By the Rev, W. C. Plenderleath. 307 



bound in Russia leather, the whole being then enclosed in a strong 

 case. At Charlton Kings also, near Cheltenham, the books are per- 

 fect from 1538 to the present date, with the exception of one leaf 

 (1557-8) which has been torn out. But that the number of the i 538 

 books still extant represents but a very small proportion of those which 

 were then begun, there is abundant testimony to prove. In Bellas His- 

 tory of the Huntingdon Peerage, p. 295, he says " In making the ex- 

 tracts necessary for my purpose, I found that the early registers of this 

 parish (Christchurch, Hants) had been destroyed, as I was informed, 

 by the late curate^s wife, who made kettle holders of them, and 

 would most likely have consumed the whole parish archives in this 

 homely way, but that the fortunate and timely interference of the 

 present clerk rescued what remains from destruction.^^ Again, in 

 the " Parochial Histories " of the diocese which were collected some 

 years ago under the auspices of the late Bishop, I find the following 

 report from Tilshead : " About forty years ago I saw a long parch- 

 ment book on a shelf in the village shop. I requested it to be taken 

 down for my inspection. To my surprize I found it was an old 

 register. Many of the leaves were cut diagonally as with a pen- 

 knife — others were loose and transpo'sed. I asked how the book 

 came into the possession of the old woman. The answer was, ' My 

 uncle who kept the boarding school here, was churchwarden, and a 

 clever writer. He made a fresh register ; therefore there was no 

 use keeping the badly-written one.^ Both the original (which I 

 claimed) and the copy, begin in 1654.^^ And here I venture to 

 digress for one moment in order to hint to anyone concerned, to 

 whom these presents may come, the great regret with which an 

 archaeologist sees the paucity of these parochial history returns. 

 Besides the original papers of questions, many reminders I know 

 have been sent out by the indefatigable Secretary for Wiltshire, 

 Mr. A. C. Smith. But from the majority of the parishes has come 

 as yet no sign. Yet year by year traditional lore of all sorts and 

 kinds must be dying out which it needs only the work of a few spare 

 half-hours to search out and record, and the loss of which will be 

 irreparable. I know that in my parish there have died during the 

 time that I have been resident there — 1. an old man who gave me 



