The Church Log Book, Terrier and Inventory: A Churchwardens' Guide to the Building's Records

In every Church of England parish in England, the law asks the churchwardens to keep a small set of records for each church: a terrier, an inventory and a log book. Together with the periodic inspection report and the annual fabric report, they are the building's memory. They tell the next churchwardens what the church owns, what has been done to it and why, and they are what the archdeacon, the diocesan advisory committee and the next inspector may ask to see.

They are also easy to let slip. Churchwardens are volunteers, they change every few years, and a busy year of repairs can leave the log book several entries behind. This guide sets out what the records are, when they go to the parochial church council, and how to keep them current without it becoming a second job. It covers the Church of England in England only. For anything about a particular works item or permission, your archdeacon and diocesan advisory committee (DAC) are the people to ask.

Who is responsible for what

• The churchwardens keep the terrier, the inventory and the log book, inspect the fabric each year and report on it, under sections 49 and 50 of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018. They act in consultation with the minister.
• The parochial church council has the care, maintenance, preservation and insurance of the fabric of the church and its goods and ornaments, under section 4 of the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. It appoints the inspector for the periodic inspection and receives the churchwardens' records and report.
• The diocese runs the inspection scheme, and the archdeacon and the DAC advise on and oversee works under the faculty system.

Many parishes also have a fabric committee that does much of the practical work. That is a sensible arrangement, but the statutory duties stay where the Measures put them, so the committee's work needs to reach the churchwardens' records and the PCC's minutes.

The terrier, the inventory and the log book

Section 49 of the 2018 Measure asks the churchwardens to maintain three records, in a form that follows the recommendations of the Church Buildings Council:

• The terrier: a full terrier of all land appertaining to the church. In practice, the churchyard and any other land, with its boundaries and anything recorded about it.
• The inventory: a full inventory of all articles appertaining to the church, from plate and bells to furnishings, monuments and the organ. The churchwardens send a copy of the inventory to the person the bishop designates, and notify that person of alterations at the intervals the bishop directs.
• The log book: a full note of all alterations, additions and repairs to, and other events affecting, the church and its land and articles, with a note of where any other relevant documents are kept.

In a parish with more than one church, each church has its own set.

The log book is the record that most often falls behind, because it depends on something being written down after every job. A useful entry is short and answers the questions the next churchwarden will have: what was done, to which part of the building, when, by whom, what it cost, what permission was held for it, and where the documents are. "Repaired lead to north aisle roof" is a start. Adding the contractor, the date, the permission reference and "invoice and photographs in the fabric file" makes it a record someone can rely on in twenty years.

The churchwardens' year

Section 50 sets a simple annual rhythm.

1. Early in the year. As soon as practicable after the start of each calendar year, the churchwardens produce the terrier, the inventory and the log book (covering the previous year's events) to the PCC, with a statement they have signed that the contents of each are accurate. They can also produce any other records likely to help the PCC with the fabric.
2. At least once every calendar year. The churchwardens inspect, or arrange an inspection of, the fabric of the church and all its articles.
3. Before the annual meeting. They deliver the annual fabric report to the PCC at its last meeting before the annual parochial church meeting, and then to that meeting, with any amendments the PCC makes.

The annual fabric report must give an account of everything done or proposed in the previous calendar year to protect and maintain the fabric and articles, and in particular what has been done to carry out the recommendations of the latest periodic inspection report. That last requirement is what ties the whole set of records together: the report can only be written well if the log book, the inspection report and the record of works agree with each other.

The quinquennial inspection, and acting on the report

Under section 45 of the 2018 Measure, each diocese has a scheme under which every church is inspected at least once every five years, which is why it is known as the quinquennial inspection. The PCC appoints the person who inspects, after obtaining and having regard to the DAC's advice and being satisfied that the person has the necessary qualifications and experience, and copies of the report go to the archdeacon, the PCC, the incumbent and the secretary of the DAC. The Church of England's guidance on quinquennial inspections covers choosing and working with an inspector and preparing for the report.

