Notes on Volume 1
 

The first volume of the Longdon Parish Registers is in good condition. From 1538 to 1636 the entries are arranged by year and grouped within each year into Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. From 1636 they are arranged chronologically. From 1538 to 1584 the year begins on January 1 although in both 1583 and 1584 the writer takes pains to stress that events prior to Lady Day occurred in the previous year. From 1585 the year begins on Lady Day, March 25.

All entries from 1538 to 1591 are carefully written in a single hand and, based on the appearance of the writing, written at a single time. The entries for 1592 and part of 1593 are in a second hand, and those from 1593 to 1631 are in another. This indicates that the original first volume of the Register was copied, probably in 1592, and then maintained year by year.

From 1601 until the final entries in 1640 this volume duplicates the entries in the fragile remains of the second volume of the register, although there are occasional missed entries and missed detail. However there is often additional information in the entries in the first volume. The third writer of the first volume wrote entries into the second volume from 1631 to 1633. This suggests that the copies in Volume 1 were made at this time. However, as observed earlier, the entries in Volume 1 often include additional information, implying that they were copied soon after the year ended. This is supported by deterioration in the handwriting of the copier in 1629, recovering in 1630 and returning to normal in 1631, showing that the entries were not all written at one time. This copier ceases writing in Volume 1 in 1632 and then begins again in 1635 before ceasing part way through the copying of 1636.

The probable explanation for this is that after rewriting the Register in about 1592 a decision was made to write up each year’s entries into the new register when the year was finished. This decision was followed for the years 1592 and 1593 and then fell into abeyance. Sometime in the 1620s the copies were brought up to date and then maintained year by year until 1640 in the case of Volume 1 and 1656 in the case of Volume 3.

The last entries in this volume are those of 1641. Those of 1642 and 1643 and four burials from 1644 appear in both Volumes 2 and 3. There is then a gap until 1653. The presence of a single burial from 1649 in Volume 1, crossed out with the notation "look in ye yere 1649" indicates that there was once another volume covering the period 1644 to 1652.

Part 1 - 1538-1570
Part 2 - 1571-1600
Part 3 - 1601-1641

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