inquisitions1    
unless the original has been seen1 or a 
full transcript obtained4 ,the          

inquisitions subsequent to the time of  
,richard ,,iii4 have not been           
calendared4 ,private enterprise has more
 than once announced that such  a work  
would be taken in hand1 and subscribers 
names obtained1 but  up to the present  
time 7#ahgi7 there seems no immediate   
prospect of  publication4    ,the       
,record ,commissioners have also        
published a ,calendar to the            
,inquisitions of this class1 pertaining 
to the ,duchy of ,lancaster1 from  the  
time of ,edward ,i4 to ,charles ,i4     
,extracts and abstracts from these      
,inquisitions1 covering particular      
periods1 or for particular counties1 are
 numerous in our public  libraries2 for 
lists of such ,,mss41 see ,sims'        
,manual1 pp4 #abe-h4    ,another form of
 inquisition was the ,inquisitio ad quod
 damnum1  which was a judicial inquiry1 
held by virtue of a writ directed  to   
the ,escheator of the county1 when any  
license of alienation of  lands1 or     
grant of a market1 fair1 or other       

privilege was solicited4  ,a local jury 
was sworn to inquire whether if the     
claim was granted  it would interfere   
with any vested right1 or be to the     
detriment of  the crown or some of its  
subjects--hence the name ad quod damnum4
  ,these inquisitions1 especially with  
relation to alienating lands to         
religious houses1 are often very        
valuable to the local historian1 for    
the jury in such cases had to state the 
amount1 value1 and nature of  the       
remainder of the lands of the intended  
donor4 ,a calendar of these  records    
from #a ,edward ,,ii4 to #ch ,henry     
,,vi41 was officially published  in     
#ahjc1 and is bound up with the         
previously mentioned calendar of  the   
,charter ,rolls4 ,it should be          
remembered1 as already stated1 that     
many inquisitions ad quod damnum1       
particularly the earlier ones1 are      
wrongly catalogued and arranged among   
the post mortem inquests4    ,,pedes    
,,finium4 ,the ,pedes ,finium1 or 8,feet

 of ,fines10 must be clearly            
distinguished from the previously       
mentioned ,fine ,rolls1 which are quite 
a different class of record4 ,the ,fine 
here signified is no mulct of  money1   
but is so called because it is the final
 agreement between  persons concerning  
any lands or rents or other matters     
whereof there  is any suit between them4
 ,the fine1 or solemn contract recorded 
before a competent judge1 is described  
as having five parts--7#a7 the  original
 writ taken out against the cognisor1   
7#b7 the license of the  crown giving   
the parties liberty to accord1 7#c7 the 
concord itself1 7#d7  the note of the   
fine1 which is an abstract of the       
original concord1  and 7#e7 the foot of 
the fine1 which always began thus--8,hc 
est  finalis concordia facta in curia   
,dom4 ,regis apud ,westm0 etc4 ,this    
foot of the fine1 which was the official
 summary of the concord1 was  cut off in
 an indented line 7hence the word       
indenture71 so as to  tally with the    

part delivered to the suitor and prove  
its authenticity1  and retained by the  
court4 ,there is no class of documents  
that has  been so continuously preserved
 in uninterrupted succession as these   
,feet of ,fines4 ,no manorial history   
can be considered satisfactory  until   
these records have been carefully       
consulted1 for they contain  the        
proceedings which have been adopted to  
convey estates1 as well as  to free them
 from their entailment to issue1 or from
 the dower of  wives4 ,the earliest of  
these documents1 viz41 from #g ,richard 
,i4 to #af  ,john1 have been officially 
published in two #hvo4 volumes1 under   
the  title--8,fines1 sive ,pedes        
,finium2 sive ,finales ,concordi1 in    
,curia  ,domini ,regis40    ,having thus
 run through the chief classes of       
documents bearing1 with  more or less   
directness1 on manorial history1 it may 
be added that  further information      
should be sought in ,mr4 ,thomas'       
8,handbook to the  ,public ,records40   

,it may also be well to mention1 that   
those who require  accurate transcripts 
of any of the records in ,fetter ,lane1 
need not  apply for officially certified
 copies2 for reliable transcribers can  
readily be met with who will do the work
 for less than half the sum  required   
for certified copies4 ,if the amateur   
searcher does not know  any             
transcribers1 the courteous gentlemen in
 charge of the ,search ,room  will      
probably make no difficulty about giving
 their address4    ,those who may be    
desirous of gaining some knowledge of   
the character or  handwriting of ancient
 records1 which can only be efficiently 
learnt by  practice1 are recommended to 
consult ,wright's 8,court-,hand         
,restored40  ,it not only gives numerous
 alphabets and plates1 illustrative of  
the  different styles in vogue at       
different periods1 but has valuable     
lists  of abbreviations1 of ancient     
place-names1 and of debased ,latin words
  that are only to be found in legal or 

monastic documents4 ,each of the        
earlier reigns appears to have had a set
 or uniform character of its  own2 but  
in the reign of ,elizabeth and          
subsequently1 this clerical mode  seems 
to have been to a great extent          
abandoned1 and each scribe to have      
written after his own fancy4 ,it is     
hence very noticeable that1 as was      
remarked by a late keeper of the        
,records1 8the ,english records of the  
#afth and #agth centuries are in general
 more difficult to be read than  the    
,latin records of preceding ages40      
,civil or ,domestic ,architecture4      
,any ,british1 ,roman1 ,danish1 or      
,anglo-,saxon remains that there may be 
in the parish1 had1 perhaps1 better be  
described before the manorial  history  
is given4 ,every earthwork1 mound1 or   
ancient roadway should be  carefully    
noted4 ,it is not possible to refer to  
any one1 or even three  or four1        
satisfactory books on such subjects4    
,fosbrooke's 8,encyclopdia  of          

,antiquities0 is out of date1 but we    
know of no better compendious  work of  
reference4 ,the two volumes of ,wright's
 8,essays on ,archological  ,subjects10 
will be found of much general use4      
,worsae's 8,primeval  ,antiquities of   
,denmark10 translated and applied to the
 illustration  of similar remains in    
,england1 by ,w4 ,j4 ,thoms1 may be read
 with  advantage1 but with the          
recollection that the hard and fast     
8ages0 of  ,danish antiquaries are1 with
 greater knowledge1 becoming exploded4  
,but all description of civil or        
domestic architecture1 of the ,norman   
or subsequent periods1 should be        
deferred until after the history of  the
 manor has been written1 because that   
history will very likely throw  light on
 any such architectural remains4    ,if 
there is a castle1 or its relics1 within
 the parish1 the probability  is        
considerable that it has already been   
well described by a county  historian1  
or in one or other of the numerous      

journals of our  ,archological          
societies4 ,but it is equally probable  
that its history  has not been          
thoroughly written1 and special search  
should be made with  that object at the 
,p4 ,r4 ,o41 beginning with the indexes 
to the printed  calendars already       
enumerated4 ,there is no one efficient  
volume treating  of our medival castles 
that corresponds with ,viollet-le-,duc's
  8,military ,architecture of the       
,middle ,ages10 but a translation of    
this  ,french work has been published by
 ,parker1 and it would be well to read  
either that or the original4    ,every  
effort should be made to identify the   
old manor-house1 or its  site 7often    
marked by a grass grown moat71 and this 
should of course  be done with each     
manor1 where1 as is usually the case1   
the parish  has contained more than one4
 ,oral tradition1 in this as in other   
particulars1 will often be found a      
useful handmaid4 ,should the exterior   
of the reputed manor-house be altogether

 unpromising1 that should not  check    
further investigation4 ,several         
instances are known to us in  which     
modern brick casing or sash windows are 
but a screen to some of  the oldest     
domestic architecture extant1 which may 
be found in the  back premises or       
outbuildings1 or contain fine old       
chimney-pieces1  carved oak panelling1  
or ceilings of elaborate pargetting4    
,nor should  attention be only directed 
to manor-houses4 ,all old domestic work 
is worth chronicling1 so rapidly is it  
disappearing both in town and  country2 
and the annalist of a parish should not 
be above transcribing  all the initials 
and dates so frequently seen on lintel  
stones4  ,as a rule1 every house or     
cottage1 not obviously modern1 that has 
stone buttresses1 a moulded wall-plate  
or string-course1 or bevelled  stone    
mullions to the windows1 is worthy of   
careful examination4  ,many interesting 
details1 such as the site of            
chantry-houses1 may be  thus brought to 

light1 and the history in stone1 and the
 history on  parchment1 be found to     
tally in unexpected ways4    ,domestic  
architecture should always be described 
by the century1 and  not by the         
8periods0 into which ecclesiastical     
architecture is usually  divided4 ,the  
only book worth purchasing on the       
subject1 is the somewhat  costly but    
admirable four volume edition of        
,parker's 8,medival ,domestic           
,architecture40 ,for the general        
8,history of ,architecture10 both  civil
 and religious1 of all ages and         
countries1 nothing can surpass          
,fergusson's last edition in four       
volumes1 published by ,murray in #ahgd4 
,personal ,history4      ,the pedigrees 
and brief particulars of the ,nobility  
can be readily  found4 ,the most useful 
standard works are ,dugdale's           
8,baronage10  ,collins' 8,peerage and   
,baronetage10 ,banks' 8,dormant and     
,extinct  ,baronage10 and the           
8,baronagium ,genealogicum10 or         

pedigrees of ,english  ,peers1 in five  
folio volumes1 by ,joseph ,edmondson4   
,burke's 8,landed  ,gentry0 gives much  
information with respect to the         
principal families  of commoners1 but   
the earlier genealogical statements that
 he prints  are often purely mythical4  
,several indexes to the many thousands  
of  printed pedigrees that are scattered
 up and down in topographical  and other
 works have been published1 of a more or
 less faulty and  incomplete            
description1 but a work of this class1  
now 7#ahgi7 in the  press1 entitled     
8,the ,genealogist's ,guide10 by ,mr4   
,george ,w4 ,marshall1  promises to be  
all that can be desired4    ,but a large
 portion of family history and pedigree1
 which will often be  essential to the  
elucidation of the monumental history of
 a parish1 to  completing the links in  
lists of the lords of the manor1 or     
furnishing  particulars with regard to  
smaller landholders1 yet remains in     
,,ms4 ,the  most accurate of such ,,mss4

