Barwick Church Registers - The Transcripts
Back to the Main Historical Society page
Back to the Barwicker Contents page
Barwick Church Registers: The Transcripts
July 1987
In his "History of Barwick-in-Elmet", the Rev. F.S. Colman
writes as follows in 1908:
| "The Church Registers begin at 1653. There was at least one
earlier book, if not more, for Thoresby quotes from it respecting
the death of John Jackson, member of the Westminster Assembly, in
1649. One cannot avoid the suspicion that Thoresby borrowed it
from his friend George Plaxton, the rector, and neglected to
return it. After that time it was not heard of again; in 1820
there was nothing earlier than 1653. The Transcripts for a few
years previous to this are in the Archbishop's Registry at York,
and, but for them we lose a portion of one of the most valuable
sources of parochial history. The Registers we have are
continuous from the time they began, and are well preserved and
legible." |
If Colman is correct, then Ralph Thoresby, the Leeds
antiquary, and the genial, letter-writing George Plaxton, rector
from 1703 to 1720, were guilty of gross carelessness to say the
least. The transcripts referred to are for the years 1600-1 and
1631-41, each year beginning according to the custom of the time
on the 26th of March. They were copied from the Church registers
by the assistant curate and the churchwardens, and sent to the
diocesan authorities. They are printed in Lumb's "Wills,
Registers and Monumental Inscriptions in Barwick-in-Elmet".
The transcripts are likely to contain less information than
the original registers. They are a record of the christenings
(baptisms), marriages and burials of the parish, which at that
time included Roundhay. In addition they throw some light on the
attitudes of people at the time, and the circumstances of their
lives. The quotations used are taken from Lumb, with the
spellings retained.
The recording of the christenings show clearly that it was a
male-dominated world.
| "Marie, the daughter of Richard Shan of Potterton, June 13th 1631". |
| "Thomas, the sonne of William Prince of Barwicke, August 12th 1632" |
Succession and inheritance through the male line were more
important than mere biology. For all the records show, the mother
could have been in the next county! The mother's name was
recorded only in the case of illegitimacy. Four such events are
noted: two giving the names of the mothers only, one giving the
names of both parents and one showing the father's name only.
Four illegitimacies out of 351 births over 13 years is a very low
figure. One must assume that such births were hidden within the
family in many cases.
In several cases, more than one child in a family was
baptised at the same time. This can be explained by late baptism
or multiple births. As most of the children involved died within
a few days of their baptism, we may assume that these items indicate
the birth of one set of triplets and six pairs of twins,
where the expectation of survival would be small.
Very little additional information is given in the baptism
records. No occupations are given, except in the birth of two
children of William Bridges, the assistant curate, here described
as "Clerke". Occasionally, rank is recognised and there is one
case of a baptism in a non-resident family.
| "John, the sonne of John Bathurst of Barwick,
gentleman, March 31st, 1637". |
| "John, the sonne of John Hall, a strainger, at Stanks
5th Januarie, 1640." |
The total yearly baptisms for the whole parish and for
Barwick village are given in Table 1.
There are 84 marriages recorded for the eleven years from 1631 to 1641 inclusive.
It was the custom for the bride to be married in her own parish.
There are problems involved in interpreting the records. 65 marriages are recorded
in the following way:
| "Henrie Archibalde and Anne Barker of Barwick, 10th August 1636." |
| "Jo Potter and Mawde Whincop of Potterton, February 12th 1633." |
The pattern is the same throughout: the man's name followed
by the woman's name followed by one village or hamlet in the
parish. If we are to take this information at its face value, we
must assume that three quarters of the women in the parish found
their partners in their own villages or hamlets, often quite
small. If this occurred for several generations, then inbreeding,
with its genetic consequences, must have been common. Isolation
could not be the cause, as most parts of the parish are within two
hours walking distance of the centre of Leeds.
