Parish magazines

Parish magazines are a source for a wide variety of local colour. They can including things like the times of events at church or the date of the horticultural show. They can provide times of buses into town, the opening hours of the village shop, and local advertisements. Some included information from the Diocese. A very high proportion of households in a community received and read them.

The magazines might include detailed descriptions of the construction or restoration of a church. Or details of services and welfare work. They also cover the activities of local societies; both those started by churches and others within the community. Organisations such as sports, village libraries and other means of self-improvement. Sometimes local seasonal customs are mentioned, and local responses to national events.

There are lists of recent baptisms, marriages and burials contained in each month’s issue. These might include those which involved parishioners but took place elsewhere. The magazine might also mention church workers, such as members of the choir, and teachers in the Sunday Schools and evening classes.

Parish Councils or independent committees rather than churches produce more recent parish magazines. Like conventional parish magazines, they reflect a wide range of local activities.