Where registers and archives are concerned, the duties of the verger are often merged with those of the sacristan and the parish clerk. The following section in included for those whose duties include those of a parish clerk.
Archives
There may be an enormous amount of archive material in the church: paper, plans, books, photographs all need to be taken care of, whether ancient or current.
Some parishes will have all their records safely stored in the church, while other parishes will have some of them lodged in the county or diocesan registry. It is important that, wherever archives are stored, a catalogue of al material is maintained and kept up to date.
Storage
Any storage area should be secure, fireproof and clean. The use of thermohygrographs, humidifiers and acid-free storage boxes is recommended. Advice is available from your local county archive office.
Old registers and books need special care. Leather bound books should, at intervals of about five years, be given a vey light dressing with a soft cloth using a book-dressing oil, available from library suppliers. Books handled regularly and with care may receive sufficient natural moisture to maintain suppleness.
Books kept on display should never be left open on a flat surface. A V-shaped cradle should be used, or tow pieces of wedge-shaped foam to create a cushion. This will help prevent the spine of the book from cracking. Rolls of Honour and pages of other books which are on display and used often should not be handled; for page turning the use of a spill is advised.
Active worm damage may be remedied by placing the volume in a plastic bag with a gauze pack of an anti-moth agent, such as chlorinated benzene, for about a week. Ordinary naphthalene is not effective.
Tape should never be used to repair town documents. Starch paste should be used with a narrow strip of fibre sheet, again obtainable from library suppliers.
REGISTERS – OCCASIONAL OFFICES
Banns
Banns take the form of an oral notice, given in a parish on three successive Sundays, stating, the intention of a couple to marry. Banns, once read, should be entered in the banns register as having been read. Where a couple live in separate parishes then the banns must be read in each parish. A verger with a parish clerk responsibilities must see that the register is kept up to date. Each reading should be recorded and signed and, where necessary, a certificate issued against payment of the appropriate fee.
Baptism
It is a legal requirement that an inhabitant of any particular parish may be baptised within that parish. This is also true for those cathedrals which have a parish status (normally those which are governed by a provost rather thana dean and chapter). Where baptism is requested by a person living in another parish, permission should be sought from the incumbent of the domiciliary parish. A baptism register contains a permanent record of all baptised in the that church. Those baptised at the time of their confirmation should not be forgotten.
Burials
Anyone living in a parish is entitled to be buried is entitled to be buried in the parish churchyard, if it is still open, unless the parish council has ruled otherwise. It is necessary to have a registrar’s certificate allowing a burial to take place. After the burial the appropriate portions of the certificate should be completed and returned to the registrar. A burial register should be kept, showing details of all burials in the churchyard, with a plan of the churchyard to indicate each burial plot’s location.
Burial of cremated remains
Areas set aside in parishes for the burial of cremated remains should be provided by faculty and are regulated by rules issued by the chancellor of the diocese. As with burials, a plan of the area should be kept and stored with the certificate of cremation issued by the crematorium.
Confirmation registers
These should record the full names and addresses of each candidate. If a confirmation is carried out in another church, then the register is taken and signed by the officiating bishop. A confirmation return form should be completed and handed to the bishop.
Electoral roll
A new roll is required every six years, and needs to be updated regularly to ensure that it gives an accurate picture of a parish’s membership. Additions and deletions are often the responsibility of the verger whose duties include those of a parish clerk.
MARRIAGES
The marriage register
However, a marriage is conducted in each individual church, the marriage register must be completed in accordance with the rules required by the Registrar General. Each marriage must be recorded as follows:
Marriage certificates
A copy of the entry in the marriage register should be supplied to the couple in the form of a certificate, as supplied by the Registrar General. This must be a complete copy and include any errors or corrections made.
Marriage licence
Where a marriage cannot proceed by banns, a common licence should be sought. This is more common in a non-parish church cathedral, but can occur within the parishes, for example if neither party is a resident in the parish in which the couple hope to marry.
Marriage returns
Under the Marriage Act of 1949 the incumbent of each church licensed for marriages must supply the local district registrar with a quarterly return showing each marriage solomnised during the previous quarter. If no marriages have place, then a nil return should be made.
ACCOUNTS
All monies passing though any cathedral or church must be accounted for in an agreed fashion. Collections, fees and donations should be recorded in the appropriate register and paid into the authorised accounts. It is advisable that this procedure also be adopted for cash which may subsequently be passed on as a donation to a third party. Donations and fees should always be receipted.
Handling of monies
An agreed system for counting money should be formulated, which might include:
Archives
There may be an enormous amount of archive material in the church: paper, plans, books, photographs all need to be taken care of, whether ancient or current.
Some parishes will have all their records safely stored in the church, while other parishes will have some of them lodged in the county or diocesan registry. It is important that, wherever archives are stored, a catalogue of al material is maintained and kept up to date.
