ABSTRACT
France adopted the decrees of the Council of Trent piecemeal, including the decision to systematise the adoption of parish registers. The French Crown imposed its own oversight on these in 1667 making them the official record of personal existence by the same occasion. Here we examine a half-dozen cities and towns in Southwestern France, where the Protestant Reformation was particularly strong. This choice of localities allows us to study Catholic and Reformed baptismal practices.
