Hi to Sussex Researchers
I have just resived a donation of transcripts of the Heathfield Parish Registers as follows
Register Transcripts (All mixed together) 1582 - 1613
Baptisms 1613 - 1753
Marriages 1612 - 1753
Burials 1612 - 1753
With this donation came the following introductory Information
"The enclosed is a transcript of the Heathfield parish register with corrections of additions when needed from the bishops transcripts. When there was a discrepancy between the parish register and bishops transcripts I used the parish register and did not necessarily note that there was a discrepancy. If I felt it was possibly important, I noted the difference in parenthesis after the entry. I then reviewed both to hopefully correct any mistakes I had made.
Some of the parish register entries were unreadable because of damage. Therefore, especially in the early years, there are some entries missing. The bishops transcripts did not start early enough to fill in the deficiencies
The numbers were very difficult to tell apart at times, for example, the numbers 1 and 2 are almost indistinguishable. This would be important for example if a child was born the 17 May and buried the 18 May but the first number looked like 27 May and then an entry buried the 18 May, then it would seem like entries for two different children.
It is very important to know that many of the entries were out of order. They were apparently entered from slips of paper or notes kept by the parish priests and entered at a later date into the register as they were found. Occasionally there was a note from the priest that the entry should have been made before the previous entry in the book. Also for several years the priest did not keep entries from time to time so there are gaps in the record. Sometimes the gaps were bridged by the bishops transcripts but these included far too few entries at times compared with other years in the parish. Therefore I believe that the priest just tried to remember or collect what notes he could find to send in the record called the bishops transcripts. Therefore on those years the record is definitely incomplete. Also on some of the years that only a bishops transcripts were available, the entries were for only half of the year that was being recorded, for example in the year 1707. There was neither parish register or bishops transcript for the year 1733"
I will be happy to check them for your early Heathfield Ancestors
Chris in 1066
