Burke's guide to the ancient parish registers of England and Wales lists in alphabetical sequence all the parishes for which registers existed prior to 1813. The bulk of the book, an annotated index, gives the names of the counties in which the parishes are located and the dates of the earliest entry in each register, as well as notes on the existence of published parish registers down to 1908. The volume commences with a succinct chronology of the history and statutes relating to parish registers.