Hampshire Marriage Index 1538 – 1659

Background Historical Information

Parish Registers were first ordered to be kept in 1538, by Thomas Cromwell, Vicar General of Henry VIII. Cromwell ordered that every parish must keep a weekly register of all baptisms, marriages and burials. Register entries were to be made every Sunday by the incumbent, in the presence of the churchwardens. The register was kept in a coffer with two locks. Failure to do so resulted in a fine; however, compliance was hit and miss as parishes regarded it as a form of taxation.

Annually from the year 1598, within a month of Easter, the incumbent clergy of each parish were required to send a complete copy of the years register entries to the diocesan registry. These copies are known today by researchers as Bishops’ Transcripts.