Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Minutes of the Vestry Meetings and Other Records of the Parish of St. Christopher Le Stocks, in the City of London
The Documents printed in this volume are to be found in two large folio books, one called the Book of Records, and the other the Vestry Minute Book. Both these books are now in fair condition. The Book of Records, which has been beautifully repaired, was, about 16 years ago, in a miserable condition.
I had intended to make a complete transcript of the Book of Records, but I found that this would seriously interfere with the continuity of the Minutes of the Vestry Meetings, which was, to my mind, the principal object I had to keep in view.
The Book of Records was originally prepared in 1486, for the purpose of containing - not the Records of the proceedings of the Vestry meetings - but a list 'of the property appertaining to the Parish and the evidences relating to it. It had been intended that the book should begin with an Index. The first pages are cut so as to allow of the insertion of an Alphabetical Index, but I do not think that this intention was ever even partially carried out.
The first document entered in the Book was a complete list of all the goods belonging to the parish, then follow various Wills relating to the parish property, memoranda of leases, and of a variety of other matters interesting to the, parish. These memoranda have, from time to time, been added to up to the close of the seventeenth century. In the space which had been set apart for the Index, the earlier Vestry Minutes were entered, extending from the year 1559 to the year 1591. From the year 1591 to 1593 the entries are made in a different part of the book, and after the latter date they are entered in the second volume, which contains only Vestry Minutes. It seemed to me, therefore, that if I interposed between the earlier Vestry Minutes, the whole or a considerable part of the contents of the Book of Records, I should be destroying the continuity of the parish history. I have preferred, therefore, to place at the end of the Vestry Minutes, in an appendix, such documents from the Book of Records as I thought were immediately connected with or interesting for the present volume, reserving my intention of printing the whole or such parts of the rest of the contents of the Book of Records as I think necessary. A certain portion of it, which consists of copies of leases, I do not think will be necessary, nor am I sure that any good object will be attained by transcribing the whole of the Wills, though I propose hereafter to give an abstract of the most interesting portions of them.
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