 are at the ,college of ,arms1 and are  
not  ordinarily accessible except on    
payment of fees2 but there is a fine    
collection of heraldic visitations at   
the ,b4 ,m41 the chief of which are     
among the ,harleian ,,mss4    ,,heralds'
 ,,visitations are said to have         
commenced in the reign of ,henry  ,,iv41
 but it was not until #bj ,henry ,,viii4
 that a commission proceeding  from     
royal authority was issued4 ,from then  
until the latter half  of the           
seventeenth century1 visitations were   
made every twenty-five  or thirty years4
 ,the register books1 kept by the       
heralds and their  assistants1 contain  
the pedigrees and arms of the gentry of 
the  respective counties1 and are often 
also illustrated by copies and  excerpts
 from charters and private documents4   
,many of these books are  lost1 and the 
rest scattered throughout public and    
private libraries4  ,the archives of the
 ,college of ,arms have the most        
important collection1  and next comes   

the ,b4 ,m4 ,there are a large number at
 the ,b41 fifty-four  volumes in the    
library of ,caius ,college1 ,cambridge1 
and forty in  that of the ,queen's      
,college1 ,oxford4 ,the earliest        
heralds' registers  for the counties of 
,cornwall1 ,dorset1 ,gloucester1        
,hampshire1 ,kent1  ,notts1 ,oxford1    
,surrey1 ,sussex1 ,wilts1 ,worcester1   
and ,yorks1 are of  the year #aecj2 for 
,berks1 ,devon1 and ,somerset1 #aeca2   
for ,cheshire and  ,lancashire1 #aecc2  
for ,essex and ,herts1 #aeeb2 for       
,suffolk1 #aefa2 for  ,lincoln1 #aefb2  
for ,leicester1 ,norfolk1 ,stafford1 and
 ,warwick1 #aefc2 for  ,hunts1 and      
,northampton1 #aefd2 for ,beds1 and     
,bucks1 #aeff2 for ,derby1  ,hereford1  
and ,salop1 #aefi2 for ,middlesex1      
#aegb2 for ,cambridge1 ,durham1  and    
,northumberland1 #aege2 for ,cumberland 
and ,westmoreland1 #afae2 and  for      
,rutland1 #afah4 ,the last visitation of
 several counties was taken  in #afcd1  
but the majority were visited in        

#affb-d2 and the last of all  was that  
of the county of ,southampton1 made by  
,sir ,henry ,st4 ,george1  in #afhf4    
,the general genealogist and antiquary  
cannot but long for  the issue of       
another royal commission1 whereby the   
heralds might be  empowered1 as of old1 
to destroy all false and self-assumed   
arms1  whether on carriages1 plate1 or  
monuments4    ,sims' 8,index to the     
,pedigrees and ,arms0 contained in the  
,heralds'  ,visitations in the ,b4 ,m41 
is an accurate and useful book of       
reference4  ,the 8,manual for the       
,topographer and ,genealogist10 by the  
same  gentleman1 is quite indispensable4
 ,careful lists of family histories1  of
 all the principal topographical works1 
and of all ,,mss4 of worth in  public   
libraries1 are therein classified under 
the different counties4    ,,wills are  
too obvious a source of information to  
need a word of  comment4 ,at ,somerset  
,house is the most important and largest
  collection1 viz41 those of the        

province of ,canterbury4 ,the original  
wills in this office begin in #adjd1 and
 the transcripts in #achc4 ,they  are   
complete only from ,december1 #affj4 ,in
 the office at ,york1 for that          
province1 the wills begin in #aeij1 and 
the transcripts in #achi4 ,owing  to the
 probate privileges enjoyed by the      
various ecclesiastical courts1  there   
were not only registries for wills in   
every diocese1 but numerous  peculiar   
and exempt jurisdictions in each        
diocese4 ,the dates at which  wills     
begin in the different minor registries 
are so very varied1 and  their condition
 and facilities1 or even possibilities1 
of search so  multifarious1 that it is  
impossible to give any useful abstract4 
,the  ,report on ,public ,records for   
#ahcg1 and ,sir ,harris ,nicolas'       
8,notitia  ,historica10 should be       
consulted4 ,the power of probate was    
taken away  from the ecclesiastical     
courts by the ,act of #aheg4    ,the    
little-known ,,recusant ,,rolls of the  

time of ,elizabeth1 give  information as
 to the humblest as well as the         
wealthiest parishioner  who refused to  
attend the services of the ,established 
,church4 ,these1  and many other similar
 class of documents1 relative to the    
fining and  other grievous penalties    
attached to profession of the ,roman    
,catholic  faith1 extending up to a     
recent date1 are to be found at the ,p4 
,r4 ,o4    ,records of ,,attainders1    
,,forfeitures1 ,,sequestrations1 and    
,,pardons1 some  from the time of       
,edward ,,ii41 will also be found at the
 same office1  and may be consulted with
 advantage by those tracing personal    
history1  if there is any cause to      
suspect their complicity in any of the  
multitude of baronial feuds1 rebellions1
 or religious persecutions that  led to 
the existence of so large a class of    
offenders4 ,sims' 8,manual0  should be  
consulted for exhaustive lists of this  
class of documents1  as well as for     
numerous lists of ,,gentry and          

,,freeholders of different  dates1      
pertaining to their respective counties4
    ,,muster ,,rolls1 which give the    
names1 rank1 dwelling1 and often other  
particulars1 of those able to bear arms 
in each county1 may be of  interest to  
the local historian4 ,the earliest of   
these returns1 now  at the ,p4 ,r4 ,o41 
are of the reign of ,henry ,,iii42 there
 are great  deficiencies up to the time 
of ,henry ,,viii41 but from that reign  
to  the time of ,charles ,,ii1 they are 
very voluminous4 ,lists of ,,sheriffs1  
,,members ,,of ,,parliament1 and        
,,mayors ,,of ,,boroughs1 have been     
printed for  almost every county from an
 early date1 and can readily be found at
  public libraries4 ,the names of lords 
of the manor1 or other individuals      
connected with the special parish       
treated of1 should always be collated   
with such lists1 in order to see if they
 held any of these important  offices4  
,,county ,,records4 ,the various        
documents that are or ought to be in    

charge  of the ,clerk of the ,peace1    
relative to all the multifarious        
business  transacted at ,quarter        
,sessions1 contain much that is of value
 relative  to personal or local history4
 ,but it would only be tantalising to   
enumerate the different class of records
 that should be in the custody  of the  
county officials1 for in the great      
majority of cases they are  in so much  
confusion as to be practically useless  
for any literary  purpose4 ,among the   
exceptions may be mentioned             
,leicestershire and  ,derbyshire1 in the
 latter of which counties they have been
 recently  admirably arranged2 and also1
 to a certain extent1 ,devonshire1 the  
salient points of whose records have    
lately been published--see  8,quarter   
,sessions from ,queen ,elizabeth to     
,queen ,anne10 by ,a4 ,h4  ,hamilton1 a 
volume that aptly illustrates local     
government1 and which  is useful as     
showing the class of information that   
may be gleaned from  such documents4    

,they do not1 as a rule1 extend further 
back than the  time of ,elizabeth4      
,,borough ,,records4 ,these are in many 
instances of great antiquity2 some      
charters going back to the time of      
,john4 ,but their condition and value   
are much varied1 and there is no        
trustworthy general report4 ,it is      
hoped that a 8,borough ,records         
,society0 will soon be formed for the   
publication of our ,municipal ,archives4
    ,in the six ,reports already issued 
by the ,historical ,manuscripts         
,commission the ,archives of the        
following ,english boroughs have been   
reported on3--,abingdon1 ,axbridge1     
,berwick-on-,tweed1 ,bridgewater1       
,bridport1 ,cambridge1 ,coventry1       
,dartmouth1 ,faversham1 ,folkestone1    
,fordwich1 ,high ,wycombe1 ,hythe1      
,kingston-on-,thames1 ,launceston1      
,lydd1  ,morpeth1 ,new ,romney1         
,norwich1 ,nottingham1 ,rye1 ,st4       
,albans1 ,sandwich1  ,tenterden1        
,totnes1 ,wallingford1 ,wells1          

,weymouth1 ,winchester1 and ,york4      
,the ,report of the ,municipal          
,corporation ,commissioners1 #ahce1     
gives  certain information1 more or less
 meagre1 of all boroughs4 ,see also     
,merewether and ,stephen's 8,history of 
the ,boroughs and ,municipal            
,corporations of the ,united ,kingdom40 
,under the head of ,,worthies it may be 
worth while to consider whether  the    
parish has ever had amongst its         
residents1 or on its baptismal          
registers1 the names of men of marked   
celebrity in any walk of life4          
,nuttall's edition of ,fuller's         
8,worthies of ,england10 published in   
#ahdj1 in three vols4 #hvo41 ,wood's    
8,athen10 and any good ,biographical    
,dictionaries 7e4g4 ,chalmers'71 should 
be consulted4          ,parochial       
,records4      ,foremost under this head
 come ,,parish ,,registers4 ,burn's     
8,history of  ,parish ,registers in     
,england0 is the standard work on this  
subject4  ,the first mandate for keeping

 registers of baptisms1 marriages1  and 
burials1 in each parish was issued in   
#aech1 but it is quite  the exception to
 find registers of this early date4     
,this mandate  was repeated in more     
rigorous terms on the accession of      
,elizabeth1  #aeeh1 but not being       
regularly observed1 it was ordained in  
#aeig that  parchment register books    
should be purchased at the expense of   
each  parish1 and that all the names    
from the older books 7mostly of paper7  
should be therein transcribed from      
#aeeh2 hence it happens that so many    
parish registers begin with that year4  
,it was at the same time ordered  that  
copies of the registers should be       
annually forwarded to the  episcopal    
registrar1 to be preserved in the       
episcopal archives4 ,this  injunction1  
however1 was so imperfectly carried out1
 and the duplicates  when forwarded were
 so carelessly kept1 that the diocesan  
copies of  registers are mere fragments 
of what they should be1 and are in      

several  cases still in such confusion  
as to be practically inaccessible4 ,the 
earliest transcripts at ,lincoln begin  
in #aehg1 and at ,gloucester in  #aega1 
but there are few dioceses that have any
 earlier than #affj4    ,many parishes  
have lost their early registers1 and    
they are usually  deficient or wanting  
during the ,commonwealth4 ,official     
inquiries were  made of all the clergy  
in #ahca1 as to the exact date1         
condition1 and  number of the parish    
registers in their custody1 and         
abstracts of their  replies were        
published in a ,blue ,book in #ahcc4    
,but it is not generally  known that the
 returns themselves1 often containing   
more information  than was printed1 are 
at the ,british ,museum 7,add4 ,,mss4   
#i1cce1 etc474  ,the dates there given  
are not1 however1 to be implicitly      
relied upon1  as unfortunately some     
registers have been lost or stolen since
 that  date1 whilst others of an earlier
 date have happily1 in some cases1  been

