S, 6.

year, and

after making such entries, or so producing said books, they shall be again securely deposited in said chest. By s. 6. at the expiration of 2 months after the 31st DecemFair copies of ber in every year, fair copies of all the entries of the seall entries of baptisms, &c. to veral baptisms, marriages, and burials, which shall have be made every taken place within the year preceding, shall be made by signed and veri- the rec tor, &c. or other resident or officiating minister, (or fied by rector, &c. by the churchwardens, chapel wardens, clerk or other person duly appointed for the purpose, under the direction of such rector, &c.) on parchment, in the same form as prescribed in the schedules hereunto annexed, (to be provided by the respective parishes); and the contents of such copies shall be verified and signed in the form following, by the rector, &c. of the parish or chapelry to which such register book shall appertain: "I A. B. rector (or as the case may "be) of the parish of C. (or of the chapelry of D.) in the "county of E. do hereby solemnly declare, that the se"veral writings hereunto annexed, purporting to be "copies of the several entries contained in the several re"gister books of baptisms, marriages, and burials, of the "parish or chapelry aforesaid, from the day of

Form of verification.

to

;

"the day of , are true copies of all the several "entries in the said several register books respectively, "from the said day of to the said. day of " and that no other entry, during such period, is con"tained in any of such books respectively, [* are] truly "made according to the best of my knowledge and be"lief. Signed A. B." which declaration shall be fairly written, without any stamp, on the said copy, immediately after the last entry therein; and the signature to such Allestation of declaration shall be attested by the churchwardens or churchwardens, chapelwardens, or one of them, of the parish or chapelry &.c. s. 7. to which such register books shall belong. And by s. 7. Such copies to copies of said books, verified and attested as aforesaid, by churchwar- shall, whether such parish, &c. shall be subject to the ordens, &c. to re- dinary, peculiar, or other jurisdiction, be transmitted by such churchwardens, &c. after they, or one of them, shall have signed the same, by the post, to the registrars of each diocess in England within which the church or

be transmitted

gistrars of dio

ceses,

chapel

*It seems that the words " and that all entries," or some words to this effect, are here omitted.

s. 8.

report every

respect to such

6. 9.

chapel shall be situated, on or before the 1st. June in every year. And by s. 8. the registrar of every diocess, shall, on or before the 1st. July in every year, make a Registrars to report to the bishop of such diocess, whether the copies year to bishops of the registers of the baptisms, marriages, and burials, any default in in the several parishes, &c. within such diocess, have transmission. been sent to such registrar in the manner and within the time herein required; and in the event of any failure of the transmission of the copies of the regis ters, by the churchwardens, &c. the registrar shall state the default of the parish, &c. specially in his report to the bishop. By s. 9. in case the rector, &c. of any parish, &c. shall neglect or refuse to verify and sign such Churchwardens, &c. to certify to copies of such register books, and such declaration as registrar of aforesaid, so that the churchwardens or chapel wardens diocesses, the defaults of recshall not be able to transmit the same, as required by this tors, &c. act, such churchwardens, &c. shall, within the time required by this act for the transmission thereof, certify such default to the registrar of the diocess, who shall specially state the same in his report to the bishop. By s. 10. in all cases of the baptism of any child, or the burial of any person, in any extra-parochial place in England, Where baptism according to the rites of the established church, where extra..parochial there is no church or chapel, it shall be lawful for the place, officiating officiating minister, within one month after such baptism, liver to rector, &c. to deliver to the rector, vicar, or curate of such pa- dum, in what &c. a memoranrish immediately adjoining to the place in which such form. baptism, &c. shall take place, as the ordinary shall direct, a memorandum of such baptism, signed by such parent of the child baptized, or of such burial, signed by the person employed about the same, together with two of the persons attending the same, as the case may require; and every such memorandum shall contain all such particulars as herein-before required; and every such memorandum delivered to the rector, &c. shall be entered in the register of his parish, and form a part thereof. By s. 11. the superscription upon all letters and packets s. 11. containing the copies of such parish or other registers, Packets conshall be indorsed and signed by the churchwardens, &c. of registers, inof every respective parish, &c. in the form contained in dorsed. &c. by the

VOL. I.

s. 10.

or burial in

minister to de

taining copies

churchwardens,

Sc. to be for

postage.

s. 12.

