Parish is called "socken" in Swedish. "Socken" was an old word for gathering of people, crowd. The word got a new meaning at the time when King Canute was ruling England, Denmark and Norway in 1014-1035. The inhabitants paid their "tax", a share of what they had made, at the noble men's estates. This places the Danish Vikings called "sokn". In this meaning will the word be derived from the German word "suchen", which means, "to collect".

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The first stone churches was built by great men in the 12th century and the place was often at theirs property, Probably inspired of the English and the Danelagh, the custom was introduced that the inhabitants had to compensate the great man for building the church on his property, for the clergyman etc. Later that was change to pay the church tithes. The division into parishes was in this manner established in about the 12th century, in connection with that Sweden became Christianised and it was finished in the 14th century. At that time Sweden had about 1750 churches. Often the parish was called after the village, where the church was built, or after the district or the geographical position.

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"The king let a church building begin, the peasant people bring it to a conclusion. Now, a church is built up, then shall you donate ground to the church, it is acreage of arable land for twelve barrels of seed for sowing, when the half of the land lay fallow, and a meadow, which give twelve hay-load. Then shall you bay books and vestments, goblet and bells and the vestment, that will be used by the man for help, when he will come into the world or depart this life, both for the living and the dead. All this will the parish cost." (My free translation of the law of Östergötland, section of the church, taken down in the end of the 13th century. My source: Svenska Landskapslagar, Åke Holmbäck and Elias Wessén).

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The first churches were wooden buildings and in the shape of a stave church under the 11th and 12th century. The first churches were wooden buildings and in the shape of a stave church under the 11th and 12th century. From the 12th century also the first stone churches were built. The style of architecture was Romanesque. As the building technique progressed, they changed to the Gothic style. New techniques involved that they were able to built higher church buildings and replace the loopholes to higher windows with pointed arch. The Linköping cathedral is an example of a building in Gothic style. It took a long time to build a church and that often implied that the styles became mixed. Typical for the church from the Middle Ages are the mural paintings with scriptural subjects and about the good and evil struggle. At the time for the Reformation the pulpit became an important contribution to the church room. The altar-screens was replaced by wooden retables, which consisted of paintings, figure relieves and legends. These were built in several storeys above the altar. New churches were built in the style, which were present of the time, why these buildings are an excellent object of studies of different styles. During the years the styles of renaissance, baroque, classicism, Gustavian style, Swedish Empire style, neo-Gothic, Jugendstil and national romanticism style to modern style passed by.

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The parish meeting was the forum where the parish people were deciding in the parish affairs. The parish committee consisted of 6 to 12 men. Often the committee consisted of six members and these were called "sexmen" (sixmen). The clergyman of the parish led the parish committee. The committee was also responsible for ecclesiastical administration of justice, where parish punishment was the sanction i.e. crime against church discipline, crime against the ten holy commandments, as crimes against to keep the day of rest holy. Also minor disputes between neighbours in the parish were solved of the parish committee. The committee pleads the parish peasant's cause against the temporal power and the power of the church.

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The parish meeting was the parish decision-making body and hold meeting at least once a year. In these meetings also the women participated. At the parish meeting, churchwardens were elected. They were among other things responsible for the economic administration, that they had to account for the parish committee. Other questions that were discussed on these meetings, were matters about the property of the church, the clergyman's exercise of his duties and the poor relief. Furthermore a parish clerk was employed, who had to take care of the church' keys and also was responsible for the bell-ringing. Also employment of parish carpenters like smith, tailor and shoemaker, was discussed and decided by the parish meeting.

The representatives of the parish, so-called "sexmän" should, in addition of being the monitors of the parish, also take care of the collection of extra taxes, which was demanded from the parish and also act as the parish representatives at negotiations with neighbouring parishes and with authorities. The parishioners elected the churchwardens and the parish representatives to these honorary tasks.

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