l62 



(!Ef)cstcrfirltr (^i)uvcf) <2Eustoms of t!)c 



By Rev. J. Charles Cox, LL.D., F.S.A. 



ITHIN the parish church of Chesterfield, in the chapel 

 of St. George (usually known as the Calton Chapel), 

 on the south side of the chancel, is a massive old oak 

 chest bound round with iron bands and staples, and fastened with 

 six locks. The parochial archaeologist might naturally expect to 

 discover a rich " find " of old papers in such a receptacle, but it 

 contains nothing earlier than papers of last century of trivial 

 moment. One book, however, deserves more careful notice. It 

 is called : — " A Book of Register, for the use of the Church, to 

 enter the Money that is collected at the Sacrament as also the 

 Disbursments and the Names of the Persons to whom it's given, 

 by Bernard Lucas & John Webster Church Wardens. Anno 



Dom : 1 733-" 



This volume seems to be the only survivor of the large number 

 of important parish books that this chest, or some other receptacle, 

 at one time sheltered. We were told, many years ago, by the 

 late Archdeacon Hill, that more than a score of old parish volumes 

 disappeared during the prolonged restoration of the church 

 fifty years ago, and that he in vain tried to recover them. This 

 folio account book extends from 1733 to 1809, and consists of 

 168 leaves or folios. The parchment and board cover is nearly 

 off, and the leaves are loose. We venture to ask that a few 

 shillings be expended on a new cover, and that the leaves be all 

 paged as a preventive to abstraction. 



