Bishops’ registers and Act books

The Bishops’ registers represent the main record series relating to the many different aspects of the bishops' administration of Winchester diocese.  Thirty eight registers survive for the period 1282 to 1684 (catalogue reference 21M65/A1).

Earlier registers tend to be chronological. Details include:

• records of institutions, collations and other clerical appointments
• the issue of licences of various kinds
• the visitation of the diocese
• the election of heads of religious houses
• clerical taxation
• the probate of wills
• sections relating to the administration of the bishops' estates or temporalities

However, from the mid-16th century, entries relating to clerical appointments and ordinations predominate. Registers were then usually divided into sections, for example, institutions and collations, ordinations, general memoranda and royal writs. By the end of the period, many of these sections were listed in separate volumes.

Several registers have been published. The two registers of William Edington (1346 to 1366) covering the period of the Black Death and its aftermath have been translated into English and published in the Hampshire Record Series.

Following 1684 there is a large gap in the series though institution registers survive for 1697 to 1716 and 1734 to 1736 (catalogue reference 21M65/E4)

The Act books (catalogue reference 21M65/A2) succeeded the Bishops’ registers in terms of recording institutions, collations and other clerical appointments, also the issue of licences to curates, lecturers, preachers etc., and lists of ordinands. The series starts with a draft act book dated 1743 to 1767 followed by the main series starting in 1761 and continuing in an unbroken run to the present day.