Registrars to preserve and

arrange copies of register books.

s. 14.

the schedule (E.); and all such letters, &c. shall be conwarded free of veyed by means of his majesty's post office, and delivered at the offices of said registrars, free of postage or other charge. By s. 12. the registrars shall cause the copies of said register books, and the said lists of births, baptisms, marriages, or burials, to be securely deposited, and preserved from damage by fire, &c. and to be carefully arranged; and also cause correct alphabetical lists to be made and kept in books suitable to the purpose, of the names of all persons and places mentioned in such books and lists; which alphabetical lists and books, and also the copies of registers and lists so transmitted to said registrars, shall be open to public search, at all reasonable times, on payment of the usual fees.* By s. 14. if any person shall knowingly and wilfully insert, or cause or permit to be inserted in any such register book of baptisms, burials, or marriages, or in any copy of any such register, or in such lists or declarations so directed &c. a false copy, to be transmitted to the registrars, any false entry relating to any baptisms, &c. or shall falsely make, alter, forge, or counterfeit, or cause or procure, or wilfully permit to be falsely made, &c. any part of any such register, &c. or of any such copy of such register; or shall wilfully destroy, deface, or injure, or cause or procure, or permit to be destroyed, &c. any such register book, or any part thereof; or shall knowingly and wilfully sign or certify any copy of any such register book, or any part thereof;

Punishment for false entry in register books

or copies, or

forging or de-
facing the
same, or signing,

or

By s, 13. the bishop and chancellor of each diocess, together with the custodes rotulorum of the several counties in each diocess, were required to - make a report to the privy council before the 1st February, 1813, respecting proper places for preservation of copies of register books, and original wills, (so as to have one proper place in each diocess) and respecting remuneration of the officers employed in each registry. And by s. 19. the rector, &c.

or other officiating ministers of every parish or chapelry in England were required to transmit to the registrars of the diocess, before 1st. June, 1813, a list of all registers then in such parish, &c. stating the periods at which they respectively commence and terminate, the periods (if any) for which they are deficient, and the places where they are deposited.

s. 15.

rectors, &c.

rors within one

them.

Errors how cor

or shall knowingly and wilfully sign or certify any copy of any such register hereby required to be transmitted, which shall be false in any part, knowing the same to be false; such offender shall be guilty of felony, and be transported for 14 years. Provided (s. 15.) that no rector, &c. who shall discover any error in the form or sub- Proviso as to stance of the entry in the register book of any such bap- correcting ertism, &c. by him solemnized, shall be liable to any of month after the penalties herein mentioned, if he shall, within a discovering calendar month after the discovery of such error, in the presence of the parents of the child whose baptism may have been entered in such register, or of the parties married, or in the presence of 2 persons who shall have attended at any burial, or in case of the death or absence of the respective parties aforesaid, then in the presence of the churchwardens or chapelwardens, (who shall respec- Corrections how tively attest the same,) correct such erroneous entry, to be certified. according to the truth of the case, by entry in the margin of the book wherein such erroneous entry shall have been made, without any alteration or obliteration of the origiginal entry, and shall sign such entry in the margin, and add to such signature the day of the month and year when such correction shall he made: provided that in the fair copy of the registers which shall be transmitted to the registrars of the diocess, the said rector, &c. shall certify the alterations so made by him. And it is provided (s. 16.) that this act shall not diminish or encrease the fees heretofore payable to any minister for the performance of any of the before-mentioned duties, or to any minister or registrar for giving copies of such registrations. s. 17. no duplicate or copy of any register of baptism, &c. made under the directions of this act, shall be chargeable registers not with any stamp duty. By s. 18. one half of all fines or penalties to be levied in pursuance of this act * shall go to the person who shall inform or sue for the same, and Penalties how the remainder of such fines as shall be imposed on any disposed of churchwarden or chapelwarden shall go to the poor of the

And by

parish

*No pecuniary fine or penalty appears to be imposed by any clause of this act.

s. 16.

Former fees established.

s. 17.

Copies, &c. of

subject to stamp duty.

s. 18.

s. 20.

tend to church

parish or place for which such churchwarden, &c shall serve; and the remainder of such fines as shall be imposed on any rector, vicar, minister, curate, or registrar, shall be applied to such charitable purposes in the county within which such parish, &c. shall be, as shall be appointed by the bishop of the diocess. By s.20. all the provisions in This act to ex- this act shall extend, so far as circumstances will permit, to es, chapels, and cathedral and collegiate churches, and chapels of colleges or burying hospitals, and the burying grounds belonging thereto; and grounds though not parochial to the ministers who shall officiate therein, and shall baptize, marry, or bury any person, although such churches or chapels, or burying grounds, may not be parochial, or the ministers officiating therein may not be, as such, parochial ministers, and there shall be no churchBooks how pro- warden thereof; and in all such cases, the books hereinpies transmitted before directed to be provided, shall be provided at the expense of the body having right to appoint such officiating minister; and copies thereof shall be transmitted to the registrar of the diocess within which such church, &c. shall be, by the officiating minister of such church, in like manner as herein directed with respect to parochial ministers, and shall be attested by 2 of the officers of such church, &c. as the copies of parochial registers are herein directed to be attested by churchwardens: And it is provided that nothing herein shall repeal the Marriage act, (26 Geo. 2. c. 33. Eng.)

vided, and co

in such cases.

Saving for marriage act.

(26 Geo, 2.c.35)

Schedules to which this act refers.

SCHEDULE (A.)

I.

Baptisms solemnized in the parish of St. A. in the county

of B. in the year