Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1929
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | measure 1929 No. 1 |
| Year | 1929 |
Parochial Registers and Records Measure, 1929.
(19 & 20 Geo. 5.)
A MEASURE passed by the National Assemblyof the Church of England.
To provide for the better care of Parochial Registers and other Records in Ecclesiastical custody, and the establishment of Diocesan Record Offices.
[10th May 1929]
1 Care of parochial registers.
(1) The bishop of every diocese shall have power—
(i) to direct that register books of baptisms, marriages and burials in the power and custody of any minister of the diocese shall be kept in a chest or safe, which in respect of—
(a) the material of which it is constructed,
(b) its holding capacity, and
(c) the security it affords against damage by fire, damp, or otherwise, and against any wrongful interference with the register books,
shall conform with the requirements of the bishop;
(ii) to direct that any chest or safe in which such register books are kept shall from time to time, as occasion may require, be repainted or repaired;
(iii) to direct that any such register books shall from time to time, as occasion may require, be rebound or repaired; and
(iv) from time to time to issue such general directions as to the safe keeping and care of such register books as he may think expedient;
and any directions given by a bishop under this section shall be binding on all persons concerned, either as owners or as custodians of such register books.
(2) Section five of the Parochial Registers Act, 1812, shall have effect subject to the provisions of this Measure, and the expense of complying with any directions given under this section shall be met by the parochial church council concerned out of any monies in the hands of such council either specially collected for the purpose or otherwise available.
2 Diocesan record office.
(1) The bishop of every diocese shall have power to establish a diocesan record office either at the same place as that at which the diocesan registry is situate or at some other place selected by him, and shall also have power to make such regulations and to appoint such officers as shall be necessary for the conduct of the business of such diocesan record office.
(2) The bishop shall, in selecting the place where a diocesan record office is to be established under this section, have regard to the question whether it affords adequate security against damage by fire, damp, or otherwise.
(3) Any register books of baptisms, marriages and burials deposited in a diocesan record office pursuant to the provisions of this Measure shall be kept by and remain in the power and custody of the chief officer of such office.
3 Deposit of parochial registers and parochial records in diocesan record office.
After a diocesan record office has been established in any diocese, any minister in such diocese may, subject to the provisions of this Measure, with the consent of the bishop and the parochial church council, deposit in such diocesan record office—
(i) any register books of baptisms, marriages or burials which are in his power and custody, not being books in actual use for the purpose of making entries therein; or
(ii) any deeds or documents of value as historical records or as evidence of legal rights which are in his custody or in that of the churchwardens or of the parochial church council, or in the joint custody of any of them.
4 Orders for deposit of parochial registers and parochial records may be made in certain cases.
(1) After a diocesan record office has been established in any diocese, the bishop shall have power from time to time to cause the register books of baptisms, marriages and burials in the power and custody of any minister in such diocese to be inspected and reported on by some person authorised by him.
(2) If it shall appear to the bishop from a report made to him under this section that any register books of baptisms, marriages and burials in the power and custody of any minister in his diocese are exposed to danger of loss or damage or that any directions given by him in respect thereof under the powers conferred on him by this Measure have not been complied with, the bishop shall send a copy of such report to such minister, and shall consider any representations made to him by such minister within a period of fourteen days from the sending of such report.
(3) After the expiration of the aforesaid period the bishop shall, subject to the provisions of this Measure, have power to order that the register books of baptisms, marriages and burials in the power and custody of such minister, not being books in actual use for the purpose of making entries therein, or such of them as the bishop shall specify, shall be deposited in the diocesan record...
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