On this page there is information about:
Parish Registers and Bishops Transcripts | What makes them different?
Gaps
Old and New Calendars (slash in the date) and the Quaker Calendar
Additional Notes and Abbreviations
Not found them?
Want a copy or want to check for yourself?

Parish Registers and Bishops' Transcripts

Although Matlock Parish Church (St. Giles') registers were started in 1637, the Bishops' Transcripts for the parish did not begin until 1662. The original baptisms and burials transcripts on this site were extracted from the BTs, though PR entries are now included for completeness.

The BTs were registers prepared for and then sent to the Bishop of the Diocese. They are very similar to the Parish Register, which was retained by the parish, and should contain either the same information or very similar information (see below).
Matlock was part of the diocese of Lichfield.

What makes them different?

In some cases BTs were the incumbent's original, and he (or an assistant of some kind) then copied the information into the parish registers before sending the BTs to the Bishop. In this case the so called 'transcript' was actually the original! Alternatively, the BTs may have been copied from the register prior to forwarding to the Bishop so are then only a secondary source.

Either way, a consequence is that there are sometimes small differences between the Parish Registers and Bishops Transcripts. From personal research experience the web mistress has occasionally found additional information in one or the other.

Before 1752 both the Parish Registers and the BTs for Matlock ran from Lady Day to Lady Day.

Gaps

There are no longer any gaps in the transcripts on this site, although a few entries have proved elusive as they are impossible to read.

You may wish to view the Parish Register which is held at Derbyshire County Record Office. There is also a CD of PR indexes available.
How to contact Derbyshire County Record Office
How to buy the CD


Old and New Calendars (slash in the date) and the Quaker Calendar

As noted above, the parish registers and the BTs for Matlock's parish church didn't begin on 1st January but instead ran from Lady Day to Lady Day each year before 1752. This was because the church year was organised that way as it followed the Julian Calendar. Lady Day is on 25th March. The calendar used from 1852 onwards, which we use today, is the Gregorian calendar.

Baptisms and burials used to be recorded on this web site with a slash appearing in the year given, e.g. 1730/1 for all baptisms and burials that occurred between the months of January and March for the years between 1637 and 1751 inclusive. Using as an example the date 6 Feb 1741/2 as a way of explaining this quirk, all this means is that the event occurred on 6 Feb 1742, but the actual entry is to be found under the entries for the church year of 1741. It is sometimes referred to as an 'old' calendar date for the year, but acknowledges the modern calendar we use now. Genealogists use either a slash in the date to emphasise this or just use the modern calendar when recording a pre Jan 1752 date as it avoids unnecessary confusion, although some Genealogy databases do no accept the slash. This historical ecclesiastical quirk may explain why a birth may seem to have taken place before a marriage or even a death before an individual was baptised.

To simplify things the on-site information provided has now been altered so that the date appears as a modern calendar date. A line space has been included before 25 March in years up to 1751 to denote where the church year changed.
Old and Modern (New) Calendar Dates - more onsite information.

Quakers, or the Society of Friends
The Quaker calendar was slightly different until 1752.
See Swarthmore: The Quaker Calendar which explains how their calendar worked. They suggest noting such dates as o.s. (old style); genealogy computer programmes now in use require a simpler convention so do not currently allow for this as the main date. Perhaps the way around it is to record the modern calendar date and add the Quaker record to the notes.

Additional Notes and Abbreviations

1. No parent is named against some baptisms
   These are probably adult baptisms
   
   
2. Where both parents names given they appear in the registers as '&' e.g. George & Elizabeth. Here they are presented as George/Elizabeth.
   
   
3. 'Batch' baptisms - parents baptising more than one child on the same day.
   This happened more often during the nineteenth century, so it should not be assumed that this indicated twins in the family. You would need to check further to confirm they were twins, unless the register states that they were. The date of birth may also be included in the register entry.

ABBREVIATIONS
d - daughter
inf - infant
m - month(s)
s - son
w - week(s)
wi - wife

Not found them?

There is more information about the other Matlock and Matlock Bath Church Registers.
Matlock and Matlock Bath Churches and Chapels

It is possible that the baptism or burial took place in a church or chapel in one of the surrounding parishes. Wirksworth and Cromford Chapel baptisms can be found on the Strays pages and is worth checking the lists for your surname.
Matlock and Matlock Bath Strays
Matlock Bath residents, particularly those living in Upper Wood, may be found in Bondall registers.

Otherwise, details of other parishes can be found through the Andrews Pages Useful Genealogy Sources page
Useful Genealogy Sources

Want a copy or want to check for yourself?

It is strongly recommended that, having found information on these pages, you check the original.
How to contact Staffordshire RO, who hold the BTs
How to contact Derbyshire County Record Office in Matlock, where the Parish Registers are held.
A fee may be required for work done on your behalf if you cannot visit these archives in person.