I challenge anyone to find a better BT page

[steadyrollingman]

I've read that compiling the Bishop's Transcripts was generally viewed as either an unwelcome chore or just a waste of paper and ink, (and I've seen enough of them to know this is true) so I feel it's only right to give 'props' to the vicar, parish clerk or whoever it was that created the first page of the Cockfield, Durham registers:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LJC-8J?i=1&wc=9K5S-2N5%3A13618101%2C17954201%2C17954202&cc=1309819

I was already a big fan of him (probably safe to assume it's a bloke), due to him adding some 'unnecessary' info to my 6x g-grandparents burial entries, but he's really going above and beyond the call of duty here. Even drew a bonny little 'oak' leaf or summat. He looks to me like a frustrated newspaper editor, before those were even really a thing up here.

If only he could have started a year earlier when there was a record I could do with, I'd be out looking for his grave to lay some flowers...

[BumbleB]

I think we all have our "heroes" for church records.  Here in Tamworth (no family connections at all) there was a wonderful Vicar at the end of the 18th century - Reverend Blick - each year he would add a precis of the happenings and in 1795 he recorded that

[andrewalston]

What wonderfully clear writing too.

There goes a man whose undiluted ink certainly was NOT wasted!

[wilcoxon]

Perhaps the "tree" was an oak, many gravestones have an oak leaf on them.

Oak leaves
The mighty oak is a symbol of strength, honour, steadfastness and immortality. Furthermore, the acorn is a symbol of life, fertility and immortality. 

[steadyrollingman]

I think we all have our "heroes" for church records. 

Oooh yeah, pretty cool... Reminds me of how I found out that a 5x g-uncle was killed by lightning - a vicar including it in the PR and being very careful to point out that the only other person to be killed by it - a lady of the same surname, in another village entirely - was no relation. Pretty much beat the newspaper reports for content.

[steadyrollingman]

What wonderfully clear writing too.

There goes a man whose undiluted ink certainly was NOT wasted!

Yeah, you can see his enthusiasm for design and layout waned as the years went by, but his diligence stayed strong...

[Top-of-the-hill]

  I haven't seen his B.T.s, but the rector here for a few years in the early 1800s, in the baptism register gave both parents, previous name of mother, whether spinster or widow, and child's date of birth. The mother's maiden name was especially useful.

[steadyrollingman]

Now I'm looking at the burial PRs for Raskelf, YKS - from the initial results page, I thought 'surely this won't be my 44-y-o 6x g-uncle' living so far from home. But very helpfully the vicar has specified who his dad was. At 44! Legend...

He did it for a 47-y-o woman too, but very lazily decided not to bother for the 80-y-o guy further down the page 

EDIT: I withdraw that laziness accusation: buried Nov 6th 1819, aged 88, Thomas, son of the late (!) Henry Kirk

[BumbleB]

I have burial entries in Tadcaster at the end of the 18th and early 19th century which indicate the date of death, the date of burial including location (usually the churchyard  ), occupation and varying degrees of parentage, age (obviously) and cause of death.  Yet more wonderful examples of the followers of Reverend Dade.