 restored or discovered in the like     
period4    ,registers should be         
carefully looked through1 not only for  
the purpose  of extracting the names of 
prominent or interesting families1 but  
also  for the purpose of gleaning the   
innumerable little scraps of local      
information that were not unfrequently  
interpolated in the earlier  pages1 such
 as notes pertaining to excommunication1
 licenses for eating  flesh in ,lent1   
penance1 remarkable or eccentric        
characters1 storms1 and  weather        
observations1 inventories of church     
goods1 visitations of the  plague or    
sweating sickness1 national events1     
etc41 etc4    ,many of the clergy and   
others find a difficulty in reading the 
earlier  registers4 ,reference has      
already been made to ,wright's          
8,court-,hand  ,restored10 but the      
greatest help in deciphering them will  
be the  recollection that most of the   
letters of the ordinary hand of         
,elizabeth  and the ,stuarts1 which     

differ from those now in use1 are the   
same as  those of the present ,german   
written characters1 e4g41 the letters   
8h0 and 8r40 ,a few days' steady        
practice in transcribing old writing1   
beginning with the letters and words    
that can easily be read1 ought to  be   
sufficient to master the stiffest hands 
in parochial records4    ,in case there 
are any old ,meeting ,houses1 or        
congregations of  ,independents1        
,presbyterians1 ,quakers1 or other      
nonconformists in the  parish1 it will  
be well1 with regard to these registers1
 to consult  a ,blue ,book issued in    
#ahda1 called 8,lists of ,non-parochial 
,registers  and ,records in the custody 
of the ,registrar-,general10 wherein a  
county  classification is observed2 also
 a 8,report on ,non-parochial           
,registers10  issued in #aheg1 wherein  
are enumerated those registers of the   
sects  that were still in private       
custody4    ,,churchwardens' ,,accounts1
 giving particulars of rates1 receipts1 

and  payments for church purposes1 are  
often highly interesting1 and should  be
 carefully preserved4 ,sometimes they   
are found entered in bound  volumes1 but
 more often tied up in bundles or       
tumbled in confusion in  the parish     
chest4 ,still more often they are       
altogether missing4 ,they  can          
occasionally be recovered from the      
private dwellings of present  or past   
churchwardens4 ,the earliest with which 
we are acquainted1 are  those of ,all   
,saints'1 ,derby1 which begin in #adfe1 
but they rarely are  found prior to the 
,restoration4    ,the ,,constables      
,,accounts1 and the ,,accounts ,,of     
,,the ,,overseers ,,of ,,the ,,poor1    
will also sometimes be met with1        
beginning from a comparatively remote   
date1 and will amply repay close        
attention4 ,they throw a similar light  
on the secular history of a parish to   
that thrown on the religious  history by
 the ,churchwardens' ,accounts4 ,the    
thorough overhauling  of the parish     

chest1 or other receptacles of parish   
papers1 and the  classification of their
 contents is strongly recommended1 even 
where it  seems to be most unpromising  
of results4 ,there is no reason why even
  such apparently trivial things as the 
indentures of parish apprentices  7which
 have the seals and signatures of       
,justices of the ,peace71 should  not be
 preserved1 neatly arranged1 and        
docketted4 ,every scrap of paper  of    
past generations1 showing the inner     
working of parochial life1  possesses   
some interest of its own2 and future    
generations will thank  us for their    
preservation4 ,moreover1 a careful      
arrangement of parish  papers often     
meets with more immediate reward4 ,we   
have ourselves found  missing portions  
of #afth century registers1 highly      
interesting deeds  as early as the #adth
 century1 royal proclamations and       
special forms of  prayer1 temp4         
,elizabeth and ,james ,i41 in parochial 
litter put aside  as valueless4    ,of  

what can be gleaned from these parish   
annals when tolerably perfect1  we may  
be permitted to quote that which we have
 elsewhere written  respecting the      
records of ,youlgreave1 a ,derbyshire   
village1 that have  recently been       
classified with some care3--    8,the   
future historian of this parish will    
find a vast stock of material  ready to 
hand2 and if such a work was ever       
accomplished it would once  more be seen
 how the history of even a remote       
village is but the  history of the      
nation in little2 how national victories
 were announced  on the church bells1   
and national disasters by the           
proclamation of a  form of prayer2 how  
local self-government became gradually  
developed  in the office of justice1    
constable1 and overseer of the poor2 how
 the  press-gang worked its cruel way to
 man the ships and fill the regiments   
of the ,georges2 how the good folk of   
,youlgreave sent forth a spy to  watch  
the movements of ,charles ,edward in    

#agde2 and how they prepared  to defend 
themselves by giving their constable a  
new bill-head1 and  repairing his old   
one2 how unmerciful was the treatment of
 lunatics3  and how free was the        
consumption of ale1 on the smallest     
possible  provocation1 at the parish's  
expense2 these1 and a thousand other    
minuti1 all of them possessing some     
point of interest1 can be gleaned  from 
these annals of a parish1 to say nothing
 of the perfect genealogy  of nearly    
every family1 together with an account  
of their varying  circumstances1 that   
might be constructed by their aid40     
,the fullest and best information       
respecting the parish as a unit of the  
national life1 with much that pertains  
to the history of its various  officers 
from the earliest times1 will be found  
in ,toulmin ,smith's 8,the  ,parish2 its
 powers and obligations40 ,the second   
and best edition was  published in #aheg
 by ,h4 ,sweet1 ,chancery ,lane4    ,the
 history of the village and village     

officers have not hitherto  received the
 attention they deserve1 for all our    
municipalities have  developed out of   
village communities1 and their various  
officials are  but those of the petty   
rural parish adapted to the needs of an 
urban  population4 ,it will be well on  
this point to refer to the useful       
8,index  of ,municipal ,offices10 with  
an historical introduction1 recently    
published by ,g4 ,laurence ,gomme4      
,lists of parochial ,,charities are     
sometimes found in the parish chest1    
and more frequently on bequest boards in
 the church2 but the local  annotator   
should not consider that he has got a   
perfect or correct list  until the      
elaborate reports of the ,charity       
,commissioners1 compiled  some fifty    
years ago1 have been consulted4 ,in     
#ahdc1 a most useful ,blue  ,book was   
published for each county1 being an     
analytical digest of the  voluminous    
reports arranged under parishes4        
,topographical booksellers  can         

generally procure copies of these1 by   
which a great saving of time  will be   
effected4 ,there are later ,reports with
 regard to ,endowed  ,schools4          
,history of the ,church4      ,the      
,anglo-,saxon ,chronicle1 or pre-,norman
 charters1 occasionally give  definite  
information of a church in a particular 
parish or district1  but as a rule the  
earliest mention of the parish church   
will be found  in the previously        
described ,,domesday ,,book4 ,but the   
,commissioners1 not  being specially    
instructed to make returns of churches1 
acted on their  own judgment1 and in    
some counties omitted them partially1   
and in  others altogether4    ,,taxatio 
,,ecclesiastica ,p4 ,,nicholai          
,,iv4--,pope ,nicholas ,,iv4 7to whose  
predecessors in the ,see of ,rome the   
first-fruits and tenths of all          
ecclesiastical benefices had for a long 
time been paid7 granted the  tenths1 in 
#abhh1 to ,edward ,i4 for six years1    
towards defraying the  expenses of a    

,crusade2 and that they might be        
collected to their full  value1 the     
,king caused a valuation roll to be     
drawn up1 which was  completed in #abia1
 under the direction of ,john1 ,bishop  
of ,winchester1  and ,oliver1 ,bishop of
 ,lincoln4 ,there are two copies of this
 ,roll at  the ,p4 ,r4 ,o41 both of     
which appear to have been written in the
 reign  of ,henry ,,iv41 and there is a 
third1 which is by far the oldest1 among
  the ,cottonian ,,mss4 of the ,b4 ,m4  
,these three copies were collated and   
printed in a folio volume by the ,record
 ,commission in #ahjb4 ,there are  one  
or two other old copies of this ,roll in
 private libraries2 one in  the ,chapter
 ,library1 ,lichfield2 and another1 in  
excellent condition1 in  the muniment   
room of ,lincoln ,cathedral4    ,,valor 
,,ecclesiasticus4 ,the taxation of #abia
 held good1 and all the  taxes from the 
benefices1 as well to our ,kings as to  
the ,popes1  were regulated by it until 
#bg ,henry ,,viii41 when a new survey   

was  completed4 ,henceforth the         
first-fruits and tenths ceased to be    
forwarded to ,rome1 and were transferred
 to the ,crown4 ,in #agjc the  receipts 
were appropriated1 under the title of   
,queen ,anne's ,bounty1  to the         
augmentation of the smaller livings4    
,the original returns of  the ,king's   
,valor are at the ,p4 ,r4 ,o4 ,they were
 officially published in  six folio     
volumes between the years #ahaa and     
#ahcd4 ,in the latter year  an          
8,introduction0 of no little value1 was 
also published in an #hvo4  volume1     
written by the ,rev4 ,joseph ,hunter4   
,,certificates ,,of ,,colleges ,,and    
,,chantries4 ,about ten years after the 
completion of his ecclesiastical survey1
 ,henry ,,viii4 decided on              
appropriating the revenues belonging to 
,collegiate ,churches and  ,chantries4  
,as a preliminary measure to their sale1
 he appointed a  commission1 in the     
#cgth year of his reign1 to re-value    
this property1  and to take an inventory

 of the chattels4 ,the whole subject of 
the  suppression of the ,chantries1 as  
conceived by ,henry ,,viii4 and finally 
carried out by ,edward ,,vi41 is ably   
and exhaustively treated in the         
introduction to the volumes of the      
,cheetham ,society1 which treat of  the 
,lancashire ,chantries4 ,the reports1 or
 8,certificates10 furnished  by ,henry's
 ,commission with respect to the        
different chantries1 are  preserved at  
the ,p4 ,r4 ,o41 and are entered on     
rolls arranged in eight  parallel       
columns1 in answer to a like number of  
queries4 ,there are also  abridged rolls
 on paper of some counties4 ,further    
information about  chantries may be     
sometimes gleaned from certain ,,ms4    
volumes at the ,p4  ,r4 ,o41 entitled   
8,particulars for the ,sale of ,colleges
 and ,chantries40  ,in the ,b4 ,m4      
7,add4 ,,mss4 #h1ajb7 is a valuable roll
 of ,fees1 ,corrodies1  and ,pensions1  
paid to members of the suppressed       
chantries and religious  houses1 out of 