Storage
Any storage area should be secure, fireproof and clean. The use of thermohygrographs, humidifiers and acid-free storage boxes is recommended. Advice is available from your local county archive office.
Old registers and books need special care. Leather bound books should, at intervals of about five years, be given a vey light dressing with a soft cloth using a book-dressing oil, available from library suppliers. Books handled regularly and with care may receive sufficient natural moisture to maintain suppleness.
Books kept on display should never be left open on a flat surface. A V-shaped cradle should be used, or tow pieces of wedge-shaped foam to create a cushion. This will help prevent the spine of the book from cracking. Rolls of Honour and pages of other books which are on display and used often should not be handled; for page turning the use of a spill is advised.
Active worm damage may be remedied by placing the volume in a plastic bag with a gauze pack of an anti-moth agent, such as chlorinated benzene, for about a week. Ordinary naphthalene is not effective.
Tape should never be used to repair town documents. Starch paste should be used with a narrow strip of fibre sheet, again obtainable from library suppliers.
REGISTERS – OCCASIONAL OFFICES
Banns
Banns take the form of an oral notice, given in a parish on three successive Sundays, stating, the intention of a couple to marry. Banns, once read, should be entered in the banns register as having been read. Where a couple live in separate parishes then the banns must be read in each parish. A verger with a parish clerk responsibilities must see that the register is kept up to date. Each reading should be recorded and signed and, where necessary, a certificate issued against payment of the appropriate fee.
Baptism
It is a legal requirement that an inhabitant of any particular parish may be baptised within that parish. This is also true for those cathedrals which have a parish status (normally those which are governed by a provost rather thana dean and chapter). Where baptism is requested by a person living in another parish, permission should be sought from the incumbent of the domiciliary parish. A baptism register contains a permanent record of all baptised in the that church. Those baptised at the time of their confirmation should not be forgotten.
Burials
Anyone living in a parish is entitled to be buried is entitled to be buried in the parish churchyard, if it is still open, unless the parish council has ruled otherwise. It is necessary to have a registrar’s certificate allowing a burial to take place. After the burial the appropriate portions of the certificate should be completed and returned to the registrar. A burial register should be kept, showing details of all burials in the churchyard, with a plan of the churchyard to indicate each burial plot’s location.
Burial of cremated remains
Areas set aside in parishes for the burial of cremated remains should be provided by faculty and are regulated by rules issued by the chancellor of the diocese. As with burials, a plan of the area should be kept and stored with the certificate of cremation issued by the crematorium.
Confirmation registers
These should record the full names and addresses of each candidate. If a confirmation is carried out in another church, then the register is taken and signed by the officiating bishop. A confirmation return form should be completed and handed to the bishop.
Electoral roll
A new roll is required every six years, and needs to be updated regularly to ensure that it gives an accurate picture of a parish’s membership. Additions and deletions are often the responsibility of the verger whose duties include those of a parish clerk.
MARRIAGES
The marriage register
However, a marriage is conducted in each individual church, the marriage register must be completed in accordance with the rules required by the Registrar General. Each marriage must be recorded as follows:
- in duplicate in the registers supplied which must be completed at the same time;
- in indelible black ink;
- each register must be signed by the two parties, the officiating minister and by at least two witnesses. NB. Signatures of the couple and the witnesses should be made in full, initials should not be used;
- errors which are discovered during the signing of registers should be noted in the margin of the page; these should be numbered and initialed.
Marriage certificates
A copy of the entry in the marriage register should be supplied to the couple in the form of a certificate, as supplied by the Registrar General. This must be a complete copy and include any errors or corrections made.
Marriage licence
Where a marriage cannot proceed by banns, a common licence should be sought. This is more common in a non-parish church cathedral, but can occur within the parishes, for example if neither party is a resident in the parish in which the couple hope to marry.
Marriage returns
Under the Marriage Act of 1949 the incumbent of each church licensed for marriages must supply the local district registrar with a quarterly return showing each marriage solomnised during the previous quarter. If no marriages have place, then a nil return should be made.
ACCOUNTS
All monies passing though any cathedral or church must be accounted for in an agreed fashion. Collections, fees and donations should be recorded in the appropriate register and paid into the authorised accounts. It is advisable that this procedure also be adopted for cash which may subsequently be passed on as a donation to a third party. Donations and fees should always be receipted.
Handling of monies
An agreed system for counting money should be formulated, which might include:
- Cash should be counted by two people. Where staffing permits, this should be any two people from a team of three or four.
- Cash counted and banked should be entered in the appropriate ledger immediately.
- Endeavour to vary the times and the route by which cash is taken to the bank. Night safe bags are convenient for the deposit of large sums of money not covered by insurers. A cash collection service is available from most banking establishments for those who have a large amount to deal with regularly.