Settlement Cert???

[Spangle]

I found this on the web, from Cambridge Councils site:

Cambridge All Saints Parish Church
Settlement certificate of James Eve, wife Susanna and children James and Edward in Chesterton 23 September 1755

I may not have posted this in the right place, but can someone please tell me what a settlement certificate is please? Thank you.

[birdlip]

Hi there,

as I understand it, if people wanted to move from their parish of origin to another, they could apply for a Settlement Certificate. This meant that if they fell on hard times, they had proof that their old parish would pay the costs.

In practice, most people didn't bother to obtain a certificate, and in that case there was a settlement examination held to determine which parish was responsible. Sometimes there was a dispute between parishes, especially if the person, or family, had moved around a lot. You could gain settlement in a parish by being born there; working there for over a year*, if the master you worked for had settlement there; or by serving an apprenticeship there. Children took their fathers settlement parish. Once the responsible parish was established, the poor unfortunates were usually sent back with a Removal Order, even if it was at the other end of the country.

Parishes were often quick to move certain individuals on, just if they suspected they may have to ask for relief. None were too keen on unmarried single women for example, in case they became pregnant.

* This was apparently one reason why the Hiring Fairs were held once a year, to ensure Ag Labs etc worked for only 364 days at a time, and couldn't therefore claim settlement in that parish!!

hope this helps,

regards birdlip

[birdlip]

This should be under 'Parish law' I think.. someone will probably move it for you.

[Guy Etchells]

Not quite as simple as that.
As the practice developed Parishes would simply pay the costs if the disability was temporary but initially things were different.

If a person fell on hard times the parish constable would walk them to the parish boundary and there hand them over to the next constable and so on until they reached their parish of settlement. The costs of this being paid by the parish of settlement.

A wife took her husband's parish of settlement which could mean her being moved to a place she had never been to before if her husband suddenly died.
Bastard children took their parish of birth as their parish of settlement as they are children of no-one.

The implications are that if a stable but unmarried couple with a number of children moved into a parish and the man died, the family could end up being split up and sent to a number of different parishes depending on where the children had been born.
Cheers
Guy

[Jan1954]

This should be under 'Parish law' I think.. someone will probably move it for you.

Done

[Pam Downes]

This should be under 'Parish law' I think.. someone will probably move it for you.

Spot on birdlip.
Spangle - the following may help https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LIN/#Poorhouses and click on the various links.
Pam

[AnnB]

Can I add that if you do find a settlement examination for one of your ancestors, don't miss the chance of reading it and/or getting a copy. They can be a mine of information

Best wishes
Ann

[Pam Downes]

Forgotten I'd also posted this Spangle
https://www.british-genealogy.com/for...ves#post132007
though it's an example of a removal order and settlement examination for a later time than yours, so yours might not have quite so much information. [The LQS bit at the end is the 'reference' (bearing in mind that the example is a fictitious one regarding the names!) for Lincolnshire Archives.]
Pam

[Sue Mackay]

You might like to visit this site

https://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.c...rday/index.htm

Although primarily concerned with Derbyshire, other counties are mentioned as people moved around. There is an index of settlement certificates, examinations, apprenticeship records and a whole lot more.

[Spangle]

Thank you ever so much. You have all given me loads to look into tonight when the kids are in bed!

I'm sure I'll be back with more daft questions!