Sometimes in genealogy terms crop up which need further explanation. For example, the phrase "extra-parochial" refers to an area which was outside the jurisdiction of any parish - these were often isolated areas, with poor farming, or land attached to a specific institution.
There was no church, and no poor rate, and people resident there would attend a nearby church of their own choosing. This is important to bear in mind when tracing ancestors who lived in these areas, for they may not appear in the parish registers of the nearest church, for example.
Without an overseer of the poor or parish constable, the inhabitants were outside much ecclesiastical and civic control.
In 1868 an Act was passed declaring that every extra-parochial place in existence on 25th December that year would be added to the adjoining civil parish with the longest common boundary.
However, even then there do still remain some extra-parochial areas of land. Extra parochial areas are marked in The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers.
