Today, I came across this fine example of a Derbyshire parish record. The parish is Winster, a small village in the Derbyshire Dales, approx 5 miles from the town of Matlock. In 2011, the population was 600.

On the left page is the beautiful, precise handwriting of the Vicar or Parish Clerk. The dates on the page are 1705 / 1706 and include a possible entry for the baptism of my 6th Great-grandfather, Francis Smedley. Sadly, I doubt I will be able to prove this is an entry for my direct line. A Will might help. The quest for information never ends.

The right page starts in 1706 and finishes in 1707. The page changes from Latin to English and is clearly written by a new scribe. Still legible but not as neat and tidy as the left page.

I often wonder if we will be able to find family history information/church entries from the 21st century in 300 years’ time.

Here is a link to the full image, available on Ancestry, should you have a subscription. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/61407/images/RS00013381_4454303-00096?pId=3939472