Terrington Parish Registers
The Parish Registers contain the following information, dealt with on this page:
Baptism, marriage and burial records
The original records are in the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York.
There is a transcription and index of records from from 1600 to 1812 (opens in a new tab) made by William Brigg, with the permission of Rector Samuel Wimbush, and printed for the Yorkshire Parish Register Society in 1907.
It is quite slow to scroll up and down in the whole transcription, so it may help to find the name(s) you are looking for in this index to the parish records first. Note that pages in the transcription file are 12 more that the actual page number (eg if you want page 50 go to page 62 in the transcription file).
The order of the pages is sometimes confused, records for some years are missing, and some records, owing to the use of poor ink and probable exposure for a long period to damp, are in many places almost illegible.
They are in 5 volumes as follows: (I) mixed entries 1600 to 1653; (II) mixed entries 1653 to 1683; (III) mixed entries 1682 to 1768, including baptisms at Castle Howard 1746 to 1753; (IV) marriages 1754 to 1812; (V) baptisms and burials 1768 to 1812.
Records are usually very brief, for example:
1639: Willm Proud and Mary Blenkarne his wife were marryed the iiijth day of August.
1683: Elizabeth daughter of Joseph Green April ye 9th.
1673: William Bickars was buryed the 18th of May.
Act of Parliament under the Commonwealth 1653
The Parish Register contains a copy of the 1653 Act of Parliament 'An Act touching Marriages and the registring thereof, and also touching Births and Burials' which laid down that the only legal form of marriage a civil ceremony conducted by a justice of the peace.
The couple had to deliver in writing, 21 days before the marriage, to the appointed registrar for the parish where each of them lived 'the Names, Sirnames, Additions, and place of aboad of the Parties so to be marryed, and of their Parents, Guardians or Overseers', all which was to be published on the 3 following Sundays, at the close of the 'Morning Exercise' in the church or, if the couple wished it, in the market-place next to the church on three successive market days between the hours of eleven and two. This having been done, the registrar was to make a true certificate of the due performance thereof.
The couple then had to go before a Justice of Peace with their certificate and give sufficient proof of the consent of their Parents or Guardians, if either of the couple was under twenty-one. The Justice will then examine the couple on oath on the truth of the certificate. At the marriage, the couple are to take each other by the hand, the man promising to be 'a loving and faithfull Husband' and the women to be 'a loving, faithfull and obedient Wife'.
So that true and just account could be kept of marriages, births and deaths a book of good vellum or parchment was to be provided by every parish, and some able and honest person (to be sworn and approved by a Justice of Peace) was to have safe keeping of the book and to enter all names and dates. For publication and certificate of marriage, twelve pence and no more was to be taken; for the Entry of Marriage, twelve pence and no more; and for every Birth of Child, four pence and no more; & for every Death, four pence and no more. For poor people who live upon alms, nothing was to be taken.
After this Act marriages were entered into the Register much more fully. So, in 1654 we have:
Edward Martin husbandman of the parish of Tirington sonne of Robart Martin and Cattaran Wildon of the same towne and parish spinster daughter of Robart Wildon haveinge agreed to be Maried did deliver the same to me Willm Wawne the parish Register for Tirington upon the 21th day of May 1654 all which I published upon the 21 and 28th of May and the 4th of June 1654 and the said Edward Martin and Cattaran Wildon aforsaid expressed their consent unto mariage by the Words of the Acte before Willm Weddell Esqr one of the Justices of the peace of the countie of Yorke and weare by the saied Justice declared to be Husband and Wyfe the 17th day of Julye 1654 In the presents of these witnesses Robert Wildon, William Wawne, Thomas Wildon, Richard Blenckhorne, and others
Willm Weddell
William Anger
Marke Willson.
But with the demise of the Commonwealth in 1660, they soon reverted to the old ways:
Anno Domini 1660. Thomas Humble and Alice Peacock his wife weare maryed the 14th day of December.
