44 Literary and Philosophical Society. 



* Proposals for Establishing more comprehensive and accurate 



Parish Registers ; commtmicated by the Rev. Mr. Dade, 



of York} 



*■ Ralph Bigland, Esq., Norroy King at Arms, observes, 

 in his pamphlet published a few years ago, that " the neces- 

 sity of proper records for ascertaining the marriages, births, 

 baptisms, deaths, and burials of persons within their respec- 

 tive parishes, is abundantly evident from a transient view 

 of our ancient history, which for want of proper names, 

 and real dates, and family connections occasionally to be 

 referred to, is oftentimes rendered perplexed and unintelli- 

 gible, and sometimes altogether inconsistent even with its 

 own chronology." 



'To remove this defect, Thomas Cromwell, afterwards 

 Earl of Essex, being the King's Vicar-General, in the year 

 1538 issued out an order to the clergy throughout England 

 that in their respective parishes a public register should be 

 kept for the above purposes.^ How far the intentions of 

 that Minister of State are really answered is evident from 

 the incorrect manner in which entries are too generally 

 made. It has been long wished that the utility of parish 

 registers was thoroughly investigated, that the defects in 

 making the entries were pointed out, and such a plan laid 

 down as might not only be useful, but easily applied to 

 practice. 



' Whether the present form, with the observations upon 

 it, contribute to elucidate any of these points the public 

 will easily determine. 



* Each page is divided into six columns ; the first, in the 

 register for baptisms, contains in large characters the 



' Dr. Percival's Works, vol. iii. p. 438. 

 2 Perhaps a year or two earlier. 



