Parish registers are by far and away the most pervasive of all English archives, covering 11,000 ancient parishes and containing many millions of personal names. They are the premier source for genealogical and demographic research for the 16th to the 18th centuries. John Wintrip has provided a most authoritative and comprehensive account of their development that will become an indispensable reference book for historians and archivists.
— Steven Hobbs

This book represents a detailed study of parish registers and how they were compiled in the period between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. It is written in a highly readable fashion and includes a discussion of recent specialised research and can be recommended to all users of parish registers.
— Dr Peter Razzell

Parish Registers of the Church of England are among the most essential resources for genealogists. John Wintrip's book is a long-overdue and authoritative account of their development, context, and use. This insightful work explores not only the origins and evolution of standard registers but also delves into the significance of more detailed formats such as the "Dade" registers and their regional variations. It is an invaluable guide for anyone seeking to understand, interpret, and appreciate these cornerstone documents of family and local history.
— Else Churchill

Preface
Introduction

1. Prologue: parish registers before 1660

2. Parish registers 1660-1754
Birth and baptism entries
Marriage entries
Burial entries
The Marriage Duty Act
The draft canons of 1714
Ralph Thoresby
White Kennett
The Diocese of Bangor
The Archdeaconry of Lincoln
The Parliamentary Bill of 1753

3. Baptism and burial registers 1754-1812
Birth and baptism entries
Burial entries
Day books
The Parliamentary Bill of 1758
Ralph Bigland
The continuing influence of Ralph Thoresby
The Proposed Form
The Stamp Duty Act, 1783
James Lucas, Leeds surgeon
Parish initiatives

4. Marriage and banns registers 1754-1812
Hardwicke's Marriage Act
The form of entry for marriages
Marriage registers
Banns registers
Marriage entries

5. The Diocese of Carlisle
Richard Burn's initiative of 1771
William Paley's initiative of 1786

6. Wiliam Dade and the dioceses of York and Chester
Dade's system of registration
Dade registers in the Diocese of York
Dade registers in the Diocese of Chester
Dade registers in other dioceses
Dade registers: an assessment

7. The Diocese of St Asaph

8. The Diocese of Norwich

9. Shute Barrington and the dioceses of Salisbury and Durham
The Diocese of Salisbury
The Diocese of Durham

10. Baptism and burial registers 1813-1837
The evolution of George Rose's Act from his original Bill
Baptism entries
Burial entries
The form of the year

11. Marriage and banns registers 1813-1837
Marriage entries
Banns registers

12. Custody and storage

13. Bishop's transcripts
History
Relationship to parish registers

14. Epilogue: parish registers since 1837
The effect of civil registration
The custody of historical parish registers
The accessibility of historical parish registers

Appendix 1 Timeline
Appendix 2 Canon 70 of the Church of England
Appendix 3 Ralph Thoresby's proposals
Appendix 4 White Kennett's recommendations
Appendix 5 James Lucas's proposals
Appendix 6 William Dade's proposals
Appendix 7 The Dean of York's instructions
Appendix 8 The Commissary of Richmond's instructions
Appendix 9 Instructions issued in the Diocese of Norwich
Appendix 10 Shute Barrington's remarks on parish registers
Appendix 11 Shute Barrington's instructions to clergy in the Diocese of Durham
Appendix 12 Schedules from George Rose's Bill
Appendix 13 Schedules from George Rose's Act

Glossary
Index