From: Michael SPENCER {mike@derow.fsnet.co.uk}
Subject: [DBY] Before the Board -. what are they and further information.
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 14:32:45 -0000
To: {DERBYSGEN-L@rootsweb.com}
Hi list,
Over the last few days I have noted and received many questions regarding
"Before the Board " listings. I will attempt to answer some of those
questions here, no doubt you may have more and no doubt I wont have the
answers! Still here goes.
First let me thank all of you who have shown an appreciation for these
listings. I knew that even before I had finished the Wills and Admins. that
these were going to be the next project. In short they are a family
historians dream, well in most cases, even though looking at it in the cold
light of day someones family is suffering back then.
I say in most cases because various Boards didn't always record as much as
others did, some records are missing, and some parishes were dealt with by
Boards outside Derbyshire. All will be made clearer. As with the Admins as
I went along more and more information came to light as to how to use those
documents and why an Admin was granted, it became a learning curve. The same
I am sure will happen with the Board of Guardian lists.
A very brief history regarding the poor ,and it is brief, is that prior to
1834 and the Poor Law Amendment Act the poor were basically looked after by
the parish, that is why we have an Overseer for the Poor. The Overseer had
to make sure, particularly that people moving into the parish did not become
a burden to that parish, if they did they could be removed to the place of
their legal settlement, you have all heard of Settlement Certificates.
Unless proved, basically money could be provided to keep such ones in their
new parish they were removed to their place of legal settlement. All this
went out in 1834 with the above Act. Prior to 1834 ,a good few years really,
some Parishes built workhouses for the poor and to save costs some parishes
shared workhouses. That is why a certain parish will have a workhouse and
another nearby one will not. All that changed in 1834 although the local
workhouses were still operative, the Board of Guardians making several
references, and they were needed because some places were a little slow in
building new Workhouses.
What took over, we now had the Poor Law Unions, several parishes grouped
together to look after the poor. Some Unions went over County boundaries and
as far as Derbyshire is concerned quiet a few parishes were involved.
For instance, this is at 1857,it may also apply earlier, but Codnor Park,
Heanor and Ilkeston are in Basford. So the records, should they survive for
those parishes, should be in Nottinghamshire Record Office. Barlborough,
Clowne, Whitwell and Elmton are part of Worksop Union, again the same dates
apply as to Heanor etc and again should they survive they also should be in
Nottingham. Beighton is found in Rotherham Union, Doveridge, Norbury,
Marston Montgomery, Cubley, Boyleston, Sudbury and Somersall Herbert are in
Uttoxeter Poor Law Union. A whole batch of parishes are in Burton Union. A
number are in Ashby de la Zouch Union. Dore ,Norton, Beauchief and part of
Dronfield in Eccleshall Bierlow Union.
The Records for Derby Union are -.lost. It may be they are in private hands
but there is no proof of this. Sorry all you Derby folks. That leaves Glossop,
Hayfield, Chapel en le Frith, and Ashbourne, these Unions no doubt had
parishes over the County boundaries included in their Unions. Blore for
instance in Staffordshire is in Ashbourne Union. These Union records leave
a lot to be desired, only the modern and not acessible stuff surviving for
some. Hayfield, Chesterfield and Ashbourne take a lot of wading through
although there is a bit to be found. As for Bakewell, Belper and Shardlow
these Unions are the ones you want to be in if you want to find something
in detail. Shardlow in particular is very detailed. I will give further
information later regarding what parish is in what Union.
The Records are held at DRO ,they are for the most part not indexed which
is why they are hardly used. One Shardlow volume is over 2000 pages long.
DRO charges curently set to rise in April are ten pounds and 50p if you
cannot get there to see them for yourself. Alternatively contact me offline
at mike@decc9.fsnet.co.uk, if you
need any. I have currently before me thousands of names awaiting listing so
do not give up hope. Some people whose parishes and Union (such as Basford)
are "out County" and whose records are not in Derbyshire are mentioned by
other Unions, people moved remember.So do not give up hope.
What can you hope to find, should an ancestor be mentioned he should be
related to a particular parish, but the record may tell you where he now is,
it may give his age, useful for those records around 1841 guess my age
census time. If the person is a widow/er ,any children, ages, occupations
and earnings. Illnesses, reason for relief, why other members of the family
have not helped out. This is quiet interesting because in listing all the
children, who in a lot of cases are married, themselves aged about 50 plus
if they say something like "married has a wife and ten children" the majority
of these families were left alone. Why, because having a large family meant
you could not afford to keep your parents or brothers or sisters. Is this
one reason why the Victorians had large families. True, many children died young, but in these listings there are an awful lot of big families surviving!
Many folks were elsewhere throughout the county and country, fell on hard
times and they in turn sought relief in the Parish they lived, they in turn
got in touch with the Union they belonged to, either to ask for payment for
keeping them or to let them know they would be sending them back.You will have seen the references to extra medical care, the truss, the fractured arm,
childbirth and such like. It is doubtful that such information would be
forthcoming elsewhere, so even if you do not track down where they came from
or went to, at least you know that during 1840 Joe Cuppleditch had a bad
case of scrofula. Sadly some folks were considered insane, they are usually
mentioned as being sent to the Asylum or payment being made to the Asylum
for their keep. Again it helps track down the people, some of whom did come
out, and went back again,then came out and went back. Possibly cases of
schizophrenia, I'm not medically inclined but stand to be corrected. The
point is that some folks go missing for a few months then return home to
society. These records may be able to identify where they went. I have gone
on too long, and stand to be corrected on what is writ, this is basically
observation and a bit of research but I know these records are absolutely
brilliant. I hope that what you read makes sense and do not end up in the
Asylum after trying to understand it.
(These folks were being considered by the Board of Guardians of the
Bakewell Union in 1841): They either appeared personally or were discussed as
a result of a letter from another Union or person concerned within a parish
or as a result of a visit by an Overseer into the families affairs. Many
people because of lack of work or illness, injury or a husband ,or wife,
absconding fell into difficult circumstances and begged for relief from the
Guardians. Relief came in the form of money. help with rent ,bread clothing,
shoes and petticoats, help in costs to travel to seek employment. Some cases
on being reviewed had either money or bread allowances deducted. Other cases
were turned down completely and for some the only offer of help was the
Workhouse and it's regime. Most of the people during this time were people
asking for relief in the hope of staying out of the Workhouse. Originally no
one was to receive any "out relieve" only by going to the Workhouse. The
numbers applying was so vast that it failed from the beginning. Some
Workhouses were not even built when the law was passed.
Mike
mike@decc9.fsnet.co.uk
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