The custom of recording births, marriages, and deaths is of very ancient origin. In Genesis v. and xi. are given the births, ages, and deaths of the descendants of Adam to the birth of Noah, and from Noah to the twelve patriarchs. Moses counted the Israelites, and recorded the numbers of each of the tribes. Nehemiah, after the return from the Captivity in Babylon, says: "I found the book of the genealogy of them which came up at the first" (vii. 5).
In Rome, a register of deaths (ratio Libitinæ) was kept in the temple of Libitina, the goddess of the dead, and a regulation, ascribed to Servius Tullius, required that for every death a piece of money, known as the lucar Libitinæ, should be deposited in the temple. Marcus Aurelius ordained that all free persons should give notice of a birth within thirty days, and a record of these was kept in the temple of Saturn.
In medieval times, registers appear to have been kept in France as early as 1308, but not much can be learned about them. In Spain, Cardinal Ximenes in 1497 ordered registers to be kept in every parish, in order to terminate the disorders arising from the marriage of persons between whom there was spiritual affinity.
Parish registers in England were first instituted by Thomas Cromwell in 1538. In the churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St. Margaret's, Westminster, for that year is the following item:
"Paid for a Book to registre in the names of buryals weddings and Christenings 2d."
Local registers had, however, been kept by various churches and religious houses long before this date.
The parish clerks of London, who were responsible for the registers, were licensed as a guild as far back as 1232 under the name of "The Fraternity of St. Nicholas." This was dissolved and reincorporated by Henry VIII. James I. gave them a charter which required that only such as were "able to sing the Psalms of David and to write" should be elected members. By a charter of Charles I. were enjoined to make weekly reports of the christenings and burials within their respective parishes, one copy whereof was required to be sent to the King and another to the Archbishop of Canterbury. A report for the whole year, complied from the weekly returns, was issued in December. These reports are the Bills of Mortality.
Bills of Mortality were prepared for isolated years long before they were issued annually. The early Bills are, however, of extreme rarity, and is is probably impossible to determine when they were first drawn up. All the usual books of reference give 1592 as the date of the first, but this is clearly an error, for there were at least three earlier than that. Among the Egerton Manuscripts in the British Museum is the following very interesting document, which has hitherto, so far as I am aware, escaped notice. It is undated, but is believed by the Museum authorities to be of the year 1532.
"The Extime[1] of Courses Beryed of the Plage wtin the Citie of London
"Syns the xvith day of Novēbre vnto the xxiii day of the same moneth ys deed in the citie & fredom yong and old thes mayny folowyng of the plag and oder dyseases
In p mys benetts gre church i of ye plag
S buttolls wthout bysshopsgate i corse
S nycholas flesshamuls i of ye plag
S peturs in cornell i of ye plag
Mary Wolnorth i corse
All halowes barkyng ii corses
Kateryn colman i of the plag
Mary Aldmanberg i corse
Michaels in cornell iii of ye plag
All halowes ye moor ii i of the plag
S gyles iiii cors iii of the plag
S Dnstons in ye west iiii of y plag
Stevensin colman strete i corse
All halowys lmbert strete i corse
Martens owute whiehe i corse
Mergett moyses i of the plag
Kateryn erechurche ii of the plag
Martens in ye vyntre ii cors
Buttolls wthout algate iiii corses
S Olav in hert strete ii corses
S Andros in holborn ii of ye plag
S peters at powls wharff ii of ye plag
S ffeythes i corse of ye plag
S Alphes i corse of the plag
S Mathews in fryday strete i of the plag
In Rome, a register of deaths (ratio Libitinæ) was kept in the temple of Libitina, the goddess of the dead, and a regulation, ascribed to Servius Tullius, required that for every death a piece of money, known as the lucar Libitinæ, should be deposited in the temple. Marcus Aurelius ordained that all free persons should give notice of a birth within thirty days, and a record of these was kept in the temple of Saturn.
In medieval times, registers appear to have been kept in France as early as 1308, but not much can be learned about them. In Spain, Cardinal Ximenes in 1497 ordered registers to be kept in every parish, in order to terminate the disorders arising from the marriage of persons between whom there was spiritual affinity.
Parish registers in England were first instituted by Thomas Cromwell in 1538. In the churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St. Margaret's, Westminster, for that year is the following item:
"Paid for a Book to registre in the names of buryals weddings and Christenings 2d."
Local registers had, however, been kept by various churches and religious houses long before this date.
The parish clerks of London, who were responsible for the registers, were licensed as a guild as far back as 1232 under the name of "The Fraternity of St. Nicholas." This was dissolved and reincorporated by Henry VIII. James I. gave them a charter which required that only such as were "able to sing the Psalms of David and to write" should be elected members. By a charter of Charles I. were enjoined to make weekly reports of the christenings and burials within their respective parishes, one copy whereof was required to be sent to the King and another to the Archbishop of Canterbury. A report for the whole year, complied from the weekly returns, was issued in December. These reports are the Bills of Mortality.
Bills of Mortality were prepared for isolated years long before they were issued annually. The early Bills are, however, of extreme rarity, and is is probably impossible to determine when they were first drawn up. All the usual books of reference give 1592 as the date of the first, but this is clearly an error, for there were at least three earlier than that. Among the Egerton Manuscripts in the British Museum is the following very interesting document, which has hitherto, so far as I am aware, escaped notice. It is undated, but is believed by the Museum authorities to be of the year 1532.
"The Extime[1] of Courses Beryed of the Plage wtin the Citie of London
"Syns the xvith day of Novēbre vnto the xxiii day of the same moneth ys deed in the citie & fredom yong and old thes mayny folowyng of the plag and oder dyseases
In p mys benetts gre church i of ye plag
S buttolls wthout bysshopsgate i corse
S nycholas flesshamuls i of ye plag
S peturs in cornell i of ye plag
Mary Wolnorth i corse
All halowes barkyng ii corses
Kateryn colman i of the plag
Mary Aldmanberg i corse
Michaels in cornell iii of ye plag
All halowes ye moor ii i of the plag
S gyles iiii cors iii of the plag
S Dnstons in ye west iiii of y plag
Stevensin colman strete i corse
All halowys lmbert strete i corse
Martens owute whiehe i corse
Mergett moyses i of the plag
Kateryn erechurche ii of the plag
Martens in ye vyntre ii cors
Buttolls wthout algate iiii corses
S Olav in hert strete ii corses
S Andros in holborn ii of ye plag
S peters at powls wharff ii of ye plag
S ffeythes i corse of ye plag
S Alphes i corse of the plag
S Mathews in fryday strete i of the plag
