The value of the vestry

Parish records are much more than baptism, marriage and burial registers.  Up until the mid 19th century the parish was responsible for the organisation, administration and care of the parish and its parishioners - the result of this was a lot of paperwork, some of which (where it has survived) is very valuable to the genealogist.

One example of documents which can provide all sorts of useful information are the vestry minutes.  Those involved in running the parish were known as the vestry because traditionally they met in the vestry room of the church.  Here they would appoint the officials needed to run the parish such as the overseers, the surveyor and the constable.  Many of these roles were undertaken on a rotational basis for a year.

For vestry minutes to be useful they have to have survived, a search of a selection of Sussex parishes finds that the parishes of Polegate, Etchingham and Southease have no surviving vestry records whilst those for Heathfield only survive from 1820, those for St Mary in the Castle, Hastings (known as Castle parish) survive for the period 1753 through to 1908 whilst those for St Nicholas Brighton survive as early as 1683 through to 1856.

In addition to surviving they also have to contain useful information for genealogists.  The vestry records for the Castle parish in Hastings between 1774 and 1794 only record the accounts submitted by the overseers but later records for the period 1823 to 1851 provide far more detailed information.  The records for Brighton between 1789-1799 include the decisions made at each meeting but don't list all the applications which were turned down.  The vestry book for West Grinstead 1833 to 1842 is a record of the myriad of applications for relief.

In a time before  pensions and the NHS each parish took care of its elderly population:

Mrs Gallop the wife of William applies for some more relief, her husband being incapable of doing anything being imbecile.  Ordered that she be allowed 7s 6d per week.  [1st December 1825 - Hastings]

old George Laker wants Relief Ill Lost 11 Days [work - given]  6 shillings  [15th October 1833 - West Grinstead] 

The vestry also provided healthcare (such as it was):

Ordered that Application be immediately made to get Lucy Ovett into St Lukes or Bedlam   [27th Mar 1793 - Brighton]

Ordered that Mrs Brand be paid fourteen Shillings for nursing the man that dyed at Mr Hobdens   [16th May 1796 - Brighton]

Reuben Eason applied for a nurse for his wife.  Allowed   [14th April 1825 - Hastings]

Edward Dinage wants Relief has had the Misfortune to be run over with A very heavy Load of Coals, near Billingshurst Street, has not been Able to do any Work since, Doctor Evershed attends him   [20th August 1833 - West Grinstead]

The wife of George Ransom Tailor applies for a nurse to be allowed her in her approaching confinement and also a pair of Blankets.  Allowed  [2nd Oct 1833 - Hastings]

The vestry might help to find work for those in need of employment, this benefited the parish as people were less likely to need help from the vestry if they were working:

At this Parish Mr Benjamin Lingham agrees to take James Hook and Charles Chapman two poor Boys for the year ensuring upon the parish finding them in Clothes   [29th March 1824 - Hastings]

Ordered that Thomas Wellsted a poor Boy of this Parish be put apprentice to Mr John Russell of the Parish of Saint Clement in this Town, Baker  [14th April 1825 - Hastings]

John Gates has got A place [job] for his Girl at Brighton wants the Parish to give her som Clothes, Sarah Gates Age 14    [1st October 1833 - West Grinstead]

Much of the work of the parish would be taken up with care of the poor, often supplementing their income in times of need  or finding ways to move them elsewhere:

Ordered that Jane Brand (wife of Richard Brand now serving in the Sussex Militia for the Parish of Saint Michaels Lewes) be allowed one Pair of Sheets one Blanket and one Rug   [23rd Oct 1797 - Brighton]

Ordered that Mr James Pounse be requested to enquire what will be the expense of repairing James Shrivells Boat    [12th Feb 1798  - Brighton, presumably if his boat is repaired James Shrivell will be able to support himself again]

John King of Rye applies for relief [–] ordered to be allowed two Shillings a week for himself and his wife   [16th June 1831 - Hastings]

Ordered that provided James Holt is willing to go to America with his wife and child he shall be allowed the sum of £7 and that their passage and victualling on board shall be paid by the parish and a decent suit of clothes shall be provided for himself and wife.  [28th March 1833 - Hastings]

The administration of the poor law was considerable, especially when the person living in the parish belonged to another parish and vice versa:

Ordered that the Parish Officers of Godstone be wrote to concerning Pullens Daughter now with child  [30th Jan 1793 - Brighton]

Ordered that the Parish Officers of Clapham near Arundell Sussex be written to and acquainted that Mrs Wiseman has become chargeable and desire their Answer what Steps the Officers should persue as they are under Certificate    [13th June 1796 -  Brighton]

Edward Gallop now living at Newhaven applies for assistance to bring his family home to Hastings.  Ordered that it be left to the Overseers to manage as they can with him   [28th March 1827 - Hastings]

Eliza Smith [living in] Brighton wants Som Clothes Age 16   [1st April 1834 - West Grinstead]

