< The monuments in the parish church and churchyard | Contents | Lenton schools >
18.—THE PARISH REGISTERS.
The Parish Registers date back to the year 1540, and the entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials, from that year down to 1748, with certain exceptions, are contained in four volumes of parchment. These registers are, with two exceptions (those of Ordsall and Askham), the oldest in the county of Nottingham. But it is somewhat remarkable that only marriages and burials date from 1540, no baptisms being recorded prior to 1598. The first volume is in good preservation, and is evidently a copy of the original paper register. Nearly all the entries are in Latin, and the writing being neat may be read without much difficulty. The first page commences: "A Register of all wedings as they are founde, In the oulde Register Booke since the year 1540 etc." At the bottom of the last page of the volume is written:—"Gulielmus Rudsby, Vicarius, natus, Anno Domino 1663, sexto die mensis martii, cui dedit Oxonium mamas Wintonia cumas."
The second volume is badly written and in many places quite illegible. It commences: "A true and p'fect Register of all that are borne within the parish of Lenton began in ye year 1665."
The third volume is even more carelessly written, but the fourth exhibits much greater care. In this volume, the words "Inspd W. Lister," are written in the margin of the entries of baptisms and burials between September 12th and October 11th, 1784, indicating that the register had been inspected between those dates. The following are a few entries in the first four volumes worth noticing:—
VOLUME 1. |
|
1582. |
Cicilia Cost, the wife of the herdsman (bubulci), buried 8 Aug. |
1587. 1594. |
Thomas fforster, minister, and Jane Digbye, married 24 December. (Probably fforster was stipendiary curate of Lenton). William Dolphin, yeoman, buried 4 October. |
1595. |
Meriella (Muriel) wife of John Wood, clerk, buried 12 June. (John Wood, Vicar of Lenton). |
1601. |
"A soldier, formerly of Lincolnshire, whose name is unknown to us," buried 25 October. "Tha's filius Andreae Bradforde, bapt est 26 to die, Nove' bus qui quidem. Tha's hatus erat in monas-terio in domo Th'sa Birch." |
1612. |
Mary, dau of Sir Thomas Cave, Knight buried 15 Aug. |
1618. |
"Anthonius Harison custos de Nott: parke sepultus est 9no die Junij." (Nottingham Park was well stocked with deer until about 1750). |
1623. |
John Wood, clerk, buried 10 September. (The only incumbent of this parish interred at Lenton during a period of nearly three centuries and a half). |
1629. |
Robertus Ollerenshawe et Francisca Leemeinge nupti fuerint 25 to die Junij. (Vicar of Lenton). |
VOLUME 2.
In 1653, during the Usurpation, an Act was passed by the Barebones Parliament requiring the incumbents of parishes to give up their register books to laymen, who were to be called "Parish Registers." This new official was to be chosen in each parish by the inhabitant householders on or before the 22nd of September, 1653, and as soon as he had been sworn and approved by the magistrate, his appointment was entered in the parish book. The second volume of the Lenton Registers contains the following memorandum of this appointment.
"iiijth ffebruary, 1653.
"Bee it remembred that Edmund York, Clerk, came before us and being chosen by the Inhabitants of Lenton for their p'ish and wee conseivinge him a fitt p'son for that Imploym't doe allow and approve of him to bee p'ish Register thereof and have given the oath as so directed by Acte of Parliament. Witness our hands. P. Spelman, Tho. Charlton."
1669. |
Henry Farnworth, of Selston, Gent., and Mary Fletcher of the same place, Spinster, married "with a Lysance" 29 January. |
VOLUME 3. |
|
1679. |
Isabelle, wife of Barnaby Wartnaby, buried 17th April. Ironmonger and Sheriff of Nottingham 1652. Built and endowed almshouses at corner of Pilchergate, for poor aged widows and widowers. |
1680. |
Mary Lenton, the child of a wanderer, buried 26 Nov. |
1682. |
A peew sett up in the Alley, under the Reading-pew, with the consent of the minister and churchwardens for the use of Thomas Peninton and his fameley. |
1700. |
"A child of Mr. Clarkes' dyed here att Lenton, ffebruary." |
VOLUME 4. |
|
1713. |
William Neep, clerk, and Anne Gee, of Plumptre, married by licence May 20. (dau of Rev. John Gee Rector of Plumptre). |
1716. |
May the 30 ffrancis son of francis needham and of |
|
Isabel his wife were born neer two of the clock in |
|
the morning and baptized June the 24. |
1718. |
Jan. 16 Tho: orston of gedling widower and Elizabeth |
|
Burdin of Shelford widdow were married at Lenton |
|
by will Rudsby vic: there by virtue of a Licence |
|
granted by Mr. Tymothy fenton. Surrogate and mr. |
|
of arts. (Rudsby probably not really Vicar). |
1746. |
"A Stranger his name unknown " buried Aug. 14. |
1747. |
"John, A Vagrant from Canterbury buried Dec. 6. |
1768. |
John Allworthy, menial Servant buried Sept. 16. |
1769. |
Mrs. Rebecca Garland, Spinster, buried Jan. 22. |
1782. |
Thomas Bacon, who had been parish clerk forty five |
|
years, buried Aug. 27. |
|
Rebecca Daughter of Thomas Wright and Elizabeth |
|
his wife (baptized). |
|
N.B.—This infant was the first that the Revd. |
|
Mr. Pickering baptized at Lenton, and on the first |
|
day that he came to do duty at the church. |
1716. May the 30 ffrancis son of francis needham and of Isabel his wife were born neer two of the clock in the morning and baptized June the 24.
