322 
JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
town, and also of some remarkable eccentric persons ; with lists of 
the mayors, and representatives, and charters, &c, written for the 
use and amusement of my children. 
" Story 's the light of time for after ages, 
And books are lanthorns which this light encages." 
I believe that "Woollcombe, Brindley, and others, used these 
manuscripts largely; but that they contain some matters of 
interest hitherto unnoticed, I have no doubt. 
In the earliest records in which reference is made to Plymouth 
ecclesiastically, we find it apparently constituted as a parish. 
It would seem that in the ancient church there was at first but 
one large building in each city for Christians to meet in, and this 
was called the parochia. By and by the signification of the word 
became enlarged, and by a parish was meant a diocese, or the ex- 
tent of the jurisdiction of a bishop, consisting of several churches. 
Parishes in cities and towns are more ancient than those in the 
country, the latter being unknown before the fourth century. 
Alexandria is stated to have been* the first city divided into 
parishes. 
Nothing certain is known as to the original parochial division of 
England. There is as much diversity of opinion as to the date 
when such division took place, as there is as to whether it was 
originally ecclesiastical or secular. Camden states positively that 
it was the work of the church, and that our island was formed 
into parishes by Archbishop Honorius, in the year 630 ; and Sir 
Henry Hobart maintains that the work was done in the same way, 
but not until 1179, by the Council of Lateran. Selden, without 
committing himself to dates, proves that long after 630 the clergy 
lived in common, without any particular cures; and it is clear, 
from the Saxon law, that parishes were in existence long before 
the Council of Lateran, as they are distinctly shown as recognized 
divisions in the laws of Edgar, 959-975.* 
"Whatever the date may be, or whether the division took place 
all at once or gradually, it seems pretty certain, as Blackstone 
says, that the boundaries of parishes were first ascertained by 
those of a manor or manors, because it very seldom happens that a 
manor extends itself over more than one parish, although there are 
often many manors in one parish. As Christianity spread, the 
* Ordinance of the Hundred; Stubbs' "Select Charters," p. 70. 
