7. Monuments—beginning with early incised stones, and carefully following them down in chronological order, an order which should not be broken except for the purpose of keeping a family group together. Arms should be correctly blazoned, and inscriptions faithfully copied.
8. Stained glass, according to age.
9. Encaustic tiles—pavement generally.
10. Fresco paintings, black-letter texts, patterns on roof or elsewhere, royal arms, charity bequest boards.
11. Bells—(a) number, (b) inscription and marks, (c) frame, (d) remarkable peals, or bell-ringers rhymes, (e) legends; also sanctus bell, or bell cote on nave gable.
12. Parish registers and other documents; church books, or library.
13. Church plate.
14. Church yard, (a) cross, (b) remarkable monuments or epitaphs, (c) yew tree, (d) lychgate, (e) sundial.
15. More recent fittings or ornaments, such as altar appurtenances, organ, etc.; the previous headings being supposed to be confined to older details possessing some historic value. But if the date, or probable date, is given of each particular, it might perhaps be as well to describe everything (if a complete account up to date is desired) under its proper head; thus a modern altar cross and candlesticks might be mentioned under the 5th head.
A few words on church “Restoration” may be here introduced; for it cannot surely be inappropriate to include a sentence or two in these pages (whose object it is to further the preservation of local records), that may possibly have some small influence in preventing the needless destruction of any part of those noble buildings round which the history of each English parish so closely clusters. From the standpoint of a local annalist nothing has been more painful in the “restorations” of the past forty years than the wanton way in which monuments, and more especially flat tombstones, of all ages, have been often treated.