There is some evidence that the above pattern is not
universally accurate. Some of the men have un-Barwicklike names.
The name Archibalde does not occur again in 200 years of the
Barwick registers, so it seems unlikely that Henrie was a Barwick
man. However, many of the men have local names as Potter above,
and it would be strange if the dominant male did not have his own
village recorded if it were different from his wife's. So perhaps
most people did marry within their local communities however
small, producing a way of life with a built-in resistance to
change in customs and habits.
There are 14 marriages giving different place-names for the
men and women; six of them with both places within Barwick parish.
In only one case are both partners likely to come from outside the
parish.
| "Thomas Chapman and Jane Sparke of Leeds were married with a
facultie. 14th November 1638." |
A faculty was a licence granted by the ecclesiastical
authorities in unusual situations such as the above. Four of the
marriages give no place-names. 38 marriages involve men and women
from Barwick village (see Table 1).
The numbers of burials for the township and for Barwick
village are shown in Table 1. The burial records also show that
the society of the time held the male in the greater esteem. When
the father of a family died, his name was considered sufficient to
make his identity clear. Villages are recorded, but no ages.
| "Christofer Haige of the towne of Barwick in Elmett, December 2nd
1632." |
If members of his family died, their names were recorded in relation to the father.
| "Elizabeth, the wife of John Thompsonne of Potterton, 27th April
1634." |
| "Thomas, the sonne of Richard Potter of Barwick, February 6th
1632." |
| "Marie, the daughter of Henrie Nicholson of Barwick, 13th August
1633." |
Widows, however, were recorded in their own right.
"Elizabeth Craven, widdowe, of Barwicke, February 18th 1636."
In two cases, the term "relict" was used, for example.
"Marie, the Relict of John Haighe of Barwicke, August 12th 1637."
Apart from widows, very few women were recorded in their own
right. We must assume that almost all the unmarried women were
listed as "daughter of", even though their fathers might have been
dead for years. The very few exceptions arise, no doubt, because
no-one could remember the name of the father.
There are ten cases of the burial of unbaptised children and
one of a still-birth. There was however much greater infant
mortality than these figures indicate. The case of the triplets
makes a sad tale.
"Isabell, Marie and Katherine, daughters of William Brigs
(baptised) May 2nd 1632"
A few days later:
| "Isabell, daughter of William Brigs of Barwick, (buried) May
4th 1632" |
| "Marie, another of the daughters of the said William, (buried) May
7th 1632" |
| "Katherine, another of the daughters of the same, (buried) May
14th 1632" |
Of the six sets of twins, four pairs of babies died within a
few days of their baptism. In another case, the babies survived
but the mother died. In the two years 1630-1, out of 53 baptisms,
six babies died in the first two years of life, omitting the
triplets and one set of twins previously recorded. In all perhaps
one child in six died within the first two years of life.
There are very few cases where the occupation of the deceased
is given. There are two colliers, two servants, one "poore
apprentice" and "Richard Tailor, the souldier of Barwick" -
scarcely typical or comprehensive. Nine burials are of
"strangers" or "children of strangers," including:
"John, the sonne of John Graye, a travellor in the countrie, 16th
December 1640."
Some burials are unusual for the name, relationship or origin
of the deceased.
"Ignoramus Clapeham, gentleman, of Barmebow, 6th January, 1634."
"Mundaye Fidlinge, a strainger, who died at Rhowndhey, 30th
September 1638."
"Jane, the mother of Richard Cooke of Scholes, December
9th. 1632."
"John Holmes, a child brought up in Morwicke, 23rd October, 1633."
"The widow of Wothersomme, whose name is unknowne, 2nd February
1635."