the ,exchequer1 #b and #c ,philip and   
,mary4 ,the pensions for  the different 
counties are on separate skins1 so that 
it is easy of  reference4               
,,inventories ,,of ,,church ,,goods4    
,there are various ,inventories of      
,church  ,goods in the ,p4 ,r4 ,o41     
taken by ,commission at the beginning of
 the  reign of ,edward ,,vi41 some on   
detached slips of parchment1 others  in 
paper books4 ,the inventories are not   
absolutely perfect for all  parishes in 
any one county2 in several counties the 
churches of one or  more ,hundreds are  
missing2 for others1 such as ,somerset1 
,sussex1 and  the ,north ,riding of     
,yorkshire1 there are none extant4 ,nor 
are there  any for ,lincolnshire2 but   
there is a ,,ms4 return of ,church      
,furniture  and ,ornaments of #aej      
churches of that county1 taken in #aeff1
 in the  ,episcopal ,registry at        
,lincoln4 ,this was published in #ahff1 
by ,edward  ,peacock1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,there  
are also some special ,inventories      

connected with  other dioceses1 which   
space forbids us to mention4    ,,guilds
 ,,and ,,fraternities4 ,guilds and      
,fraternities of a more or less         
religious character1 and usually        
directly connected with a special  altar
 at the parish church1 will naturally   
come under the history  of the ,church1 
provided any can be detected in         
connection with the  particular parish4 
,it used to be supposed that these      
guilds were only  found in cities or    
boroughs1 but later researches show that
 they also  occasionally existed in     
quite small villages4 ,the ,parliament  
of #acha  directed writs to be sent to  
the sheriffs of each county1 calling    
upon  them to see that the ,master and  
,wardens of all ,guilds and             
,brotherhoods  made returns to the      
,king's ,council in ,chancery of all    
details  pertaining to the foundation1  
statutes1 and property of their guilds4 
,a large number of the original returns 
7#edi7 still remain in the ,p4  ,r4 ,o41

 where they are known as 8,miscellaneous
 ,rolls1 ,tower ,records1  ,bundles     
cccviii4 ix4 x40 ,for some counties     
there are none extant1 and  for others  
only those from a single ,hundred4 ,more
 than one hundred of  these returns have
 recently been printed or analysed1 by  
,toulmin ,smith1  in a volume of the    
,early ,english ,text ,society1 entitled
 8,english ,gilds40    ,,heraldic       
,,church ,,notes4 ,in the different     
heraldic visitation books1  especially  
those temp4 ,elizabeth1 which have been 
previously  described1 there often occur
 interesting church notes1 which not    
only  detail heraldic glass in the      
windows and arms on the monuments1 but  
also occasionally give inscriptions that
 have long since disappeared4  ,these   
can only be found by a careful          
inspection of the heralds'  register    
books of the county in which the parish 
is situated4    ,,commonwealth ,,survey4
 ,in pursuance of various ordinances of 
the  ,parliament1 a complete survey of  

the possessions of ,bishops1 ,deans1    
and ,chapters1 and of all benefices1 was
 made in #afej1 by specially  appointed 
,commissioners4 ,these interesting      
returns1 filling twenty-one  large folio
 volumes1 are in the library of ,lambeth
 ,palace1 and numbered  in the catalogue
 of ,,mss4 from #ijb to #ibb4 ,these    
surveys have hitherto  been singularly  
overlooked by county historians and     
ecclesiologists1  though occasional     
extracts have been published from a     
much-abbreviated  and inaccurate        
summary1 based on these documents1 which
 forms ,no4 #dei  of the ,lansdowne     
,,mss4 in the ,b4 ,m4    ,the ,record   
,books of the ,commonwealth             
,commissioners for augmenting           
,rectories and ,vicarages 7,,mss4       
#iff-a1jba72 the original ,presentations
 to  various benefices from #afeb to    
#afei 7,,mss4 #idd-g72 and ,counterparts
 of  leases of ,church ,lands1 made by  
authority of ,parliament from #afeb to  
#afeh 7,,mss4 #idh-ej71 are also in     

,lambeth ,library4    ,,briefs4 ,royal  
,letters ,patent1 authorising           
collections for charitable  purposes    
within churches1 were termed 8,briefs40 
,lists of them1  from the time of       
,elizabeth downwards1 are often to be   
found on the  fly-leaves of old register
 books1 or in churchwardens' accounts4  
,the  repair or rebuilding of churches  
in post-,reformation days1 until nearly 
the beginning of the ,catholic ,revival1
 was almost invariably effected  by this
 method4 ,about the middle of last      
century1 owing to the growing  frequency
 of ,briefs1 it was ordered that they   
should only be granted on  the formal   
application of ,quarter ,sessions4 ,much
 information as to the  condition of the
 fabrics and other particulars relative 
to churches can  be gathered from the   
petitions to ,quarter ,sessions1 in     
those counties  where the documents are 
accessible4 ,the ,briefs themselves were
 issued  from the ,court of ,chancery1  
so we suppose they would be attainable  

at  the ,p4 ,r4 ,o4 ,at the ,b4 ,m4 is a
 large collection of original ,briefs1  
from #aged down to their abolition in   
#ahbh4 ,they were presented to the      
,museum in #ahbi1 by ,mr4 ,j4 ,stevenson
 ,salt4    ,,advowson4 ,the history of  
the advowson1 if the living remained a  
rectory1 was almost invariably          
intermixed with that of the manor or the
  moieties of the manor4 ,consequently  
it will be found1 that1 in the case  of 
rectories1 various particulars as to the
 owners of the advowson1 and  its value1
 at different periods1 can be gleaned   
from the ,inquisitions1  and from the   
,patent and ,close ,rolls to which      
references have already  been made2 or1 
in the case of litigation1 from the     
,plea ,rolls and ,year  ,books4 ,if the 
living became at any time a ,vicarage1  
care should be  taken to look through   
the particulars given by ,dugdale and   
,tanner1 of  the religious house to     
which the big tithes were appropriated1 
and more  especially to carefully search

 the chartularies of that establishment1
  if any are extant4 ,there is an       
excellent list of the various monastic  
,chartularies1 i4e41 ancient parchment  
books1 containing transcripts  or       
abstracts of the charters of the        
different houses1 in the first two      
volumes of ,nichols' 8,collectanea      
,topographica et ,genealogica10 and a   
shorter one in ,sims' 8,manual40    ,the
 ,ordination of a ,vicarage1 i4e41 the  
official appropriation  of certain parts
 of the endowment for the sustentation  
of a vicar1  required episcopal         
confirmation2 and these ordinations will
 usually be  found in the ,episcopal    
,registers1 if they are extant for the  
date when  the rectory was formally     
appropriated4 ,these ordinations often  
contain  information of great interest1 
and have hitherto been very rarely      
searched for1 and still more rarely     
printed4    ,the terms used in these    
documents for different sorts of tithes1
 for  the various produce of the soil1  

etc41 etc41 will be sought for in  vain 
in any ordinary ,latin ,dictionary2 for 
their explanation it will  be necessary 
to consult a ,glossary of medival or    
monastic terms4 ,the  most handy and    
accurate is the abridged edition of the 
,glossaries  of ,du ,cange1 ,du ,fresne1
 etc41 in six vols4 #hvo41 published at 
,halle1  between #agbb-aghd4 ,some such 
work will also be found indispensable in
  consulting the monastic ,chartularies 
and many of the ,records and ,rolls4    
,the majority of the terms will be found
 in the last two editions of  ,cowel's  
8,interpreter10 #agjh1 and #agcg1 which 
can much more readily be  met with than 
the larger glossaries2 but there is     
great need for a  one volume compendious
 glossary1 and it is hoped that such a  
work may  shortly be published4         
,,lists ,,of ,,incumbents4 ,lists of    
rectors and vicars1 giving the date of  
their institution1 and the names of     
their respective patrons1 are           
indispensable to a complete parochial   

history4 ,they are1 for the  most part1 
to be obtained from the diocesan        
registers4 ,this work1  in several      
dioceses1 will be found to involve no   
small labour1 for  ,bishop's registrars 
were not always particular to separate  
institutions  from other ,episcopal     
acts1 and occasionally placed them in   
precise  chronological order for the    
whole diocese1 without any regard to    
archdeaconries and other minor          
divisions4 ,but the trouble will be     
amply repaid by the numerous quaint and 
interesting little details  that the    
searcher will be almost sure to         
discover4 ,many of our  episcopal       
registers1 or act books1 are of supreme 
interest1 and yet  they are perhaps less
 known than any class of original       
documents4 ,the  dates at which these   
registers begin average about the year  
#acjj4  ,we give1 for the first time in 
any manual1 their respective initial    
years3--,canterbury1 #abgi2 ,london1    
#acjf2 ,winchester1 #abhb2 ,ely #accf2  

,lincoln1 #abag2 ,lichfield1 #abif2     
,wells1 #acji2 ,salisbury1 #abif2       
,exeter1  #abeg2 ,norwich1 #abii2       
,worcester1 #abfh2 ,hereford1 #abge2    
,chichester1 #acig2  ,rochester1 #acai2 
,york1 #abad2 and ,carlisle1 #abib4 ,the
 old registers  of ,durham are mostly   
lost1 that of ,bishop ,kellaw1 #acaa-ah1
 being the  oldest4 ,none of the ,welsh 
,cathedrals have any registers older    
than the  #afth century4    ,gaps are   
not unusual in the episcopal registers  
for some time  subsequent to the        
,reformation1 when the books were often 
kept in a  slovenly fashion4 ,these     
deficiencies can be generally supplied  
from the  lists of institutions in the  
,augmentation ,books at the ,p4 ,r4 ,o4 
,it is scarcely necessary to say that no
 list of incumbents should be           
considered complete1 until it has been  
carefully collated with the  parish     
registers4    ,catalogues of all the    
,english ,bishops are to be found in    
,canon  ,stubbs's 8,registrum ,sacrum   