Bastardy was a big issue, illegitimate children and their mothers often became the responsibility of the parish so the vestry were keen to offset the costs by identifying the father.  Parents who ran off and left their children were not popular either:

Ordered that William Warburton Newman be advertized for running away and leaving his wife and Children chargeable  [20th Mar 1797 bri]

Ordered that the overseers shall take such course as they may consider most adviseable to apprehend James Stilwell for bastardy with Ann Kemp  [23rd May 1832 - Hastings]

But of course the vestry was not always helpful to its residents:

Sarah Shoesmith a little Girl 12 years old applied for some Clothes.  Not allowed    [4th August 1825 - Hastings]

John Gates wants Work [to which the response was] Go in the [work]House    [13th October 1833 - West Grinstead]

Sources

East Sussex Record Office: Brighton St Nicholas HOW 34/17 Minutes of Vestries 1789-1799

East Sussex Record Office: Hastings St Mary in the Castle PAR369 12/2 Vestry notes 1774-1794

East Sussex Record Office: Hastings St Mary in the Castle PAR369 12/3 Vestry notes 1823-1851

West Sussex Record Office: West Grinstead PAR95 12/1 Vestry minute book 1833-1842

Calendar complications!

" This year by an Act of Parliament it was approved that the Civil and Ecclesiastical year should begin on the first of January 1752 and by the Same Act the Stile was altered from the Julian to The Gregorian Account by the Annihilation of eleven Days in the month of September 1752"  (extract from Ardingly parish registers)

As it often turns out nothing in family history is straight forward and there are many pitfalls for the researcher.  One such pitfall is the change to our calendar in 1751.

The calendar we used to use pre 1752 was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45BC (and known as the Julian calendar) and it was a fairly accurate calendar – each year was only out of sync with the solar year by 11½ minutes.  Not much but by the 16th century this had accumulated to a difference of 10 days! Pope Gregory XIII took the view that 10 days was too much (it upset the timing of Easter!) so he had a new calendar devised which was far more accurate – it is only out of sync by 26 seconds per year.  Introducing the calendar however was less than easy – most Catholic countries followed his papal bull instructing the move from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582 but England was no longer a Catholic county having split in 1531.  In the intervening years a strong anti-Catholic feeling had developed so there was little chance of us doing anything suggested by a pope however sensible it might be!  We continued with the Julian calendar but by the mid 18th century we were 11 days out of sync and it was finally time for us to accept the Gregorian calendar.

Another complication was that prior to 1751 the official new year began on the 25th March (also known as Lady Day) although the popular start to the year was the 1st January.   Other countries had already begun to use the 1st January as the official start of the new year; Scotland had started in 1600 so James VI would have been used to working with a year that began in January but when he became James I of England he would have had to change to a year that began in March.

The Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 changed all this.  As a result 1751 became a short year running from 25th March to the 31st December and the following year 1752 ran from 1st January to the 31st December but missed out 11 days in September, a period chosen for having the fewest festivals and saints days. Effectively our ancestors went to bed on the 2nd September and woke up on the 14th September.  

I have read and heard it repeated many times that people rioted about the loss of their 11 days but nowhere have I seen any evidence for this, none of the documents which refer to these riots actually gives a source or names any parish.  It is far more likely that if there was any disruption it was because people were afraid that debts such as rent and tax would become due 11 days earlier.  In fact such dates were simply moved forward 11 days so they were paid after the usual number of days had elapsed but most dates remained on the same day so in most cases saints days, festivals and birthdays remained on the same day they had always been.  However some people like to add to the confusion - George Washington was born on the 11th February 1731 (1732 according to the Gregorian calendar) but with the change of calendar he moved his birthday forward by 11 days and began celebrating it on the 22nd February (the date on which America bases its federal holiday).  By the way, the 25th March plus 11 days and accounting for a leap year which didn’t happen takes us to the 6th April – still the start of the tax year.

So how does this affect family historians?  It sounds fairly straightforward but as I said at the beginning nothing is straight forward in practice.  Many people used the 1st January as the start of the new year long before 1751, the parish registers of Arundel in West Sussex were already starting their year in January whilst the Horsham parish registers ignored the change and did not start the year with 1st January until 1764. 

And it does matter – a child baptised on the 3rd February 1658 can be a sibling to a child baptised on the 28th March 1658 whilst a couple can marry on the 8th May 1732 and have a legitimate child baptised on the 21st January 1732.  When you use indexes and transcripts you should always check to see if dates have already been converted to the Gregorian calendar – is it the 5th February 1702 (old style) or 5th February 1703 (new style).  There is also the issue of how you write dates pre 1751?  I generally use 5th February 1702/1703 whilst others prefer 5th February 1702 (os) to indicate old style/Julian calendar or 5th February 1703 (ns) to show new style/Gregorian calendar.