TABLE A
Yearly Totals of Baptisms, Marriges and Burials
Year
|
For the Parish
|
For Barwick Village
|
|
Baptisms
|
Marriages
|
Burials
|
Baptisms
|
Marriages
|
Burials
|
1600
|
26
|
3
|
15
|
Incomplete Information
|
1601
|
17
|
5
|
16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1631
|
21
|
9
|
25
|
3
|
3
|
8
|
1632
|
37
|
6
|
24
|
11
|
1
|
13
|
1633
|
31
|
8
|
21
|
6
|
1
|
10
|
1634
|
32
|
4
|
19
|
7
|
0
|
5
|
1635
|
32
|
4
|
20
|
8
|
4
|
9
|
1636
|
34
|
11
|
22
|
11
|
5
|
3
|
1637
|
22
|
4
|
20
|
9
|
4
|
7
|
1638
|
32
|
9
|
42
|
11
|
5
|
9
|
1639
|
34
|
11
|
36
|
16
|
7
|
8
|
1640
|
46
|
4
|
27
|
16
|
1
|
4
|
1641
|
30
|
14
|
32
|
14
|
5
|
11
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Totals
(1631 - 41)
|
351
|
84
|
288
|
112
|
38
|
87
|
Variations from year to year in the numbers of births, marriages and deaths could be a result of nothing more than changes in the weather, which would determine the success or failure of the harvest. The factor would affect the health, fertility amd prosperity of the community, leading to the above changes in the population statistics.
A tentative suggestion might be made for the increase in
deaths in the years 1638-9. It is recorded that Leeds was
severely affected by plague in 1645, following minor outbreaks in
some earlier years, which could have produced the effect noted.
In "The Parish Chest", W.E. Tate lists three methods by which
the average annual number of baptisms, marriages or burials can be
used to give the approximate total population of the parish. These are:
(a) Multiply by 30 the average annual number of baptisms.
|
| (b) Multiply by 125 the average annual number of marriages. |
| (c) Multiply by 31 the average annual number of burials. |
The totals in Table 1 have been averaged and used to make the calculations in Table 2.
Table 2 - Estimated Populations (1631-41)
|
The Parish |
Barwick Village |
(a) From Baptisms |
957 |
305 |
(b) From Marriages |
955 |
432 |
(c) From Burials |
|
245 |
The results show how "approximate" the figures are. If we
say that the population of the parish was about 900 and that of
Barwick village about 300, we probably will not be too far out.
The parish place-names given in the transcripts are listed
below, using modern spellings:
Barnbow, Barwick, Brown Moor, Grimesdike, Garforth Moor
(side), Kiddal, Morwick, Osmondthick (near Kiddal), Potterton,
Roundhay (Park), Shippen, Scholes, Stanks, Stockinge, Winmoor
(side), Wothersome.
The surnames of people from Barwick village found in the
records are listed below:
Abbey, Abdie, Addie, Addsonne, Akid, Barker, Barton, Bathurst,
Bell, Bellas{se), Brearecliff{e), Bridges, Brigs, Broadley,
Bullock{e), Burland{e), Burton, Butler, Calverleye, Collett,
Cooke, Corden, Craven, Croft{e), Daniell, Dennisonne, Dineley,
Drurie, Eldred, Ellis, Feather, Fentiman, Fletcher, Gibson{ne),
Grafton, Grave, Greene, Haige (Haighe), Hardcastle, Haiste,
Harrison, Hawell, Heardson, Hurst, Issotteson, Jackson (Jackeson,
Jackesonne), Jenkinson, Knapton{ne), Mallom, Mittonne, More,
Mounsea, Nicholson, Norton{ne), Nowell, Nutter, Oddie, Pearesonne,
Pickarde, Potter, Prince, Rawsonne, Richmond{e), Roote,
Saundersonne, Scotte, Settle, Shenton, Shippon, Simpsonne,
Slaitor, Smith, Stowen, Stringer, Tailor, Tempest, Turner, Usher,
Vevers, Wansley, Watsonne, Wiley, Wood{e), Wright{e).
Arthur Bantoft
Back to the top
Back to the Main Historical Society page
Back to the Barwicker Contents page