An Inventory Of The Parish Registers And Other Records In The Diocese Of Canterbury With An Introduction And Appendix Edited By Ce Woodruff PDF Download

Excerpt from An Inventory of the Parish Registers and Other Records: In the Diocese of Canterbury With an Introduction and Appendix It may be assumed that the number of those who take an interest in parish records or registers is extremely limited, perhaps most people are altogether unaware even of the existence of such documents. In publishing this volume there is no expectation of rendering these statistics popular. Our primary purpose is to ascertain what we possess and thus to widen the field in which the student of parochial history may delve. The late Archbishop Benson once in an inofficial manner was driving through an area of open country, where archaeological interest centered in the ruins of an ancient Religious house in the vicinity of which remained a cluster of parish churches. Dr. Benson possessed an almost unequalled knowledge of Church Architecture: - Doors, windows, carving, mouldings, were a joy and recreation after his severer labours. At one point in this excursion he arrived at a Church absolutely devoid of architectural interest. Surveying the fabric with a look which betokened a sense of disappointment, he observed to his companion, "Well, at any rate we can ask to see the Registers." Dr. Benson knew full well that these ancient documents often contain facts no less important and interesting than some external or internal architectural feature of priceless esteem to the antiquary or historian. This Inventory, (the prolonged and exhaustive labours of the Rev. C. E. Woodruff and others) gives us the ends of threads which if interwoven with collateral incidents may some day produce a fabric of high historical value. It is lamentable to think how often local records have disappeared. These slender threads of parochial history, form the warp of local patriotism. The cause of patriotism has of recent years received a very considerable impulse, but it is no new thing, it is inherent in the life history of every nation, but it is a term difficult both of analysis or explanation. We all, of course, recognise how the study of the life of a great man can arouse and stimulate patriotic effort, e.g., Pericles in Athens, Augustine at Rome; in England such characters as Edward the Black Prince, and Sir Thomas More; in America, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln shine like stars in their respective spheres. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."