| Located At | Staffordshire Record Office |
| Level | Series |
| Doc Ref No | B/V/2 & LD412 (part) |
| Title | Excommunication Books and papers |
| Arrangement | Arrangement
The entries are arranged chronologically with sometimes one to three weeks between entries. They are apparently lists of contumacious persons, that is, those who did not appear to answer charges. Sometimes whole groups of names are linked together under parishes. |
| Date | 1581-1812 |
| Description | These volumes consist of lists of excommunicates. Until the 18th century the reason is rarely stated, but probably in most cases it was due to non-attendance at visitations or at the church courts; certainly between 1709 and 1812, excommunication arose chiefly from non-appearance at courts. Excommunications following visitations are usually arranged by parish and date, otherwise they are listed in chronological order. In general the volumes contain lists of names, which gain significance only when compared with the relevant visitation and court records. Certain diocesan officers' names - vicars-general, officials principal and their surrogates - may be obtained from these sources.
The main chronological sequences are: 1581-1599; 1611-1640; 1661-1667; 1709-1812. There are also small gaps within these series, and also some duplication of volumes. See also B/V/4 citations and processes, which partially fills the gaps in this series.
Documents which were separate from the main series were deposited as part of LD412. |
| Access Conditions | Some items in this series require a minimum 2 working days' notice for production |