Transcript:Shropshire, England. Shropshire Parish Registers/Lichfield Diocese/01/Pitchford

Shropshire Parish Registers.

Diocese of Lichfield.

VOL. I. (1900)

Register of Pitchford.

Pitchford Register.

The Parish Register Abstract 1831 gives the following account of the Pitchford Registers :—Pitchford R. No. I. Bap. Bur. 1558–1779 ; Mar. 1558–1753. No. II. Bap. Bur. 1780–1812. Nos. III., IV. Mar. 1754–1812. The same Registers are still existing. The earliest volume is a parchment book, and is in splendid condition. The entries for the first 40 years were copied from the old paper book, at the cost of the parish, in 1598, and each page is signed by Rowland Thasker, the Rector, and by Adam Browne and Tho. Madoxe, who were evidently Churchwardens in 1598, when the copy was made. After 1615, the Churchwardens do not sign every page. The Register is well written, and the entries are very plain, and all are in English, excepting that occasionally “ vid.” is written for “ widow.” Until 1711 it is in Court hand. A few of the entries are inserted out of chronological order.

In the year 1719, an entry occurs as to the taking down of the gable end of the chancel, and the rebuilding of it, at the sole cost of Adam Ottley, Esq. Two pages, containing the entries for the years 1743 to 1746, are in a illiterate handwriting. From 1746 onwards, the entries are written by Adam Ottley, rector.

The most important items in the Register are those relating to the Ottley family, who are now represented by Colonel Cotes, of Pitchford Hall, and Lord Hawkesbury. Reference should be made to an interesting paper on the Ottley family, contributed by Lord Hawkesbury to the Shropshire Archæological Society's Transactions, Second Series, Vol. VIII., pp. 361–380. Other important families entered in the Register are those of Sonford (or Sandford), Mainwaringe, Corfield, Wolrich, and Blakeway.

In this printed transcript the entries for 1558 are printed in full, the rest are abbreviated. At the beginning of each year from 1558 to 1598, “ Anno Dni 15 . . , 25 die Martij ” is written. This has not been printed here, nor the constant repetition of “ Row : Thasker, rector, Adam Browne, Tho : Madoxe, Churchwardens,” which also occur on every page of the Register during those years. But the names of the later Churchwardens who sign are here printed.

The second volume, which contains Baptisms and Burials from 1780 to 1812, consists of 12 leaves of parchment, and is in excellent condition. During Mr. Walcot's Incumbency the Register was rather badly kept, several burials being altogether omitted from the Register, and a number of entries from 1803 to 1807 not showing whether the persons were baptized or buried. Mr. Corfield, at first Curate and afterwards Rector, took a pride in the Registers, and supplied several missing entries. He also gave a detailed statement of the repairs effected at Pitchford Church in 1819 ; but alas he tells of a “ large old Saxon window at the chancel ” being removed, and replaced by “ the present Gothic one,” the cost of which he himself defrayed.

The third volume contains 36 marriages from 1756 to 1779, also one additional Banns, and is a paper book. The fourth volume contains 28 Marriages and 20 Banns from 1780 to 1812, and is a parchment book. Four of these marriages are on scraps of paper pasted in, and were not filled up in the usual way on the ordinary printed forms. Both these volumes are in good condition.

The following is a list of the Rectors of Pitchford, whose names appear in the Registers :—

Rowland Thasker, 1572–1599. (Bur. 1 Feb., 1599).

Roger Tydder, 1603.

John Wilkes, 1668–1716.

William Roe, 1717–1741. (Bur. 17 July, 1741).

John Davies, 1741. (Bur. 2 March, 1741).

Adam Ottley, 1746–1798. (Bur. 28 July, 1798).

Charles Walcot, 1801–1811.

Richard Corfield, 1812. (Occurs Curate 1809–1812).

The present copy was made by Mr. T. R. Horton, and has been since compared with the original Registers by the Rev. W. G. D. Fletcher. It is printed by the kind permission of the Rev. J. E. C. Patterson, the present Rector of Pitchford.