OSWALDKIRK. 



In this church Archbishop Tillotson is said to 

 have preached his first sermon, the rector of Oswald- 

 kirk at that time, the Rev. John Denton, afterwards 

 rector of Stonegrave, being his particular friend and 

 acquaintance at that time. 



In 1820, a clock was presented to the church, by 

 the liberality of the Rev. Thomas Comber, the pres- 

 ent rector, and is placed in the tower. 



It is a remarkable fact, that the registers of this 

 parish commence as early as the year 1538 ; the 

 very year in which parish registers first began to 

 be kept, in pursuance to an act passed in the reign, 

 of Henry VIII. They are prefaced with this quaint 

 title ; 



" A true and perfect regystre of all such christ- 

 " enings marriages and burialls as hath been in the 

 " prish of Oswaldkirk, beginninge in the yeare of 

 our Lord God 1538." 



For documents of so old a date, they are remark- 

 ably legible, and appear to have been kept with the 

 greatest regularity for many subsequent years. All 

 the entries are numbered, a necessary, but unusual, 

 precaution, previous to modern times. It was with 

 singular satisfaction I discovered at the bottom of 

 the 7th page, No. 301, the following entry of the 

 baptism of that prince of antiquaries, Roger Dods- 

 worth, who was born at Newton Grange, in this 

 parish ; 



" Roger Dodsworth baptized 24 Aprill 1585." 



I am thus enabled to correct a mistake, which has 

 more than once appeared in print, stating him to, 

 have been bora on the 21th of July. 



