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Hurst Parish Registers A mandate was issued in 1538 instructing each parish to record each birth, marriage and death. The parson was to keep the records, witnessed by a churchwarden, in a 'sure coffer' or chest. Many early records were loose sheets of paper and have been lost or destroyed. The Hurst Parish Registers date to 1583. In chapter VI of A Few Words About Hurst, the Revd. A A Cameron describes the registers. Hurst original parish included Twyford in the north and Arborfield Cross in the south. Neighbouring parishes include Sonning (with Woodley) (1592), Wargrave (1538), Ruscombe (1559), Waltham St Lawrence (1539), Wokingham (1674), Barkham (1538) and Arborfield (1705). Twyford was made into a separate parish in 1876, St Catherine's Bearwood in 1846 and Woodley, in 1881. Until January 1st 1752 the year began on March 25th. Hurst Parish Records are in the care of the Berkshire Record Office, Reading. Copies are also kept by the Genealogical Society in London. This version was created from a card index compiled by the late Frank Lacy and members of the Twyford & Ruscombe Local History Society. Many original name spellings have been retained and alternatives normally appear within brackets. Some records are illegible. It is important to check the original records where italics have been used, or those marked by a ? Civil Registration began in England in 1837. Copies of certificates of births, deaths and marriages recorded after that date can be obtained from the General Register Office. Baptisms The delay between birth and baptism varied at different times. Three days was normal in the 17th century, but subsequently it could be several weeks before the child was brought to church. In some cases several children of the same family were baptised on the same day. Some were not baptised until they had become adult. The baptism records are listed alphabetically by surnames date order. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Marriages The marriage records are listed in date order with surnames in the left-hand column. The female surname is the first shown in each entry. There is a gap in the marriage records between 1610 and 1633. 'X' indicates the entry was signed by the person's mark 1585-1599 1600-1649 1650-1699 1700-1749 1750-1774 1775-1799 1800-1824 1825-1849 1850-1886 Burials The burial records are listed alphabetically by surnames date order. |