Croydon Archives: Collections

Churchwardens were elected annually at the Easter Vestry. Their many duties included the maintenance of the church fabric; providing facilities for worship; helping to maintain the parish registers; reporting on parishioners who failed to attend church regularly or who committed 'moral' offences which were tried before the church courts; and ensuring that the Incumbent fulfilled his responsibilities.

Croydon Parish: Draft Register of Burials and Baptisms

PR1/9/1/1
Item
1765 - 1796

Part of Croydon Parish Church

Contains baptisms 20 June 1765 - 30 April 1796; and burials 14 June 1765 - 28 April 1796.\r\n\r\nThe first page, which contains burials Dec 1868 - Apr 1769, was bound out of order when the volume was rebound. The original first page (which is now the second page), bears the following inscriptions: 'This book I bought for my own Private use and contains all Christenings, and Burials since the Death of Mr John Piddock who was Clerk of this Parish 37 years. Beginning from June the 19th 1765. The Revd Mr East Apthorpe, Vicar, Joseph Hart, Clerk.\r\n\r\n'Thomas Levers his. bought of the survivor of Joseph Hart and Remains his for his own private use, since the death of the Above [Hart was buried 11 Nov 1779, aged 64]. The Revd Dr Apthorp, Vicar, Thomas Levers, Clerk, Nov 1779

Croydon Parish: Draft Register of Burials and Baptisms

PR1/9/1/2
Item
1796 - 1834

Part of Croydon Parish Church

Contains baptisms 1 May 1796 - 31 Dec 1805; and burials 1 May 1796 - 29 Dec 1834. Rebound

Croydon Parish: Draft Registers of Burials and Baptisms

PR1/9/1
Subseries
1765 - 1834

Part of Croydon Parish Church

Maintained by successive Croydon Vicars and Parish Clerks, they contain far more information than the standard registers of the time. In all cases, the burial entries give the name, age and date of burial of the deceased. For some (albeit rather inconsistently), they give occupations, names of next of kin (ie name of spouse or father/mother), where the deceased lived or died, and the circumstances of any unusual or violent deaths. For example, on 2nd March 1775 was buried 'James Jenner son of James Jenner aged 13 from St Saviours, was scalded to death at Mr Thrale's Brewhouse'. Later entries, after c1800, tend to be rather less detailed. Apart from the date of birth, the baptismal entries do not offer any more information than would be normally found in an official register.

Croydon Parish: General Purposes Rate