RCB Library Notes
Keeping the Records Safe!
New Leaflets from the RCB Library
At the General Synod held in May, RCB Library staff successfully manned a dedicated Library stand allowing person–to–person engagement, as well as the distribution of two new information leaflets and permanent black–ink pens (suitable for making entries in registers) bearing the RCB cross and strapline “Keeping the Records Safe” to members of the clergy and others.
By popular demand the pdf versions of the information leaflets which were designed in–house by our Assistant Archivist Rachel Bennett are now available online:
“Keeping the Records Safe: An Information Guide For Parishes” is aimed at encouraging parishes to transfer non–current records to the Library.
Since medieval times, clergy and people have been proactive in record–keeping as part of Church life. It is thanks to the diligence of previous generations that so much material has survived, including some of the oldest ecclesiastical or institutional records on the island of Ireland.
In particular, Church of Ireland parish registers (of baptism, marriage and burial) are unique records for determining family relationships, and they are needed by many different people for a variety of legal, medical and social purposes.
We are obliged by law to make sure these records are kept safe and where appropriate people can gain access to the information they hold.
To view the complete pamphlet of “Keeping the Records Safe” – please click here
This simple guide is a response to confusion and uncertainty about the regulations governing the responsibility for protecting and securing Church Plate at local level.
Church Plate – simply defined as the vessels used during Holy Communion – as well as crosses, candlesticks, collecting plates and other objects used in active worship – forms an integral part of the fabric of individual parishes, cathedrals and chapels. In these contexts, pieces have been in liturgical use where they form unique and distinctive components of the Church of Ireland’s spiritual and cultural heritage.
A significant amount of Church Plate has been acquired in the form of gifts, and many of those gifts have been memorials, capturing the memory of generations before.
The Church has a moral responsibility to protect that memory. The legal position of the Representative Church Body (RCB) as trustee of all Church Plate is not always realised but the simple fact is this: Church Plate cannot be taken out of its local worship context without permission.
To view the complete pamphlet of “Minding the Church Plate” – please click here
To view the In–Depth Church Plate policy please click here