508 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2»4 S. VI. 155., Dec. 18. '58. 



quevit, is lit delicti qualitas jusque postulaverit puni- 

 atur." 



By another of Elizabeth's injunctions, every 

 minister at institution was to subscribe (;int. al.) 

 to this protestation, — 



" I shall keep the Register Book accordiug to the 

 Queen's Majesty's injunctions." 



In 1603, (anno 1° Jac. I.), another injunction 

 provided that : — 



" In every parish church and chapel within this realm 

 shall be provided one parchment book at the charge of the 

 parish, wherein shall be written the day and year of every 

 christening, wedding, and burial, whicli have been in that 

 parish since the time that the law was first made in that 

 behalf, so far as the ancient books thereof can be pro- 

 . cured, but especially since the beginning of the reign of 

 the late queen." 



It then provides for its safe custody in " one 

 sure coffer, with three locks and keys," one for 

 the minister and one for each of the church- 

 wardens : and for the entry of all baptisms, &c., in 

 the said register "upon every Sabbath day," with 

 the same formalities previously stated. 



Nearly the same provisions were made by an 

 ordinance of Parliament in 1644. 



Under the administration of the Protector, the 

 Parliament, about the year 1653, directed re- 

 gistrars to be chosen by every parish, to be ap- 

 proved of and sworn by a Justice of the Peace, 

 for the registering of marriages, births, and 

 burials. 



Section 4. of the 30th Car. II. cap. 3., intituled 

 "An Act for burying in Woollen," enacts, — 



" That all persons in holy orders, deans, parsons, 

 deacons, vicars, curates, and their or any of their substi- 

 tutes, do, within their respective parishes, precincts, and 

 places, take an exact account and keep a register of 

 all and every person or persons buried in his or their 

 respective parishes or precincts, or in such common 

 burial places as their respective parishioners are usually 

 buried." 



In the reign of William III. two Acts were 

 passed (6th & nh, cap. 6. ; 7th & 8th, cap. 

 65.), with the object of assisting the collectors in 

 getting in the duties imposed upon births, mar- 

 riages, and burials, by which the collectors were 

 given free access to the registers, and a penalty of 

 100^. inflicted upon the persons neglecting to 

 make the proper entries therein. But the 4th of 

 Queen Anne, cap. 12. sec. 10., reciting that many 

 of the clergy, not being sufficiently apprised of the 

 full import of the 6th & 7th Will. III. (which, as we 

 have seen, inflicted a penalty of lOOZ. for every 

 neglect in making the entries therein direct.;d,) 

 had incurred the penalties thereof, whereby they 

 and their families remained exposed to ruin, 

 directs that they should be indemnified from the 

 consequences of such omissions, provided the duty 

 for every marriage, &c., should be really answered 

 and paid or notified and brought in charge to the 

 collector of the duties. 



By the 26th Geo. II. cap. 33., intituled " An 

 Act to prevent Clandestine Marriages," the 

 churchwardens of every parish are directed to 

 l^rovide proper books of vellum or good and 

 durable paper, in which all marriages, and banns 

 of marriage, respectively, should be registered, 

 " and all books provided as aforesaid shall be 

 deemed to belong to every such parish or chapelry 

 respectively, and shall be carefully kept and pre- 

 served for public use." 



In 1812 was passed the 52 Geo. III. cap. 146., 

 intituled "An Act for better regulating Parish and 

 other Registers of Births, Baptisms, and Burials 

 in England." After reciting that the amending 

 the manner and form of keeping and of preserving 

 registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials of 

 His Majesty's subjects in England would greatly 

 facilitate the proof of pedigrees of persons claim- 

 ing to be entitled to real or personal estates, and 

 be otherwise of great public benefit and advantage, 

 it enacts that registers of baptisms, marriages, and 

 burials shall be made and kept by the rector, &c., 

 in books of parchment or paper to be provided by 

 the King's Printer at the expense of the respective 

 parishes according to the forms contained in the 

 Schedules annexed to the Act; That registers of 

 baptisms, &c.,be kept in separate books; That the 

 entries be made as soon as possible after the re- 

 spective solemnisations, and, unless prevented by 

 sickness or other unavoidable impediment, not 

 later than within seven days after; That the 

 register books shall be kept in a dry, well-painted 

 iron-chest, in some dry, safe, and secure place, 

 within the usual residence of such rector, &c. (if 

 resident within the parish), or in the parish church. 

 It then directs copies on parchment of all the en- 

 tries made by the rector, &c., verified and sigiied 

 by him, to be made within two months from the 

 end of the year, and sent before the 1st of June to 

 the registrar of the diocese, which registrar, be- 

 fore the 1st of July in every year, shall report to 

 the bishop whether such copies have been sent, 

 and on failure of transmission of such copies to 

 report the same especially to the bishop; That the 

 registrars shall cause such copies to be securely 

 deposited and preserved from damage by fire or 

 otherwise, and to be carefully arranged^ and cause 

 correct alphabetical lists to be made of all persons 

 and places mentioned therein. It fiirther directs 

 the bishop with the Custodes Rotulorum of the 

 several counties within each diocese, and the 

 chancellor thereof, before the 1st of February, 

 1813, to cause a careful survey to be made of the 

 several places in which the parochial registers 

 were kept, and report to the Privy Council before 

 the 1st of March following whether such build- 

 ings were safe and proper, and at what expense 

 they might be made so. The Act then provides 

 for the punishment of any person making false 

 entries in, defacing, &c., such registers, by trans- 



