800 Collections for a History of West Dean. 



The West Dean register, forming' one of the eight hundred and 

 twelve, is therefore of more than usual interest. 



The earliest book is a small paper volume, Sin. by 6in., in a limp 

 vellum cover, in fair preservation, and contains separate lists of 

 baptisms, marriages, and burials from 1538 to 1578, after which 

 they are entered indiscriminately, a letter in the margin indicating 

 to which category each entry belongs, until 159cS, when the volume 

 terminates. The records of the first decade are in Latin. 



The usual formula for recording a marriage in English runs 

 thus : — " M and N were solemnized in matrimony." 



Illegitimate children are thus noted: — " Pater eius est incognitus": 

 " quse genita est vago concubitu " : " decognito patre " : " ex mse- 

 conoso concubitu M : " ex illicito concubitu " : " ex adulterimo con- 

 cubitu genita " : " whose father is not known " : &c. 



There are memoranda, under the dates 1592 and 1595, of copies 

 having been sent to the ordinary, and this anterior to the constitution 

 made by the archbishop, bishops, and clergy of the Province of 

 Canterbury, and approved by the Queen, October 25th, 1597, to 

 that effect. (Burns' " History of Parish Registers," P- 22.) The 

 copies are not now to be found in the diocesan registry at Salisbury, 

 where the earliest is dated 1599. 



An early instance of the payment of a fee for search occurs in 

 1547 Memorandu that William Drewe p d - iij d - for finding his 

 name xxi th of October." 



With the entries of baptisms in 1556 and 1560 the names of the 

 God-parents are recorded. 



There are no entries whatever for the year 1585, which may, 

 perhaps, be explained by the loss of a loose leaf ; and no marriages 

 are recorded in 1544-5-6-7, nor in 1550-1-1555, 1560, 1568, J 569. 



Among the Christian names in this volume may be noticed 

 " Tritrinius," 1540; " Augustine " and "Hector," 1555; " Keyrs- 

 tion" (Christian), 1565 ; " Marmaduke," 1567 ; " Prothosye," 

 1577; "Araberga," 1582 ; "Tristram," and "Duke" (perhaps for 

 Marmaduke), 1589. 



Among the surnames, that of " Dene " is doubtless derived from 

 the place, and has passed through the various phases of " Dene," 



