Additional information

[Guy Etchells]

Parish registers are often a source of additional information useful to the family historian.
They may contain details of epidemics, plagues, weather, earth quakes and even ufos.

The following taken from Registrum Ecclesiae Parochialis – The History of Parish Registers in England published in 1862.

Wadhurst.
“Exit annus 1639. This yeare was the great sea Battell neare unto Dover, betwixt the mighty Armdo of Spaine riding near our Coasts neare Deale, and the Hollanders, wherein the mighty Armado, consisting of great shippes was vanquished by the Hollanders. The winter was exceedingly windy and tempestuous, and therefore there was much shipwreck.”

Isham.
“1630 This yeare was a great plague at Cambridge, so that ther was no Stirbyshe Fair kept, and this was a dear yeare, Wheat at 8s a strike Pease 6s and Malt at 6s 8d – Pease at 5s never so deare as at this time.”

St Pancras, Exeter.
“ On the 19th of Jully 1727 between foure and five of the clocke in the morning, al the houses in Exeter did shake with an Earthquake that people shakt in theire beds from one side to the other, and was al over England and in some places beyond sea, but doed but little damage : tis of a certain truth.

Cheers
Guy

[Geoffers]

Parish registers are often a source of additional information useful to the family historian. They may contain details of epidemics, plagues, weather, earth quakes and even ufos.Guy makes an excellent point and provides yet more evidence that checking parish registers and Archdeacon's/Bishop's Transcripts is to be preferred over relying on the IGI, or other computer aides.

In addition to the list provided by Guy, in Norfolk I've found suicide, murder (offenders and victims), road accidents, building accidents, incest, aliases, surveys, collections, rates (these last three effectively form a census), lists of vaccinations, people being transported, hanged, imprisoned, price of wheat, weather, 16t/17th century occupations and so much more.

So, don't just look for your own family in a register, check the whole volume - In my experience, especially the end papers for church rates, collections, etc.

Geoffers