Penances

Contains forms of penances and penances extracted from court records. In addition to the name of the guilty party. These documents record the names of the Court Registrar, rector or vicar and churchwardens of the parish. Names are given in the catalogue list.

These are schedules of penances (punishments or acts of self-mortification or devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a sin) which were addressed to the minister of the parish, giving details of the confession to be said or read out by the guilty party in church, and which were returned with a certificate of performance and filed in court.

For example:

13 December 1736: Margaret Clerk of Dover, Kent will say on a Sunday before 13 January next, 'being clothed in a white sheet and having a white wand in her hand shall with an audible voice say after the Minister as follows' a penitent confession including the words I 'committed of the foul sin of fornication and have had a bastard child born of my body to the great offence of Almighty God breach of His Majesty's Laws Ecclesiastical and evil example of others...'.

Endorsement stating that penance was served including signatures of William Byrch, Minister of Saint Mary, Dover and two Churchwardens (reference DCb/J/P/A/220).

(V) = Vicar; (R) = Rector; (P) = Parson; (C) = Curate; (Cl) = Cleric : (M) = Minister

This series is arranged in two sections:

DCb/J/P/A/1-278 Forms of Penance (1662 - 1789) arranged chronologically

DCb/J/P/B/1-300 Penances extracted from court records (1685 - 1798)

Only records in DCb/J/P/A are listed in this catalogue. For further information regarding the parallel set of penance extracts in DCb/J/P/B contact Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library.