,anglicanum20 and similar lists of      
,deans1  ,prebendaries1 and minor       
dignitaries1 in ,hardy's edition of ,le 
,neve's  8,fasti ,ecclesi ,anglican40   
,both of these works may probably be    
useful when drawing up the list of      
parish priests4    ,lists of priests    
appointed to the more important         
chantries can usually  also be extracted
 from the diocesan registers1 for1      
except in peculiar  circumstances1 they 
required episcopal institution4    ,any 
facts of interest or importance that can
 be ascertained respecting  the         
successive incumbents should be         
chronicled4 ,for the time of the        
,commonwealth1 ,walker's 8,sufferings of
 the ,clergy0 on the one hand1 and      
,calamy's 8,ejected ,ministers0 on the  
other1 should be consulted4 ,they  both 
make mention of a very great number of  
the clergy4    ,,dedication4 ,the       
dedication of the church should never be
 taken for  granted from county         
gazetteers or directories4 ,dedications 

to ,all  ,saints1 and to the ,blessed   
,virgin1 should be viewed with some     
suspicion  until firmly established1 for
 in the time of ,henry ,,viii4 the      
dedication  festivals1 or 8wakes10 were 
often transferred to ,all ,saints' ,day1
 or  ,lady ,day1 in order to avoid a    
multiplicity of holidays1 and hence by  
degrees the real dedication became      
forgotten4 ,ecton's 8,thesaurus  ,rerum 
,ecclesiasticarum0 7#agdb71 and ,bacon's
 8,liber ,regis0 7#aghf71  should be    
consulted for dedications4 ,occasionally
 the patron saints  of the different    
churches are mentioned in the           
institutions in the  episcopal          
registers1 and more often in monastic   
chartularies2 but the  surest of all    
references1 in the case of a doubtful   
dedication1 is to  look up the          
pre-,reformation wills of the lords of  
the manor or other  chief people of the 
parish4 ,these wills almost invariably  
contain an  early clause to this        
effect3--8,i leave my body to be buried 

within the  church of ,st4 ----40 ,the  
time of the wakes or village feast is a 
good  guide to the dedication1 but one  
which1 from the reason stated above1  as
 well as from other causes1 must not be 
implicitly relied upon4    ,another     
point worth remembering with regard to  
dedications1 is that  re-consecration   
was not of unfrequent occurrence4       
,murder and some other  crimes within   
the church1 as well as special          
violations of the altar1  rendered      
re-consecration imperative2 and it was  
also often resorted to  when the fabric 
was altogether or considerably rebuilt1 
or even when  a new chancel was added4  
,at the time of these re-consecrations1 
it  occasionally happened that the name 
of the patron saint was changed1  not   
from mere caprice or love of novelty1   
but because relics of that  particular  
saint were obtained for inclosure in the
 chief or high  altar4 ,this should be  
borne in mind when a discrepancy is     
found in the  name of the patron saint  

of the same church at different epochs4 
,the chapter of ,parker's 8,calendar of 
the ,anglican ,church10 entitled 8,a    
few remarks on the dedication of        
,english ,churches10 is worth reading4  
,this book is also valuable for the     
brief account of the saints most        
frequently met with in ,england1 both in
 dedications and otherwise4 ,the  first 
half of the book has been re-published  
once or twice1 under the  title of      
8,calendar of the ,prayer ,book10 but it
 leaves out the chapters  here          
mentioned1 and is comparatively         
valueless as compared with the  edition 
of #ahea4 ,harington 8,on the           
,consecration of ,churches10 published  
by ,rivington in #ahdd1 should also be  
read4          ,description of the      
,church4      ,having finished the      
history of the ,church1 it will be best 
to follow it  up by a description of the
 fabric of the ,church1 and of all its  
details4    ,,styles ,,of               
,,architecture4 ,in deciding as to the  

different 8periods0  under which to     
classify the various styles into which  
almost every  parish church is more or  
less divided1 it is perhaps wisest to   
confine  oneself to the simple and      
generally accepted divisions of ,english
  architecture1 originally adopted by   
,mr4 ,rickman1 viz4 7#a7 the ,saxon1    
from #hjj to #ajff2 7#b7 the ,norman1   
from #ajff to #aade2 7#c7 the ,early    
,english1 from #aade to #abgb2 7#d7 the 
,decorated1 from #abgb to #acgg2 and    
7#e7 the ,perpendicular1 from #acgg to  
#aeji4 ,some competent writers always   
speak of three periods of ,transition1  
covering the reigns of ,henry  ,,ii41   
,edward ,i41 and ,richard ,,ii42 whilst 
others1 and this may be well  adopted1  
speak of only one regular 8,transition10
 meaning by that term  the period       
between the ,early ,english and         
,decorated1 or the reign of  ,edward ,i4
 7#abgb-acjg74    ,these divisions are  
generally accepted as sufficing for     
popular  purposes2 but of the more      

detailed and technical divisions of     
later  writers1 there are none so       
correct in nomenclature1 and so accurate
 in  separation of style1 as the seven  
periods of ,mr4 ,edmund ,sharpe4 ,the   
first and second of his periods are the 
same as given above1 but the  third is  
styled the ,transitional1 from #aade to 
#aaij2 the fourth1 the  ,lancet1 from   
#aaij to #abde2 the fifth1 the          
,geometrical1 from #abde to  #acae2 the 
sixth1 the ,curvilinear1 from #acae to  
#acfj2 and the seventh1  the            
,rectilinear1 from #acfj to #aeej4 ,see 
,sharpe's 8,seven ,periods of  ,english 
,architecture10 with its excellent      
series of plates4    ,there are numerous
 architectural manuals1 but ,parker's   
8,glossary of  ,gothic ,architecture0   
has not been surpassed1 and is very     
comprehensive4  ,the best edition is the
 fourth1 with the two additional volumes
 of  plates4    ,before classifying the 
different parts of the building         
according to the  various periods1 a    

most careful inspection should be made  
of both inner  and outer walls1 when    
fragments of mouldings1 pertaining      
possibly to an  earlier church than any 
now standing1 may not unfrequently be   
detected4    ,,monuments4 ,inscriptions 
on monuments now missing1 or partly     
obliterated1 may sometimes be recovered 
from the ,church ,notes of  ,heraldic   
,visitations1 or other ,,ms4 note books 
of ecclesiologists of  past generations1
 in which some counties are peculiarly  
fortunate4  ,for a list of ,,mss4 of    
this description1 that may be found in  
our  public libraries1 arranged under   
counties1 see ,sims' 8,manual40 ,it may 
also be useful to refer to two printed  
works--,le ,neve's 8,monumenta          
,anglicana10 #e vols4 #hvo4             
7#agag-agai71 and ,weever's 8,ancient   
,funerall  ,monuments10 the latest      
edition of which1 with additions1 is a  
#dto4  vol4 of #agfg4 ,the former gives 
inscriptions on monuments of eminent    
persons who deceased between #afjj and  

#agah1 the latter treats generally  of  
all monuments in the dioceses of        
,canterbury1 ,rochester1 ,london1  and  
,norwich4 ,bloxam1 on 8,monumental      
,architecture0 7#ahcd71 is a useful     
handbook on the general subject of      
monuments4    ,cutts' 8,manual of       
,sepulchral ,slabs and ,crosses0 is the 
only book  dealing with the interesting 
subject of early ,,incised ,,slabs4 ,it 
is  well done1 but much more has come to
 light on the subject since it was      
written 7#ahdi71 and a new manual is    
much wanted4 ,in some counties1  where  
stone abounds1 remains of this          
description are found in most  churches4
 ,if any part of the church is being    
rebuilt1 the debris  should be most     
carefully looked over2 and a minute     
inspection of the  existing masonry will
 often detect more or less perfect      
specimens of  incised crosses that have 
been utilised in the masonry by the     
church  restorers of past generations4  
,the lintels of the windows 7especially 

of the clerestory and of the tower71 the
 inner side of the parapets or          
battlements1 the stone seats of the     
porch1 and of course the whole of  the  
flooring1 should be critically scanned  
for these relics4 ,see also  ,boutell's 
8,christian ,monuments40    ,haines'    
8,manual of ,monumental ,,brasses0 7#b  
vols4 #hvo41 #ahfa7 is the best  book on
 that class of memorials4 ,the second   
volume consists of a fairly  exhaustive 
list of brasses throughout the kingdom4 
,there is no good handbook dealing      
exclusively with ,,stone ,,effigies1 a  
great desideratum2 the big illustrated  
folios of ,gough's 8,sepulchral         
,monuments10 and ,stothard's            
8,monumental ,effigies10 may be         
consulted  with advantage4 ,for the     
details of ,,armour1 ,hewitt's 8,ancient
 ,armour  and ,weapons in ,europe0 7#c  
vols7 is the most exhaustive work2 for  
the  details of ,,costume there are     
several expensive works1 but the best   
handbook is ,fairholt's 8,costume in    

