Author's Preface
In response to an ever increasing demand this volume has been prepared. The full transcript of the Parish Register of 1662, and the existing orders of the Vestry book of 1674 having been inserted in "The Sketch of Bruton Parish Church," published in 1903, this matter is not repeated in full.
In this volume, some of the most quaint and interesting ancient Vestry orders are grouped together to show in cotemporaneous form some of the customs of the Colonial Church and to recall the spirit of the past.
A chapter has been inserted on "The Historical Environment of the Church," because the church was a component part of the community life: and while it contributed spiritual help and inspiration to the people of the past, it stands in an atmosphere created by the past, through which it should be viewed, and by which it is also hallowed and enriched.
During the work of restoration, many additional facts, throwing light upon the ancient history of the church, were discovered, which are recorded in this volume.
An account of the restoration of the church is given, with a transcript of the memorial pew plates and mural tablets placed in the building; and the sermon preached by the Rt. Rev. Beverley Dandridge Tucker, D. D., inaugurating the work of restoration, is inserted.
The building, though venerable and sacred, is not the Church. The ivy-mantled structure stands as a hallowed memorial and consecrated symbol of the vital body, which is the witness of Christ to men and the living channel of His blessing. In the chapter on "Three Hundred Years of Church Life and Influence in Virginia," what the church has
