Page 148 - Canadian Dominion Directory 1871 - Partie 1-fusionné
P. 148

is  principally  hearsay  evidence  rather  different  and  in  spite  of  the
                              which  has  survived  being  told  by  difllculties  involved  most  parishes
                              father to  son  up to  the  time when  had  some form of  record  in  opera-
                                                                tion, though  not  always very  accur-
                              eventually  comrnitted  to  paper.
                                In  spite  of  Henry  VIII's  order  ate.
                              rnany parishes  were very dilatory in
                                                                  In  1837  an  Act  of  Parliament
                              compiying  with  the  instruction  and  decreed  that records  of  births,  mar-
                              for  this  reason  only  a  few  Parish  riages  and  deaths  in  both  England
                              records  go  back  as  far  as  1538.  and  Wales  should  be  registered  at
                              However,  by  1600  the  story  was  Somerset House.
                              HistoricaI Events  Affecting Genealogical Research  - 16th centuw. Many
                              agriculturally  employed  moved  to  different  areas  due to  the break  up of
                               flic mediaeval  agricultural  system  and  the  dissolution  of  the  monasteries.
                                Entry  of  patch-cloth workers  who  settled  in  England.
                               1534 - Break  between  Church  of  England  and  Roman  Catholics.  Henry
                                     VIII assuming  tirle of  head  of  the Church  of  England.
                               1536 - First  order issued with  regard  to  the Keeping of  Parish  Registers.
                               1538 - Second order  issued re keeping of  Parish  Registers. Approximately
                                     600 English and Welsh Parishes comply.
                               1547 - Third  order  issued  with  regard  to  keeping  of  Parish  Registers.
                               1549 - Approximately  1,250  English  and  Welsh  Parishes  have  records
                                     dating back to this date.
                               1553-58  - Mary 1 makes every effort  to force people  to return to Roman
                                     Catholicism.  This has  considerable affect on registers  of  this date.
                               1559 - Elizabeth  1  issues  edict  repeating  the  order  for  keeping  Parish
                                     Registers.
                               1563 - Papal  recusants  heavilv  fined  for  non-attendance  at  the  Church.
                                     ~écords of  these  fmdl'ngs  in  the  quarter  sessions  of  the  county
                                     courts  and  in  the  Queen's  Exchequer  Courts  became  valuable
                                     evidence in  tracing Catholic pedigrees.
                               1567 - Flemish exifes settle in southern counties.
                               1571 - Introduction  of  Presbyterianism  into England.
                               1578 - Earliest Quaker records (the Society of  Friends).
                               1589  - Records of  over  5,000 English  Parishes exist  back  to this date or
                                     earlier. Many others have lost early records.
                               1592 - Congregational  (Independent)  Church  formed  in  London.
                                     Earliest  registers  however  cornrnenced  1644.
                               1597 - Elizabeth  1 issues  edict  that  Parish  Registers  should  be  kept  on
                                     parchment, al1 earlier records at least back  to  1558 to  be recopied.
                                     The same edict ordered  copies of  Christening, Marriage and  Burial
                                     entries to  be sent yearly to the office of  the Bishop of  the diocese.
                                     These are known  as Bishop's Transcripts.
                               1601 - Poor  Law Acts  of  1597-1601  order the  appointment of  two  over-
                                     seers of  the poor in each Parish. These records are of  Genealogical
                                     value.
                               1603 - Repetition  of  previous  orders  concerning  keeping  of  Parish
                                     Registers.
                              1620 - Emigration  of  Congregationalists  to  America  in  Mayflower.
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