,england10 to which is appended an      
illustrated glossary of terms4    ,in   
connection with stained or painted      
,,glass1 ,winston's 8,hints on  ,glass  
,painting0 7#bnd edition1 #ahfg7 should 
be read1 wherein the  different styles  
of successive periods are critically    
distinguished and  illustrated4    ,for 
the important item of ,,heraldry1 both  
in glass and on monuments1  the best of 
the numerous manuals 7and there are     
several very trashy7  is ,cussan's      
8,handbook of ,heraldry40 ,burke's      
8,general ,armoury10 of  which a new and
 extended edition was published in      
#ahgh1 is a dictionary  of arms         
classified under families4 ,papworth's  
8,dictionary of ,british  ,armorials0 is
 arranged on the opposite principle1    
viz41 the blazonry  or description of   
the arms is given first1 and the name of
 the family  or families to which it    
pertains follows4 ,it is an expensive   
work1 but  indispensable in the         
identification of arms4 ,it will also be

 found to  be far more accurate than    
,burke1 and gives references to the     
various  rolls and other ,,mss4 from    
which the arms are cited4    ,,fonts are
 almost a speciality in themselves4     
,simpson's 8,series of  ,ancient        
,baptismal ,fonts10 #ahbe1 has a large  
number of beautifully  finished plates  
of the more remarkable examples4        
,paley's 8,baptismal  ,font10 #ahdd1 has
 illustrations and critical descriptions
 of a great  number1 arranged           
alphabetically4 ,see also the           
8,archologia10 vols4 x4  and xi4        
,,bells have now a literature of their  
own4 ,ellacombe's 8,bells of the        
,church10 and ,fowler's 8,bells and     
,bell-ringing0 are admirable works4     
,the inscriptions1 etc41 on the church  
bells of the majority of ,english       
counties have already been published1   
and most of the remainder are  now in   
progress4 ,north's 8,bells of           
,leicestershire10 and 8,bells of        
,northamptonshire10 are the best books  

of their class1 but the 8,bells  of     
,derbyshire10 now in course of          
publication in the 8,reliquary10 and    
chiefly contributed by ,st4 ,john ,hope1
 are being yet more thoroughly  treated1
 both in description and illustration4  
,church ,,plate should always be        
inspected1 and the date1 character1     
inscription1 or arms on each piece      
carefully recorded4 ,chaffers' 8,hall   
,marks on ,plate0 gives the fullest     
description of the different marks1  and
 how the precise date can be thereby    
ascertained4 ,the fifth edition1        
published in #ahge1 is a considerable   
improvement on its predecessors4        
,,inventories ,,of ,,church ,,goods     
often need explanation1 or remains of   
various ancient church furniture may    
make some description necessary4  ,there
 is no one book that can be thoroughly  
recommended on this  subject2 but1      
perhaps1 the most satisfactory in some  
respects is  ,walcott's 8,sacred        
,archology10 a popular dictionary of    

ecclesiastical  art and institutions4   
,jules ,corblet's 8,manuel ,elmentaire  
d',archologie  ,nationale0 may be       
consulted with advantage2 it is a better
 done  work than anything of the size   
and scope in ,english1 and is well      
illustrated4 ,for the various details of
 ,church worship and ceremonies1        
reference should be made to ,rock's     
8,church of our ,fathers10 and to       
,chambers' valuable work1 8,divine      
,worship in ,england in the ,thirteenth 
and ,fourteenth ,centuries1 contrasted  
with and adapted to that in the         
,nineteenth40    ,before beginning the  
description of the ,church1 it will be  
well1 in  the first place1 in order to  
ensure clearness and accuracy1 that some
  general ,,plan ,,of ,,procedure should
 be adopted4 ,we give the following     
skeleton of a suggested outline1 that   
has been proved to be useful and        
orderly1 but it can1 of course1 be      
altered or expanded or re-arranged  in  
any direction4    #a4 ,enumeration of   

component parts of structure1 remarks as
 to its  general or special             
characteristics4    #b ,ground plan1    
i4e41 dimensions of area of chancel1    
nave1 etc41  different levels1 and      
number of chancel and altar steps4      
#c4 ,description of parts of the        
permanent structure that are 7a7        
,saxon1 7b7 ,norman1 7c7 ,early         
,english1 7d7 ,transition1 7e7          
,decorated1 7f7 ,perpendicular1 7g7     
,debased1 7h7 ,churchwarden1 and  7i7   
,restored4 ,some definite order should  
be observed under each head1  otherwise 
it is likely that some details may      
escape1 e4g4 doorways1  windows1 piers1 
arches1 etc41 of chancel1 nave1 aisles1 
porches1  transepts1 tower1 and chapels4
    #d4 ,external details--parapets1    
gurgoyles1 niches1 stoup1 arms1         
inscriptions1 8low side windows40    #e4
 ,internal details--,stone altar or     
altar stone1 piscina1  almery1          
hagioscope1 ,easter or sepulchral       
recess1 niches1 brackets1  roof-corbels1

 and sedilia of 7a7 chancel1 7b7 south  
aisle1 7c7  north aisle1 and 7d7 chapels
 or transepts2 also groined roofs1      
doorway or steps to roodloft1 and stone 
screens--,wood altar table1  altar      
rails1 reading desk1 lectern1 pulpit1   
pews1 benches1 poppy-heads1  panelling1 
roofs1 doors1 galleries1 rood or chancel
 screen1 other  screens or parcloses1   
parish or vestment chests1 alms         
boxes--,iron or  other metal--any old   
details4    #f4 ,font--7a7 position1 7b7
 description1 7c7 measurements1 7d7     
cover4    #g4 ,monuments--beginning with
 early incised stones1 and carefully    
following them down in chronological    
order1 an order which should not  be    
broken except for the purpose of keeping
 a family group together4  ,arms should 
be correctly blazoned1 and inscriptions 
faithfully copied4    #h4 ,stained      
glass1 according to age4    #i4         
,encaustic tiles--pavement generally4   
#aj4 ,fresco paintings1 black-letter    
texts1 patterns on roof or  elsewhere1  

royal arms1 charity bequest boards4     
#aa4 ,bells--7a7 number1 7b7 inscription
 and marks1 7c7 frame1  7d7 remarkable  
peals1 or bell-ringers rhymes1 7e7      
legends2 also  sanctus bell1 or bell    
cote on nave gable4    #ab4 ,parish     
registers and other documents2 church   
books1 or library4    #ac4 ,church      
plate4    #ad4 ,church yard1 7a7 cross1 
7b7 remarkable monuments or epitaphs1   
7c7 yew tree1 7d7 lychgate1 7e7 sundial4
    #ae4 ,more recent fittings or       
ornaments1 such as altar appurtenances1 
organ1 etc42 the previous headings being
 supposed to be confined to  older      
details possessing some historic value4 
,but if the date1 or  probable date1 is 
given of each particular1 it might      
perhaps be as well  to describe         
everything 7if a complete account up to 
date is desired7  under its proper head2
 thus a modern altar cross and          
candlesticks might  be mentioned under  
the #eth head4    ,a few words on church
 8,,restoration0 may be here introduced2

 for  it cannot surely be inappropriate 
to include a sentence or two in  these  
pages 7whose object it is to further the
 preservation of local  records71 that  
may possibly have some small influence  
in preventing  the needless destruction 
of any part of those noble buildings    
round  which the history of each        
,english parish so closely clusters4    
,from the  standpoint of a local        
annalist nothing has been more painful  
in the  8restorations0 of the past forty
 years than the wanton way in which     
monuments1 and more especially flat     
tombstones1 of all ages1 have been      
often treated4    ,it is necessary to   
enter a warm protest against the notion 
that any  honour can be paid to ,god1 or
 respect to the memory of those that ,he
  created in ,his own image1 by burying 
inscribed gravestones beneath many      
inches of concrete in order to stick    
therein the glossy tiles of recent      
manufacture4 ,the effacing or removal   
7wherever it can be avoided7 of  the    

memorials of the dead should in all     
cases be strongly resisted1  no matter  
what be the eminence of the architect   
that recommends it4  ,there are not many
 unrestored churches left in the        
country1 but there  are some of much    
value and interest for whose fate we    
tremble4 ,when a  8restoration0 7the    
term is a necessity for the lack of a   
better7 is  contemplated1 let it be     
recollected that all work--beyond the   
removal  of galleries1 and modern       
fittings1 the opening out of flat       
plaster  ceilings1 above which good     
timber roofs often lie concealed1 the   
scraping off the accumulated layers of  
whitewash and paint1 the letting  in of 
light through blocked-up windows1 the   
allowing of feet to pass  through       
doorways closed in recent days by the   
mason or bricklayer1 and  the making    
strong of really perishing parts--all   
work beyond this is  in great danger of 
destroying the traces of the historic   
continuity  of our ,church1 and of doing

 a damage that can never be repaired4   
,and  in preserving this historic       
continuity1 let it not be thought that  
any service is being rendered to history
 or religion by sweeping  clean out of  
the church all fittings of a            
post-,reformation date4 ,the  sturdy    
,elizabethan benches1 the well-carved   
,jacobean pulpit1 or the  altar rails of
 beaten iron of last century1 should all
 be preserved  as memorials of their    
respective periods2 in short1 everything
 that  our forefathers gave to ,god's   
service that was costly and good1 should
  be by us preserved1 provided that it  
does not mar the devout ritual  ordered 
by the ,common ,prayer1 or in other     
respects interfere with  the ,church's  
due proclaiming of her ,divine mission  
to the nineteenth  century4 ,the        
reaction against over-restoration is now
 happily setting  in1 but a word of     
caution is also necessary lest that cry 
should be  adopted as the cloak of a    
lazy indifferentism1 or be used as an   

excuse  for regarding the parish church 
as a local museum illustrative of       
byegone times1 to be carefully dusted   
and nothing more4 ,where much  new work1
 or any considerable extent of          
refitting1 seem absolutely  necessary1  
it is best to hasten slowly1 and to do a
 little well rather  than to aim at a   
speedy general effect4 ,thus1 if one of 
our old grey  churches requires fresh   
seating1 how much better to fill a      
single aisle  or one bay of the nave    
with sound and effectively carved oak1  
and only  repair the remainder1 rather  
than to accomplish the whole in sticky  
pine4 ,the best material and the best   
art should surely be used in ,god's     
service1 and not reserved to feed our   
pride or minister to our comfort  in    
private dwellings4 ,it has often been   
noticed how far better the work  of     
redeeming the interior of our churches  
from that state of dirt and  neglect    
that had degraded some at least below   
the level of the very  barns upon the   

glebe1 has been carried out where money 
has come in  slowly1 and at intervals1  
rather than where some munificent patron
 has  readily found the funds to enter  
upon a big contract4          ,religious
 ,houses4      ,if the parish includes  
within its boundaries the remains or the
 site of  any abbey1 priory1 hospital1  
monastic cell1 or other religious       
building  otherwise than the parish     
church1 the history and description of  
such  places must of course be          
separately undertaken4 ,and let not the 
local  historian consider it is needless
 for him to explore into a subject  that
 has probably been treated of with      
greater or less detail in the  original 
edition of ,dugdale's 8,monasticon10 or 
with more precision  in the expanded    
,english edition4 ,the ,english abbeys  
or priories1 whose  history can be said 
to have been exhaustively written1 could
 certainly  be counted on the fingers of
 both hands4    ,should any one desire  
to thoroughly search into the history of

 a  religious house1 it will be best in 
the first place to ascertain  whether   
there is any chartulary or chartularies 
extant 7to printed  lists of which we   
have previously referred7 for ,dugdale  
and subsequent  writers have often only 
quoted some two or three out of a       
hundred  charters1 or ignored them      
altogether4 ,secondly1 the numerous     
references  to national records1 all now
 to be found at the ,p4 ,r4 ,o41 which  
are  given in ,tanner's 8,notitia10 or  
in the big ,dugdale1 should be referred 
to seriatim4 ,thirdly1 the indexes and  
calendars to the various ,rolls1  etc41 
at the ,p4 ,r4 ,o41 which have been     
mentioned under the manorial  history1  
should be looked through for those more 
or less frequent  references that are   
almost certain to have been omitted by  
,tanner4  ,fourthly1 the ,augmentation  
,books1 and other likely documents of   
the  time of the ,suppression of the    
,monasteries1 should be overhauled4     
,fifthly1 special ,,mss4 dealing with   