The inspection is the easy part to remember, because it comes round on a fixed cycle. Acting on the report is harder, because it spreads over five years and several sets of churchwardens. A few habits help:

• Turn the report into a list. Each recommendation becomes an item with a short description, any priority the inspector gave it, who is dealing with it and its current status.
• Separate repairs from planning. Urgent items become jobs now. Longer-term items go into a maintenance plan looking several years ahead, with a rough cost and a year, so the PCC can budget and look for grants in good time.
• Close the loop in the log book. When an item is done, the log book entry and the list should both show it, so the annual fabric report can say exactly what has been done about each recommendation.
• Hand the next inspector the record. A list of what was done since the last inspection, with dates, saves the inspector time and makes the next report sharper.

Keeping the permissions record

Works to a church within the faculty jurisdiction go through the Church's own permissions process. The Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 provide for some matters to be done without a faculty, subject to conditions (List A), others only once the archdeacon, having sought the DAC's advice, has given written notice (List B), and everything else by faculty. The diocesan chancellor can add matters by an additional matters order or, for a particular church, exclude them by an excluded matters order. Which list, if any, covers a particular piece of work, and whether anything else is needed, are questions for your archdeacon and DAC.

Whatever route a job takes, the churchwardens will want to be able to show, years later, what permission was held for it. For each works item, keep:

• the permission itself: the faculty, the archdeacon's written notice, or any planning or listed building consent the church holds for the work;
• its reference and date;
• any conditions attached, and when and how each was met;
• the drawings, specifications and correspondence it was granted on;
• a log book entry for the work itself, noting where the permission documents are kept.

Conditions are the part most often lost. A condition to record something before work starts, or to submit details for approval, is easy to agree to in a meeting and easy to forget once the scaffolding goes up.

The building checks alongside

A church is also a building that people visit, so the general law on non-domestic premises applies to it as well. Two duties are worth naming because they come with a record:

• Fire risk assessment. Under article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess the fire risks, review the assessment regularly and when things change, and record each assessment and review, including its findings and the measures taken or to be taken. The government's fire safety guidance for small and medium places of assembly covers places of worship.
• Asbestos. HSE confirms that the duty to manage asbestos covers premises used for religious worship. Under regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, that means an assessment of whether asbestos is or is liable to be present and, where it is or is liable to be, a written plan for managing the risk.

Gas, electrical and water systems need looking after too, usually on intervals the PCC sets on the advice of the engineers who service them. Recording each check with the log book in mind means the annual fabric report can draw on it directly.

When the churchwardens change

The moment the records are most at risk is a handover. The outgoing churchwardens know where everything is; the incoming ones know what they are told. A handover goes well when the incoming churchwardens receive:

• the terrier, inventory and log book, with the last signed statement to the PCC;
• the latest quinquennial inspection report and the list of what has been done about each recommendation;
• the permissions held for any works in progress, with their conditions;
• the current fire risk assessment, asbestos information and the service records for the building's systems;
• the contacts for the inspecting architect or surveyor, regular contractors and the archdeacon's office.

If all of that already lives in one place the PCC controls, the handover is a matter of adding two people and removing two.

Keeping the record in one place

Marklet for Church of England parishes is built for the people who look after the building. It records each periodic inspection and its report, and the report's recommendations can become works orders or items in the ten-year plan, so the committee can see what has been done about each one and what is still waiting. It records the permission you hold for a works item (a faculty, an archdeacon's List B notice, or a planning or listed building consent) with its reference, conditions and documents. Works, contractors' quotes, building checks, grants and the budget sit alongside, and members of the PCC or the fabric committee can be given read access to the works, grants and permissions.

It sits beside the Church's own arrangements, not instead of them. Marklet keeps a record of works, repairs and changes to the building that churchwardens can draw on when they keep the log book, terrier and inventory and when they prepare the annual fabric report; it is not the statutory log book, terrier or inventory, the inspection report or the churchwardens' report. It applies for nothing and does not say whether a works item needs a permission: you apply as you do now, and record what you are given. Church workspaces are set up with us rather than through the online signup, so if it would help, you can request access and we will set yours up with you.

References

• Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018: section 45 (inspection scheme), section 49 (terrier, inventory and log book) and section 50 (annual inspection and fabric report)
• Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956, section 4
• Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015, Part 3
• Church of England, Quinquennial inspections
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 9 and Fire safety risk assessment: small and medium places of assembly
• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, regulation 4 and HSE, Check if you have the duty to manage asbestos

This article describes the law of the Church of England in England as at 4 October 2026. It is general information for churchwardens and PCC members, not legal advice; your archdeacon and diocesan advisory committee advise on works and permissions for your church.