Parish records are a valuable resource, not only to family history researchers, but also for people who are interested in the history of England and Leicestershire. There are some interesting historical notes contained within the village descriptions, supplied by William Phillimore. Here are the ones I noticed whilst adding the Marriages Parish Registers to my blog:-
Croxton Kerrial 1558 to 1837
In 1162, the Premonstratensian Priory of Newhouse founded a house at Croxton, which became an important Abbey. It was the Abbot of Croxton, who was acting as King John’s physician, when that monarch died at Newark. He superintended the embalming of the body, and carried away the bowels and buried them in his Abbey Church.
Knipton 1563 to 1837
This volume is remarkable for the large number of notes it contains, chiefly remarks on the personality of the various people baptised or buried, such as “a verie old & poore cottager,” “an antient widow,” etc.; but also some of more general interest, such as a note to the effect that “Belvoir towne” was burnt down 5 Nov 1644, “being the gunpowder treason day”
Glenfield 1604 to 1837
In 1633 is this note: “Me(morandum) this yeare the Inhabitants of Glenfield fell at difference among themselves & did not agree upon any Order either in Church or Com(m)onweale: Wherefore the Officers of the Church did give in a Bill of All Christnings
Burialls & Weddings into the Bishops Court at the Visitation & observed not the Recording any such in this Register according to the desire of John Dixon Rector.” Also :—“ Me(morandum) this yeare the Inhabitants of Glenfleld fell at great suites &
Controversies among themselves about their Levies & taxations, so that they observed noe Order for the Church; the king; the poore; or themselves whereuppon every man did what was pleasing in his own eyes, Notwithstanding the many & often prayers & preachings together w(i)th the private and publicke exhortac(i)ons of them to Unity by mee John Dixon Rector.” The next page, the reverse of leave 7, contains only the baptism in 1641 of a son of John Dixon the Rector. The next page contains six burial entries in 1631-32 and the burial of Richard Ryves R(ec)t(o)r of Hallaton, Nov. 18, 1693. Next c mes a quite blank page, then one containing only this note :— “ Memorandum the Inhabitants of Glenfield mooved with envy in the yeare 1646 denyed all Tithes & church dues 0 L(or)d Convince them 0 Lord Convert them for they are Madmen.” Then follow entries in disorder, 1644, ‘66, ‘57, ‘61, in various writing. In “1646. Churchwardens, not any; because distractions many; & distructions mightie.”
Frisby on the Wreak 1659 to 1837
As we do not know that the Dean became acquainted with Mrs. Vanhomrigh, the widow of a Dutch merchant, before 1708, it is improbable that this mysterious note in the Frisby registers was penned by one of the Erricks, but whoever wrote, and whatever they meant by it—and its meaning is by no means clear—this mysterious allusion to the renowned “Vanessa” in the registers of the parish with which the author of “Gulliver’s Travels” was so closely connected, has a romantic interest for the student of English literary history.
Thurcaston cum Cropston 1561 to 1837
Here, about 1490-91, was born “that learned and most reverend Hugh Latimer, D.D.,” Bishop of Worcester 1535, martyred at Oxford.
For more information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Latimer
http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/latimerbio.htm
Ashby Parva 1589 to 1837
Page 27 contains a list of the churchwardens year by year from 1633 to 1650 inclusive. To the entry of the baptism of William, son of John & Sarah Paul, 23 Aug., 1679, is added this note “This W. Paul, a clergyman, was unhappily engaged in the rebellion at Preston in 1715 & executed for the same—-betrayed by—Byrd of Claybrook - for which service he was never rewarded. See the printed account.”
For more information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Preston_(1715)
Bitteswell 1558 to 1837
There is a great deal of historical information about the parish of Bitteswell and for those interested in Bitteswell's village history I recommend that you take a look for yourself. The following historical fact was interesting to me:-
The most uncommon feature of this first volume of Bitteswell is the fact that the nineteenth leaf is devoted to the signatures of those who took the oath of Protestation in 1641. This we print with those of three other Leicestershire parishes as an Appendix to this volume of Marriage Registers.
Prestwold, including Burton on the Wolds and Cotes 1560 to 1837
William Ward was made Minister of this Parish in 1581, when he was only 24 years old, having, according to his own statement, been born in 1557. His ministry went on without a break until his death at the age of 80, in July, 1637. When the Canon of 1597 ordered the transcribing of paper registers on to parchment, he chose (as many others did) to consider it sufficient to begin his transcription with the year 1560; so that the untranscribed registers of the previous twenty years were allowed to perish. He mentions by name three of the ministers who had preceded him, viz: Hugh Whatmowe, in 1560; Robert Blunt, 1571-72, and Thomas Jesson, 1577-80; but no complete list of them is preserved. He enlivens the dull and prosaic nature of his task by sundry remarks in the margins; on current events, such as the Spanish Armada, the assassination of Buckingham, the failure to relieve the Rochellers, the deaths of royal personages, exceptional seasons as affecting agriculture, comets, hurricanes, periodical outbreaks of plague in London and Loughborough ; together with general reflections on life, death, matrimony, etc. His transcriptions from 1560-97, and his own continuous entries from 1598 to 1637, together with the anonymous entries of 1637-39, make up a volume of singular completeness and unity. His remarks are interesting, thoughtful and pungent.
Ashby Folville 1584 to 1837
* N.B. The intermediate Sunday (9 Nov 1804) Banns was omitted, the flood being so high as to make it impossible to enter the Church. W. W[ilkinson].
Leicestershire Lass