the order to which the house  pertains1 
should be sought after2 e4g41 if of the 
,premonstratensian  order1 a store of   
unpublished matter is almost certain to 
be found  in the ,peck ,,mss4 of the ,b4
 ,m41 and in the ,visitation ,book of   
the  ,b41 numbered ,ashmole ,,mss4      
#aeai4 ,sixthly1 search should also be  
made  through the indexes of the various
 ,blue ,book ,reports of the ,historical
  ,manuscript ,commission1 and inquiries
 set on foot as to local private        
libraries4 ,seventhly1 and though last1 
this suggestion will often be  found to 
be of great value1 questions should be  
asked through the pages  of that        
invaluable medium between literary      
men--,notes and ,queries4    ,it may    
also be found of use to study the       
precise statutes and  regulations of the
 particular order4 ,they will be found  
in full in  the bulky folios of         
,holstein's 8,codex ,regularum          
,monasticarum et  ,canonicarum10 #agei4 
,dugdale only gives an abstract of the  

majority of  them4          ,general    
,topics4      ,under this head we may   
classify the more general and modern    
subjects  that should not be left out of
 any complete parochial history1 but    
which it is sufficient just to indicate 
without further comment1 only  premising
 that the annalist should keep          
constantly before him that it  is the   
history of a parish1 and not of a county
 or country1 on which he  is engaged1   
and that the more sparing he is of      
general disquisitions  the more likely  
he is to please his readers4    ,the    
value of a thorough study of the        
field-names1 of which we spoke  in the  
first section of this manual1 will now  
also become apparent4  ,some names will 
tell of a change of physical features1  
of swamps and  islands1 where all is now
 dry and far removed from water1 or of  
forests  and underwood1 where the blade 
of corn is now the highest vegetation2  
whilst others will point to the previous
 existence of the vast common  fields1  

and their peculiar cultivation          
7concerning which ,maine's  8,village   
,communities0 should be read74 ,some    
will indicate the foolish  ways in which
 special crops were attempted to be     
forced by law upon  the people1 for it  
is few parishes that have not a 8,flax  
,piece0 as a  witness to the futile     
legislation of #bd ,henry ,,viii42      
whilst others tell  of trades now       
extinct1 or metals long since worked    
out4 ,some speak of  those early days   
when the wolf or the bear roamed the    
woods and fields1  the beaver dammed up 
the streams1 or the eagle swooped down  
upon its  prey2 whilst others tell of   
the weapons whereby these fauna were    
rendered extinct1 for scarcely a        
township can be found where some field  
is not termed 8the ,butts10 names that  
certainly date back as far as  ,edward  
,,iv41 when it was enacted that every   
,englishman should have a bow  of his   
own height1 and that butts for the      
practice of archery should  be erected  

near every village1 where the           
inhabitants were obliged to  shoot up   
and down on every feast day under       
penalty of being mulcted a  halfpenny4  
,it will1 of course1 be a matter of     
taste whether the topics here           
enumerated should precede or follow the 
manorial and ecclesiastical  history4   
,i4 ,situation--extent--hill and        
river--caverns and springs--scenic      
character--climate and temperature4     
,,ii4 ,geology--mineral                 
workings--quarries4    ,,iii4 ,special  
vegetable productions1 past and present4
    ,,iv4 ,special                      
,fauna--mammalia--birds--fish--reptiles-
-insects4    ,v4 ,agriculture1 past and 
present4 ,inclosures of different       
dates--,inclosure ,acts2 for the mostly 
sad effects of these most selfish       
,acts1 which profited the rich at the   
expense of the poor1 for lists of       
inclosures from time of ,queen ,anne1   
and for other valuable information  on  
this topic1 see 8,general ,report on    

,enclosures10 drawn up by the  ,board of
 ,agriculture in #ahjh4 ,the ,board of  
,agriculture1 in the first  quarter of  
this century1 drew up most valuable     
,surveys of ,agriculture  for the       
different counties1 many of which are   
replete with varied and  interesting    
information4 ,on the economic and       
antiquarian side of this  question1 read
 ,professor ,rogers's 8,history of      
,agriculture and ,prices in  ,england40 
,,vi4 ,trades and manufactures1 past and
 present4    ,,vii4 ,fairs and markets4 
,,viii4 ,roads1 canals1 railways1 and   
bridges--past and present4 ,care  should
 be taken in tracing out disused roads1 
bridle paths1 or  pack-horse tracks4    
,,ix4 ,folk-lore4 ,under this head will 
come customs and ceremonies  relating to
 childbearing1 churching1 christening1  
courtship1  betrothal1 marriage1 death1 
and burial--public-house  signs and     
their meaning--customs and superstitious
  pertaining to wells and streams--used 
and disused sports  and games--obsolete 

punishments1 such as ducking-stool or   
stocks--omens--witchcraft--ghosts--charm
s--divinations--and other  quaint or    
original customs4 ,several books have   
lately been published on  this subject1 
but they are mostly instances of        
book-making1 and none  come up to or    
surpass ,ellis's edition of 8,brand's   
,popular ,antiquities40  ,a most useful 
publication society has been recently   
started1 termed  8,the ,folk ,lore      
,society10 which has already begun      
collecting and  publishing4 ,the ,hon4  
,sec4 is ,g4 ,lawrence ,gomme1 ,esq41   
,castelnau1 ,barnes4    ,x4 ,dialect4   
,on this subject see the invaluable     
publications of the  8,english ,dialect 
,society10 now 7#ahgi7 in the seventh   
year of its  existence4 ,the hon4       
secretary is ,j4 ,h4 ,nodal1 ,esq41 ,the
 ,grange1  ,heaton ,moor1 ,stockport4   
,one of their publications1 price #fs4  
to  non-subscribers1 is 8,a ,list of    
,books relating to some of the counties 
of ,england40 ,halliwell's 8,dictionary 

of ,archaic and ,provincial ,words0     
will be found very useful4    ,,xi4     
,poor ,law and general ,rating1 history 
and statistics4    ,,xii4 ,population1  
inhabited houses1 and other census      
details at  different periods4          
,illustration          ,,index4         
,advowson1 #gf4      ,anglo-,saxon      
,chronicle1 #af4      ,armour1 #hi4     
,attainders1 #ec4        ,bacon's       
8,liber ,regis10 #hb4      ,banks'      
8,dormant and ,extinct ,baronage10 #dh4 
,bateman's 8,ten ,years ,diggings10 #ae4
      ,bells1 #ia4      ,bigelow's      
8,placita ,anglo-,normannica10 #ce4     
,black ,book of the ,exchequer1 #bj4    
,blount's 8,ancient ,tenures10 #ai4     
,bloxam's 8,monumental ,architecture10  
#hg4      ,bohn's 8,antiquarian         
,series10 #af4      ,boldon ,book1 #ah4 
,book of ,ely1 #ag4      ,book of       
,exeter1 #ag4      ,book of ,winchester1
 #ah4      ,borough ,records1 #ef4      
,boutell's 8,christian ,monuments10 #hh4
      ,brand's 8,popular ,antiquities10 

#ajg4      ,brasses1 #hh4      ,briefs1 
#gd4      ,burke's 8,armoury10 #hi4     
,burke's 8,landed ,gentry10 #dh4        
,burn's 8,parish ,registers10 #eh4      
,calamy's 8,ejected ,ministers10 #ha4   
,chaffers' 8,hall ,marks10 #ia4         
,chalmers' 8,biographical ,dictionary10 
#eg4      ,chambers' 8,divine ,worship10
 #ib4      ,chantries1 #fi4             
,charities1 #ff4      ,charnock's       
8,local ,etymology10 #ad4      ,charter 
,rolls1 #be4      ,church ,details1     
#ic-f4      ,church1 ,description of1   
#hd4      ,church1 ,history of1 #fg4    
,churchwardens' ,accounts1 #fb4         
,close ,rolls1 #bd4      ,collins'      
8,peerage and ,baronetage10 #dh4        
,commonwealth ,survey1 #gc4             
,constables' ,accounts1 #fb4            
,corblet's 8,manuel ,elmentaire10 #ib4  
,costume1 #hi4      ,county ,records1   
#ee4      ,court of ,chancery1 #cc4     
,cowel's 8,interpreter10 #gh4           
,cussan's 8,heraldry10 #hi4      ,cutts'
 8,incised ,slabs10 #hg4                

,dialect1 #ajh4      ,dedication of     
,church1 #ha4      ,domesday ,book1 #af1
 #fg4      ,domestic ,architecture1 #dd4
      ,dugdale's 8,baronage10 #dh4      
,dugdale's 8,monasticon10 #aja4         
,ecton's 8,thesaurus10 #hb4             
,edmondson's 8,baronagium               
,genealogicum10 #dh4      ,edmund's     
8,names of ,places10 #ad4               
,ellacombe's 8,bells of the ,church10   
#ia4      ,ellis' 8,introduction to     
,domesday ,book10 #ag4      ,english    
,dialect ,society1 #ajh4      ,episcopal
 ,registers1 #gi4      ,etymology1 #ac4 
,fairholt's 8,costume10 #hi4      ,feet 
of ,fines1 #dj4      ,ferguson's 8,river
 ,names10 #ae4      ,ferguson's         
8,teutonic ,name ,system10 #ae4         
,fergusson's 8,rude ,stone ,monuments10 
#ae4      ,fergusson's 8,history of     
,architecture10 #dh4      ,feudal       
,tenure1 #ah4      ,field ,names1 #ac1  
#ajd4      ,fine ,rolls1 #bf4      ,folk
 ,lore1 #ajg4      ,folk ,lore ,society1
 #ajh4      ,fonts1 #ij4                