1718. Jan. 16 Tho : orston of gedling widower and Elizabeth Burdin of Shelford widdow were married at Lenton by will Rudsby vie: there by virtue of a Licence granted by Mr. Tymothy fenton. Surrogate and mr. of arts. (Rudsby probably not really Vicar).
- " A Stranger his name unknown " buried Aug. 14.
- " John, A Vagrant from Canterbury buried Dec. 6.
- John Airworthy, menial Servant buried Sept. 16.
- Mrs. Rebecca Garland, Spinster, buried Jan. 22.
1782. Thomas Bacon, who had been parish clerk forty five years, buried Aug. 27. Rebecca Daughter of Thomas Wright and Elizabeth his wife (baptized).
N.B.—This infant was the first that the Revd. Mr. Pickering baptized at Lenton, and on the first day that he came to do duty at the church.
There are no entries in the later registers of special importance, but it is interesting to note that the parish has produced some notable people in the course of its history. These include Sir John Oldknow, and Sir John Turney, Mayors of Nottingham, and other Mayors since; Sir Joseph Renals, Lord Mayor of London; Sir James Bardsley, the famous Surgeon; Henry Farmer, of "Music Tutor" fame; Edward J. Lowe, the Astronomer; William Stretton, Architect and Antiquarian; John T. Godfrey, historian; Sir William Babington, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Member of the Privy Council, who lies buried in the Priory grounds, having died in 1455; Markham, an Officer in Queen Elizabeth's Navy, who took part in the fight against the Spanish Armada with Willoughby of Wollaton; the Right Rev. Samuel Terrat Neville, D.D., Primate of New Zealand, a Lenton boy by birth; and Captain Albert Ball, V.C., D.S.O., M.C., etc., a Freeman of the City of Nottingham, and the greatest Airman the Great War of 1914-1918 produced.
Churchwarden's Accounts.
The following entry, remarkable if only for its orthography, occurs in one of the parish books: —
"June ye 9 1720, the ACounts of Robard Lasey and John Nags Church wardings seen and aLoud by us In Habetants of Lenton and wee find the towne his indebted to him two shillings Eightpence halfe penny to be paid by the next Churchwardings wee a Low of three a Counts and sine them once for all" The accounts do not contain any entries of more than ordinary interest. The following are the principal: —
|
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
1783 |
When I was Chose Churchwarden |
|
3 |
6 |
|
To four Briefs at 6d. each |
|
2 |
0 |
|
Keeping the Book and Serving the Office |
|
19 |
0 |
1785 |
To myself and Mr. Keetly at the Court of |
|
|
|
|
Correction |
|
7 |
0 |
1786 |
To going to Red Hill to meet the Justices to given an account of the Legacies belonging to the poor and also the Saturday after at the White Lion Nottingham |
|
4 |
6 |
1787 |
Mending the Church Key |
|
1 |
0 |
|
a new Almanack |
|
|
7 |
|
"Charges abouts the Pramblelation" |
10 |
0 |
11 |
1789 |
Paid for a new Tankard lid |
|
1 |
0 |
1790 |
pade at the Cort of Correction |
|
7 |
2 |
|
Ditto for My troble that day |
|
5 |
0 |
|
pade for a new belrope |
|
1 |
51/2 |
|
pade for tow hotels of wine |
|
3 |
2 |
1791 |
Paid for Bassoone Mending |
|
12 |
0 |
1792 |
Paid for anue spaid for the Church |
|
4 |
0 |
|
Paid James for suffing the abbe gates |
|
|
6 |
1793 |
Paid for Wine at Wissen tide |
|
4 |
0 |
1794 |
To Our Trobill Drying the Writings that |
|
|
|
was damage by the flood |
5 |
0 |
1798 |
pade at Cortofckrection for two deners |
10 |
0 |
1802 |
going to allestre for the Tarrias |
7 |
0 |
1810 |
Jos Folks Bill for 2 Clarinets |
5 5 |
0 |
|
Humphrey Hopkin for a Basson |
5 5 |
0 |
1826 |
Distressed Seaman |
5 |
0 |
The first churchwardens whose names are recorded are:— 1552, John Bowser: Avery Walker; since whose time there have been something like 130 churchwardens who have served the church in Lenton. Among the wardens of the Priory Church, that is the old parish church, Samuel Keetley served the office longest, being warden for nearly 20 years. The record for length of service, however, belongs to Frederick Wright, J.P., who in connection with the new parish church was Vicar's warden for 26 years.
A complete list of churchwardens cannot be made, nor of parish Clerks, but 7 Lay (or Scripture) Readers have served in the parish, one of whom eventually took Holy Orders.
< The monuments in the parish church and churchyard | Contents | Lenton schools >