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  1. #1
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    Default parish law and some 18th century writing help

    i have a copy of the order posted below and i think it says...

    The order made by Edmund ? and Marmaduke Drinkall Esquires two of his majesty's Justices of the Peace and Law with in and for the county of Lancaster under their hands and seals? bearing date the twenty seventh day of May last for the removal of Richard Cornah Dorothy his wife and Rowland their son aged about eleven years Rosamund their daughter aged about six yearsMargaret theur daughter aged about three years and Robert their son aged about one year poor persons out of Over Kellet into Weeton both in the said County and for settlement of them in Weeton aforesaid is by this court ratified? and confirmed no appeal being made and the service? of the said order being proved on the oath of Robert Addison






    Am I right in thinking that there had been a removal order made 'May last' removing the family from Over Kellet and sending them (back? to Weeton which at this session was being confirmed (sounds like they were given a chance to appeal first)? Presumably they had come from Weeton? Also being described as 'poor persons' would this mean that they had been seeking relief from the parish or just that they had moved in and were being removed under the terms allowed by settlement law?

    If it's too small to read in this form, someone might be able to tell me how to upload it differently

  2. #2
    Wilkes_ml
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    What was the date of the document?

    In general, a person had legal "settlement" in their parish of birth. However, this could change. A woman took on the settlement of her husband when she married, and all legitimate children would automatically gain the settlement of their father. When a man moved to another parish, then several factors came into play. If he paid more than a certain amount in rent, or if he was employed for more than a year with the same employer in a parish, then that parish became his legal settlement (and subsequently the legal settlement of his wife and children). For this reason, some employers only provided contracts for less than a year, but in most farming communities contracts were for a year (eg. there were annual hiring fairs for farm labourers).

    Normally a person would only be sent back to their parish of legal settlement if they became in need of parish relief...i.e. jobless or a woman became pregnant with an illegitimate child. Some (maybe most) parishes would require a settlement certificate from any new people moving into their parish. These settlement certificates were provided by the persons parish of last legal settlement, which stated that they would take responsibilty for person(s) named on the certificate.

  3. #3
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    [QUOTE=Wilkes_ml;627795]
    If he paid more than a certain amount in rent,

    That's what I was wondering about. I know, originally, anyone paying less than, I think, £10 a year rent could be subject to settlement law (which I imagine covered just about every 'ordinary' person) but would that in itself cause him to be described as a poor man or would he have to have been in need of relief or unemployed - how did people moving into a parish come to the notice of the authorities?

  4. #4
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    Forgot to say, Richard's children were born in Roseacre, which is/was Kirkham parish as is Weeton - Over Kellet isn't but I seem to remember that there were Cornah's in Over Kellet (possibly relations) which might explain them turning up there.
    Th order is from 1741

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