I enjoy when a parish that I am researching in England has archived more than baptism, marriage, and burial records.  The contents of the parish chest can provide such insight into the times and people of the area.  One of the records I enjoy reading most is the churchwarden records; reading about the recorded offenses, who did work for the church, and overseers reports.

I use to think that only the rich and the bad appeared in these records, however, with the churchwarden records I have read during my parish research, I have always found the families to be listed in some form or another.

These records can clearly show the social status of members of the parish based on the taxes paid to the church.  Being able to read the records can be challenging with faded copies and poor penmanship but with time things become clearer.

I have found most useful The Parish Chest by W.E. Tate, which goes into churchwarden records and the duties of the churchwarden.