Registers of the archbishops of York, 1225-1928, including sede vacante registers.
The series of York archiepiscopal registers begins in 1225, a decade or so after the earliest Lincoln enrolments of Bishop Hugh of Wells. It continues, with only brief gaps, until the twentieth century. After the appearance of the Institution Act Books in 1545, the registers tend to become mere repositories of the more formal documents relating to Convocation and visitation, of testamentary business of the Chancery court and of legal instruments affecting churches and parishes.
The register was the official record of the archbishop's administration. It contains his acts and correspondence. The Registrar was responsible for its compilation and it was used by the Registrar, Official and archbishop's permanent staff. It is not a comprehensive record of the archbishop's business, but is selective and the sections/categories of business recorded changes over time. As the archbishop was/is a diocesan, the York registers are effectively bishops' registers with the addition of his actions as metropolitan and (in the Middle Ages) a legate of the Holy See.
York Diocesan Archive: Archbishops’ registers
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- ReferenceGB 193 AbpReg
- Former ReferenceGB 193 R.I
- Dates of Creation1225-1928
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialEnglish Latin
- Physical Description63 volumes and rolls;
1.3 cubic metres
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
The office of York Diocesan Registrar was, in earlier times, held by a prominent individual, who might be a cleric or a barrister. It was also held by members of the same family. From the mid seventeenth century to the late eighteenth century the office was held by the Aislabie family. Between the late eighteenth century and the late nineteenth century the office was held by younger sons of the Archbishops of York, while day to day business at the Registry was conducted by deputy registrars (sometimes one deputy, sometimes joint deputies) who were solicitors and public notaries. Today the York Diocesan Registrar is a member of a York legal practice and is a specialist in canon law and in the governance of the Church of England.
Arrangement
The sequence of registers follows a chronological arrangement by archiepiscopate.
*Medieval registers*
Contemporary marginal headings in the earlier registers are commonly used to aid reference. Institutions of clergy to benefices form the most common content. Institutions, exchanges and business relating to benefices are commonly arranged into sections by the relevant archdeaconry, and memoranda, testamentary business, and ordination lists given in separate sections. The *Capitula* section would contain material relating to the chapters of York Minster, the collegiate churches of Beverley, Southwell and Ripon, and the chapel of St Mary and the Holy Angels, York. This would usually be collations of prebends and other matters relating to the chapters. Up to Zouche's register there was also a section for the Officiality, with material relating to Consistory Court business and the work of the Official (who presided over the Court of York and was the archbishop's executive officer), and circular letters and notices to the wider clergy. From Thoresby's register ordinations are usually included, and from Zouche a *Testamenta* section for wills. Other sections sometimes included *Diverse lettere* (correspondence and memoranda), *Intrinseca de Camera* (miscellaneous letters concerning the archbishop's financial matters and household), *Liberationes* (orders of payments, receipts, bonds and other financial matters), *Ballive* (correspondence with secular officers and offices, such as bailiffs, the appointment of justices of assize etc). Convocation material is more scattered. The particular sections and division of material within each register in the medieval and early modern period are given in the scope and content note for each register's description.
Access Information
Records are open to the public, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including data protection laws.
Acquisition Information
The Diocesan Registrar has deposited records relating to the Diocese of York at the Borthwick Institute since 1953.
Note
The office of York Diocesan Registrar was, in earlier times, held by a prominent individual, who might be a cleric or a barrister. It was also held by members of the same family. From the mid seventeenth century to the late eighteenth century the office was held by the Aislabie family. Between the late eighteenth century and the late nineteenth century the office was held by younger sons of the Archbishops of York, while day to day business at the Registry was conducted by deputy registrars (sometimes one deputy, sometimes joint deputies) who were solicitors and public notaries. Today the York Diocesan Registrar is a member of a York legal practice and is a specialist in canon law and in the governance of the Church of England.
* D.M. Smith, Guide to Bishops' Registers of England and Wales: A Survey from the Middle Ages to the Abolition of Episcopacy in 1646 (Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, 1970)
* D.M. Smith, Supplement to the Guide to Bishops' Registers of England and Wales (Canterbury and York Society, 2004)
* D.M. Smith, A Guide to the Archive Collections in the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research (York, 1973)
* D.M. Smith, A Supplementary Guide to the Archive Collections in the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research (York, 1980)
* E.F. Jacob, The Medieval Registers of Canterbury and York (St Anthony's Hall Publications 4, 1953)
* A. Hamilton Thompson, 'The Registers of the Archbishops of York', Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, xxxii (1935)
* J.S. Purvis, The Archives of the York Diocesan Registry: their provenance and history (St Anthony's Hall Publications 2, 1952)
Other Finding Aids
* Calendars (published by the Surtees Society, Canterbury and York Society, and the Borthwick Institute) are available for archbishops' registers [AbpReg/] 1-8, 9, 13, 15-16, 18-19 (extracts) and 23 (partial).
* The York Archbishops’ Registers database/website includes indexed entries for registers 7-12, 14-16 and 31-32.
* Some typescript abstracts are available at the Borthwick Institute for AbpReg/9, 10A, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 33A, 34-51.
* Lists of clerical ordinations for York diocese, 1342-1849 are freely available at https://www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/publications/lists-and-indexes/#clergy
Alternative Form Available
* Digital images of the registers between 1225 and 1650 with indexed entries for a selection of the registers, is freely available from York Archbishops' Registers database and website (https://archbishopsregisters.york.ac.uk/).
* The registers up to 1650 can also be viewed on microfilm in the Borthwick's microform room (ref. MFB/1976-1993).
Archivist's Note
Retroconverted from the guides and finding aids of Professor David M Smith, former Director of the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, by C Fonge, June 2023.
Conditions Governing Use
A reprographics service is available to researchers. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the document. Copies are supplied in accordance with the Borthwick Institute for Archives' terms and conditions for the supply of copies, and under provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce images of documents in the custody of the Borthwick Institute must be sought.
Custodial History
The rolls and registers of the archbishops of York were preserved in the Diocesan Registry which adjoined the south transept of York Minster. Following the appointment of Canon Purvis as the first diocesan archivist in 1939 and the establishment of the Borthwick in 1953 (of which Purvis was the first Director), the archive moved to the Borthwick. Further related archives and papers followed (the archives of Bishopthorpe Palace in 1955, probate records in 1958 etc). For fuller information on the history of the York Diocesan Archive and its deposit at the Borthwick Institute, see J.S. Purvis, The Archives of York Diocesan Registry: their provenance and history (St Anthony's Press, York, 1952) and 'Towards a University' by (York, Herald Printers, 1968) .
Bibliography
* Some of the medieval registers have been published by the Canterbury and York and Surtees Societies, and Borthwick Institute's text and calendar series.
Additional Information
Published
GB 193