The Story of These Records

On Friday, April 13th 1893, the Vicar of Burton (The Rev. Vicars A. Doyle, M.A., B.C.L.) read a Paper before the Natural History and Archaeological Society, on ” Parish Registers,” illustrated by references to the Burton Parish Registers. This paper it was proposed to publish in the Society’s Transactions; but, yielding to the Vicar’s representations that the publication of original documents was more in accordance with the aim of the Society, the Publication Committee consented to publish a portion of the Register itself.

The portion chosen is the marriage register from 1538 to 1686. This is included in the first volume of the Parish Registers, a small quarto, bound in· call, and consisting of some four hundred leaves of paper. The volume contains the Register of Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials from 1538 to 1686, each separate, and in the order named. The book is perfect, with the exception of the title and the first leaves of the Baptismal Register. The last six leaves of the volume contain a list of Briefs and persons ex-communicate. The entries (except during the three years 1578 to 1581, where they are in English) are throughout the book in Latin. There are few entries of events· other than Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, and such are, for the most part, notices of the Bishop’s Visitations, and of the appointment of Ministers of the Parish Church. In transcribing the entries, the Vicar has departed from the original in these particulars:

• Latin has been translated into English.
• Superfluous words are omitted, i.e. such formal repetitions as “were married”.
• Contractions are extended.
• Dates are reduced to the margin.