Church Briefs 1661-1731
Before the existence of insurance, many were reliant on voluntary donations after disaster struck. One recourse was to apply to the monarch requesting authorisation to issue of an appeal for donations. Consent to make the appeal was authorised by the Crown in a Letters Patent. The appeal would to be read out in churches within a particular county or area. The Book of Common Prayer of 1662 gave instructions when in the service the brief was to be read: 'And then also (if occasion be) shall notice be given of the Communion; and Briefs, Citations, and Excommunications read.' The churchwardens would then take the collection. 'Please remember the brief' would be their cry. House to house collections in the parish would also be carried out if authorised on the brief. The collected money would then be forwarded as instructed on the brief or handed to the Bishop of the Diocese on his next inspection visit.
Some in the congregation wearied over the number of briefs being issued. Samuel Pepys wrote "To church, where we observe the trade of briefs is come now up to so constant a course every Sunday, that we resolve to give no more to them."
The system was open to abuse. Some forged the Letters Patent and there was evidence of corruption and money going missing. Parliament attempted to tighten up the procedures, but the biggest problem was that the cost of obtaining the letters patent, printing the notices, salaries, distribution, and collection often far outweighed the amount collected. This and the availability of fire insurance and a society formed to raise money for church rebuilding ultimately led to the abolishing of briefs in 1828.
Church Briefs are recorded in the Terrington Parish Registers for 1661-1681 (pp 49-50) and 1697-1731 (pp65-73). The number for each year are very variable but often gets into double figures. Many of the collections were for church repairs or rebuilding, such as:
Church rebuilding: Gathered for ye rebuilding of St Pauls Church in London, in ye Parish of Terrington the summ of two pounds thirteen shillings six pence in ye yeare 1678.
But a number of other causes were collected for, such as:
Fire: November the 17th 1661 Gathered for the inhabitants of Southwould als Soulbay ther Losse by fire being 40000l. eight shillings fiue pence. [ie the loss was £40000 and 8 shillings and 5 pence was collected.]
Shipwreck: November the 17th 1661 Gathered for Hennery Harison marinner his Losse amounting to seven thousand and fiue hundreth pounds by ship wrack : fiue shillings two pence.
Flood: Gathered the 16th of September 1664 for the inhabitants of Cromer aleas Shipton the sea hauing drowned halfe the towne the sum of fower shillings fiue pence.
Storm & tempest: 1704 July the 30 for sufferers in ye storm & tempest 19s. 3d.
Victims of pirates: September 5th 1680 Gathered for those that were taken captive by ye Algiers in ye Parish Church of Terrington in ye County of York ye sum of one pound three shillings three [altered from two] pence.
Victims of religious persecution: 1694 September ye 18th for ye French Protestants 1l. 4s.
Various other records
Glebe Terrier 1760
This gives a description of the parsonage house and buildings and the land belonging to the church, and describes how the tythes are to be collected. See Rectors and rectories: Glebe Terrier for a summary of the entry in the Parish Register.
Annual contract for maintenance of the church clock 1621
This contract was drawn up under rector Daniel Lindley. See Rectors and rectories: clock maintenance contract for the entry in the Parish Register.
Charity donation 1662
There is a description of a donation for poor widows in the parish, originally made in 1656 and renewed in May 1662 as follows:
Thomas Louell of Yorke haith payd fiue shillings euery good friday since the death of his father Richard Louell whoe was Buried the sixt day of September 1656: wch haith beene destrebueted to poore widdowes according to his will by the Minister and ouerseers and now this first of May haith payd in the five pounds to be letten att twelfe att pound [ie £5 at 12d in the pound, which makes up the 5 shillings] for the use of poore widdows to be destrebueted euery good fryday according to his will beinge five sheinges te intrest therof Robert Wildon did Receiue it & ingaged one Land for the payment of it; & granted a deed to be kept by the minister it is the Land wch he Came to by Mr Hinsley; wch was Sayers Land known by the name of Crossbeck Land Lying next the Common balke but one Land, in the howfeild from the way that Leadeth to the westmoore ; unto the Westings hedge. [A Land was one of the strips in the Common Fields.]