On this page there is information about:
Bishops' Transcripts | What makes them different?
Gaps | Slash in the date
Additional Notes and Abbreviations
Not found them?
Want a copy or want to check for yourself?

Bishops' Transcripts

The Matlock Parish Church (St. Giles') baptisms and burials onsite have been extracted from the BTs. These were registers prepared for and then sent to the Bishop of the Diocese. They are very similar to the Parish Register and should contain either the same information or very similar information (see below).
Matlock was part of the diocese of Lichfield.

What makes them different?

In some cases BTs were the incumbent's original, and he (or an assistant of some kind) then copied the information into the parish registers before sending the BTs to the Bishop. (In this case the so called 'transcript' was actually the original!) Alternatively, the BTs may have been copied out from the register prior to forwarding to the Bishop so are then only a secondary source.

Either way, a consequence is that there are sometimes small differences between the Parish Registers and Bishops' Transcripts. From personal research experience the webmistress has occasionally found additional information in one or the other.

There are sometimes gaps in both sources (see Gaps below), which could be because nothing was recorded for the year, or it what was recorded has been subsequently lost or destroyed.

Before 1752 the BTs for Matlock ran from Lady Day to Lady Day. So did the Parish Registers.

Gaps

Some years are missing from the BTs of Matlock St. Giles

To fill in any gaps missing from the onsite transcripts you may wish to view the Parish Register which is held at Derbyshire County Record Office
There is also a CD of PR indexes available
How to contact Derbyshire County Record Office
How to buy the CD


Slash in the date

As noted above, the BTs and the parish registers for Matlock's parish church didn't begin on 1st January but instead ran from Lady Day to Lady Day each year before 1752. This was because the church year was organised that way. Lady Day is on 25th March.

Baptisms and burials used to be recorded on this web site with a slash appearing in the year given, e.g. 1730/1 for all baptisms and burials that occurred between the months of January and March for the years between 1662 and 1751 inclusive. Using as an example the date 6 Feb 1741/2 as a way of explaining this quirk, all this means is that the event occurred on 6 Feb 1742, but the actual entry is to be found under the entries for the church year of 1741. It is sometimes referred to as an 'old' calendar date for the year, but acknowledges the modern calendar we use now. Genealogists use either a slash in the date to emphasise this or just use the modern calendar when recording a pre Jan 1752 date as it avoids unnecessary confusion. This historical ecclesiastical quirk may explain why a birth may seem to have taken place before a marriage or even a death before an individual was baptised.

To simplify things the information provided has now been altered so that the date apprears as a modern calendar date.
Old and Modern (New) Calendar Dates - more onsite information

Additional Notes and Abbreviations

1. No parent is named against some baptisms
   These are probably adult baptisms
   
   
2. Where both parents names given they appear in the registers as '&' e.g. George & Elizabeth. Here they are presented as George/Elizabeth.
   
   
3. 'Batch' baptisms - parents baptising more than one child on the same day.
   This happened more often during the nineteenth century, so it should not be assumed that this indicated twins in the family. Usually the date of birth is also given.

ABBREVIATIONS
d - daughter
inf - infant
m - month(s)
s - son
w - week(s)
wi - wife

Not found them?

There is more information about the other Matlock and Matlock Bath Church Registers.
Matlock and Matlock Bath Churches and Chapels

It is possible that the baptism or burial took place in a church or chapel in one of the surrounding parishes. Wirksworth and Cromford Chapel baptisms can be found on the Strays pages and is worth checking the lists for your surname.
Matlock and Matlock Bath Strays

Otherwise, details of other parishes can be found through the Andrews Pages Useful Genealogy Sources page
Useful Genealogy Sources

Want a copy or want to check for yourself?

It is strongly recommended that, having found information on these pages, you check the original.
How to contact Lichfield JRO, who hold the BTs
How to contact Derbyshire County Record Office in Matlock, where the Parish Registers are held