This description is provided by Olive Thexton of Fylde Branch

CofE: Church of England. The established church of England, also known internationally as the Anglican or Episcopal Church. Since the late 1500s, the Church of England was required by the state to maintain various records on its local parishioners - essentially the entire population due to its status as the only officially recognised church. 

It is to the local parish records which family historians turn for research purposes. The vast majority of genealogically-relevant records generated by the C of E are now in various Record Offices throughout the country. 

Main libraries may have printed copies of Lancashire Parish Register Society volumes, some of the larger libraries having complete sets of the published series. Local libraries many have other register transcripts for the local area. 

The Lancashire Record Office at Bow Lane holds many original registers and also the Bishops Transcripts (the diocesan record of register entries). 

Many of these have been reproduced in microform, and copies of some or all the fiche are in certain local libraries.