,forfeitures1 #ec4      ,fosbrooke's    
8,encyclopdia of ,antiquities10 #dd4    
,fowler's 8,bells and ,bell-ringing10   
#ia4      ,fuller's 8,worthies10 #eg4   
,general ,topics1 #ajc-h4      ,glass1  
#hi4      ,gomme's 8,index of ,municipal
 ,offices10 #ff4      ,gough's          
8,sepulchral ,monuments10 #hi4          
,greenwell's 8,british ,barrows10 #ae4  
,guilds and ,fraternities1 #gb4         
,haines' 8,brasses10 #hh4               
,halliwell's 8,archaic ,dictionary10    
#ajh4      ,hamilton's 8,quarter        
,sessions10 #ef4      ,heralds'         
,visitations1 #di4      ,heraldic       
,church ,notes1 #gc4      ,heraldry1    
#hi4      ,hewitt's 8,ancient ,armour10 
#hi4      ,historical ,,mss4            
,commission1 #ef4      ,history of the  
,church1 #fg4      ,holstein's 8,codex10
 #ajc4      ,hundred ,rolls1 #bg4       
,incised ,slabs1 #hg4      ,inclosure   
,acts1 #ajf4      ,inclosure            
,commissioners1 #ad1 #ajf4              
,incumbents1 ,lists of1 #gh4            

,inquisitiones ad quod damnum1 #ci4     
,inquisitiones post mortem1 #cf4        
,inventories of ,church ,goods1 #ga1    
#ib4      ,itinerant ,justices1 #ca4    
,justices in ,eyre1 #ca4      ,justices 
of the ,forest1 #ca4        ,kemble's   
8,saxons in ,england10 #af4             
,knight's ,fees1 #ah4        ,le ,neve's
 8,fasti10 #hj4      ,le ,neve's        
8,monumenta ,anglicana10 #hh4           
,leo's 8,local ,nomenclature10 #ad4     
,local ,etymology1 #ac4      ,lubbock's 
8,scientific ,lectures10 #ae4           
,maine's 8,village ,communities10 #ajd4 
,manorial ,history1 #af4      ,maps1    
#ad4      ,marshall's 8,genealogist's   
,guide10 #di4      ,marshall ,rolls1    
#bj4      ,mayors of ,boroughs1 #ed4    
,members of ,parliament1 #ed4           
,merewether's 8,history of ,boroughs10  
#eg4      ,monuments1 #hf4      ,muster 
,rolls1 #ed4        ,nichols'           
8,collectanea10 #gg4      ,nicolas'     
8,notitia ,historica10 #ec4             
,nonarum ,inquisitiones1 #ba4           

,nonconformist ,registers1 #fa4         
8,notes and ,queries10 #ajc4            
,north's 8,bells of ,leicestershire and 
,northamptonshire10 #ia4                
,originalia1 #bf4      ,overseers of the
 ,poor1 #fb4        ,paley's 8,fonts10  
#ij4      ,papworth's 8,armorials10 #hi4
      ,pardons1 #ec4      ,parish       
,registers1 #eh4      ,parker's         
8,calendar10 #hd4      ,parker's        
8,domestic ,architecture10 #dg4         
,parker's 8,glossary of ,architecture10 
#hf4      ,parochial ,records1 #eh4     
,patent ,rolls1 #bc4      ,pedes        
,finium1 #dj4      ,personal ,history1  
#dh4      ,pipe ,rolls1 #bb4            
,placita1 #bi4      ,placita ,itinerum1 
#cb4      ,plate1 #ia4      ,prehistoric
 ,remains1 #ae4        ,quo ,warranto   
,rolls1 #cb4        ,re-consecration1   
#hb4      ,records of ,assize1 #cb4     
,recusant ,rolls1 #ec4                  
,re-dedication1 #hc4      ,religious    
,houses1 #ajj4      8,reliquary10 #ia4  
,report on ,enclosures1 #ajf4           

,report on ,municipal ,corporations1    
#eg4      ,report on ,public ,records1  
#ec4      ,restoration1 #if4            
,rock's 8,church of our ,fathers10 #ib4 
,roger's 8,history of ,agriculture10    
#ajf4      ,rotuli ,curi ,regis1 #cj4   
,scutage ,rolls1 #bj4                   
,sequestrations1 #ec4      ,sharpe's    
8,seven ,periods10 #hf4      ,sheriffs1 
#ed4      ,simpson's 8,fonts10 #ij4     
,sims' 8,index to ,pedigrees10 #eb4     
,sims' 8,manual10 #ci1 #eb1 #ed1 #gg1   
#hg4      ,stone ,effigies1 #hi4        
,stothard's 8,monumental ,effigies10    
#hi4      ,stubb's 8,registrum ,sacrum10
 #hf4      ,styles of ,architecture1    
#hd4        ,tanner's 8,notitia10 #aja4 
,taylor's 8,words and ,places10 #ad4    
,taxation of ,pope ,nicholas1 #fg4      
,testa de ,neville1 #bj4      ,thomas'  
8,handbook10 #db4      ,thorpe's        
8,diplomatarium ,anglicum10 #af4        
,tithe ,commutation ,maps1 #ad4         
,toulmin ,smith's 8,english ,guilds10   
#gc4      ,toulmin ,smith's 8,parish10  

#fe4        ,valor ,ecclesiasticus1 #fh4
      ,village ,officers1 #ff4          
,viollet-le-,duc's 8,military           
,architecture10 #df4        ,walcott's  
8,sacred ,archology10 #ib4              
,walker's 8,sufferings of the ,clergy10 
#ha4      ,weever's 8,funerall          
,monuments10 #hg4      ,wills1 #eb4     
,winston's 8,glass ,painting10 #hi4     
,wood's 8,athen10 #eg4      ,worrall's  
8,bibliotheca ,legum ,angli10 #ce4      
,worsae's 8,primeval ,antiquities10 #dd4
      ,wright's 8,archological ,essays10
 #dd4      ,wright's 8,court-,hand      
,restored10 #dc1 #fj4        ,year      
,books1 #cd4      ,youlgreave ,parish   
,records1 #fd4    ,illustration         
,,bemrose ,,and ,,sons1 ,,printers4     
,,london ,,and ,,derby4          ,,by   
,,the ,,same ,,author4      ,,notes ,,on
    ,the ,churches of ,derbyshire4      
,four ,volumes1 handsomely bound in     
,cloth1 profusely ,illustrated1 red     
edges1 ,royal #hvo4      ,,vol4 ,i4     
,,hundred ,,of ,,scarsdale4 ,price #aes4

      ,,vol4 ,,ii4  ,,hundreds ,,of     
,,high ,,peak ,,and ,,wirksworth4       
,price #bas4      ,,vol4 ,,iii4         
,,hundreds ,,of ,,appletree1 ,,and      
,,repton                ,,and ,,gresley4
 ,price #bas4      ,,vol4 ,,iv4         
,,hundred ,,of ,,litchurch ,,and        
,,morleston2                ,,borough   
,,of ,,derby2 ,general ,appendix2       
and ,general ,index to the #d vols4     
,price #bes4      ,or #c #aes4 #j;d4 for
 the whole ,series4      8,a            
,,magnificent ,,work40--,times4    8,an 
excellent work of the most comprehensive
 and minute  kind40--,athenum4    8,a   
rare example of thoroughly conscientious
 work1 and a perfect  treasury of       
ecclesiological information40--,academy4
      ,,london3    ,,bemrose  ,,sons1   
#aj1 ,,paternoster ,,buildings2    ,,and
 ,,irongate1 ,,derby4          ,,to     
,,authors1 ,,clergymen1 c4      ,bemrose
  ,sons desire to call attention to the 
special facilities which  they can offer
 for the production of ,county or       

,parish ,histories1 and  high-class     
,bookwork generally4    ,estimates and  
specimens on application4               
,illustration3 ,,letterpress ,,printing4
    ,an extensive office1 with a varied 
stock of old style and other types1     
affords a selection of such type as     
harmonises with the character and  size 
of the work to be executed4    ,the     
staff of employs is large and           
experienced1 while the best and  latest 
mechanical and other appliances combine 
to ensure excellence and  dispatch in   
the issue of all printing4    ,sermons1 
,reports1 ,bills1 ,circulars1 and other 
,parochial ,printing1 at  the shortest  
notice4    ,illustration3               
,,illustrations ,,and ,,illuminations4  
,special ,artists are employed for the  
numerous branches of ,art in  connection
 with ,typography1 hence ,illustrations1
 either on ,wood  or ,steel1 to any     
design1 and in accord with any style or 
period4  ,archological ,illustrations by
 several new processes4 ,artists are    

sent  out to make ,sketches and         
,drawings when required4    ,illuminated
 ,addresses on vellum for ,presentation 
in the highest style  of the art4       
,heraldic ,work of all kinds4 ,pedigrees
 and ,coats of ,arms  copied with       
accuracy4    ,illustration3 ,,binding4  
,in every style--plain and strong for   
,parish ,libraries1 neat and uniform    
for ,private ,libraries1 and superbly   
extra finished for ,presentation and    
the ,drawing ,room ,table4              
,,bemrose  ,,sons'    ,,process ,,of    
,,fac-,,simile ,,printing4      ,the    
process1 briefly described1 is as       
follows4 ,the ,instantaneous or         
,fac-,simile ,printing ,ink is made in  
sticks1 to be rubbed like ,indian  ,ink1
 as well as in a liquid state in        
,bottles1 price ,one ,shilling each4    
,the ink should be used on ordinary     
paper1 of a good quality1 and for  very 
elaborate ,drawings1 ,whatman's drawing 
paper is recommended4 ,the  paper must  
be kept free from finger touches and    

grease2 and while the  drawing is in    
progress1 it is well to have a piece of 
loose paper under  the hand1 which      
serves to keep the paper clean and to   
try the pen on  after each supply or dip
 of ink4 ,the lead pencil may be used   
and left  on the paper1 as the strokes  
will not interfere with the printing2   
and  the ,ink ,drawing must on no       
account be smeared or rubbed with ,india
  ,rubber1 c4    ,for ,circulars1       
,fac-,similes of old ,,mss41 and        
,commercial purposes1 the  ordinary pen 
will do2 but for ,drawings1 a fine steel
 pen or crow-quill  should be used4     
,drawing or writing executed with the   
ink should be sent flat1 or round  a    
roller1 to ,messrs4 ,bemrose  ,sons1 who
 will then print from it any  required  
number of copies in exact fac-simile4   
,,transcriber',s ,,notes3               
,italicized text is surrounded by       
underscores3 italics4      ,obvious     
typographical errors have been          
corrected4      ,inconsistencies in     

hyphenation have been standardized4     
,archaic or variant spelling has been   
retained4