In England and Wales, a parish chest is a wooden chest which was used for the storage of important documents relating to a parish, these would typically include the parish register of births, deaths and marriages, and other documents relating to the administration of the parish. A parish chest would usually be kept in the parish church.[1][2]
Parish chests were used from medieval times, and early ones were usually simple, constructed from a hollowed out log. In later centuries, parish chests generally became more elaborate, and incorporated features such metal bands and multiple locks.[1][2]
Examples
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A 13th-century parish chest, dug-out from one trunk of wood, in St Andrew's Church in the village of Nuthurst, West Sussex, England -
Medieval parish chest on wheels, St Andrew's Church, Rugby -
The parish chest in the tower of the Church of St Peter and St Thomas Becket, in Stambourne, Essex, England
Further reading
edit- Tate, William Edward (1969), The Parish Chest: a study of the records of parochial administration in England; 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press.
- 1st ed. 1946; 2nd ed. 1951 both Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parish chests.
- ^ a b "The Parish Chest". SPFH History. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Illustrated Dictionary of British Churches - Parish Chest Definition". Retrieved 12 March 2024.