times, and the substitution during the protectorate of the registration
of births which might or might not be communicated to the elected parish
register, for that of baptisms which the parish priest would both
celebrate and register, the names of very many of those born into the
world would be altogether omitted from these records. It may be
interesting to show the effects of some of these causes by the subjoined
extracts from the registers themselves, which I transcribe from the
_Chronicon Mirabile_ of the late Sir Cuthbert Sharpe.--(Vide pp. 17. 18.
22. 23. 70. 121. and 156.)

_Staindrop, Durham._--"1644. From this time to 1646, through
want of a Minister, and carelessness of ye Cleark, during ye
wars, much of ye Register is lost, only here and there a name
registered."

"1652. June 14. Mem. From this time till August there was noe
Minister, soe that ye children were carried to other parishes to
be baptized."

_St. Helen's Aukland, Durham_, A.D. 1633.--"Mr. John Vaux, our
minister, was suspended.... Mr. Robert Cowper, of Durham, served
in his place, and left out divers christenings unrecorded, and
regestered others disorderly."

_Gainford, Durham._--"Courteous Reader, this is to let thee
understand that many children were left unrecorded or
redgestered, but the reason and cause was this; some would and
some would not, being of a fickle condition, as the time was
then; this being their end and aim, to save a groate from the
poor Clarke, so they would rather have them unredgestered--but