In England and Wales, a parish chest is a wooden chest which was used for the storage of important documents relating to a parish, these would typically include the parish register of births, deaths and marriages, and other documents relating to the administration of the parish. A parish chest would usually be kept in the parish church.
Parish chests were used from medieval times, and early ones were usually simple, constructed from a hollowed out log. In later centuries, parish chests generally became more elaborate, and incorporated features such metal bands and multiple locks.