Poor Law
After 1662, if a man left his settled parish to move elsewhere, he had to take his Settlement Certificate, which guaranteed that his home parish would pay for his "removal" costs (from the host parish) back to his home if he needed poor relief. As parishes were often unwilling to issue such certificates people often stayed where they were – knowing that in an emergency they would be entitled to their parish's poor rate.
The 1662 Act stipulated that if a poor person (that is, resident of a tenancy with a taxable value less than £10 per year, who did not fall under the other protected categories) remained in the parish for forty days of undisturbed residency, he could acquire "settlement rights" in that parish. However, within those forty days, upon any local complaint, two JPs could remove the man and return him to his home parish. As a result, parish bosses frequently dispatched their poor to other parishes, with instructions to remain hidden for forty days before revealing themselves. This loophole was closed with the 1685 act (1 Jam II c.17) which required new arrivals to register with parish authorities. But sympathetic parish officers often hid the registration, and did not reveal the presence of new arrivals until the required residency period was over. As a result, the law was further tightened in 1692 (3 & 4 Will & Mar, c.11), and parish officers were obliged to publicly publish arrival registrations in writing in the local church Sunday circular, and read to the congregation, and that the forty days would only start counting from thereon.
Unfortunately, no documentation concerning settlement seems to have survived for Aughton. However, the settlement records for some neighbouring parishes do survive, particularly for Seaton Ross (PC7), which do contain settlement certificates and examinations for Aughton residents.
The following is a list of settlement and bastardy documentation from the East Riding Archives in Beverley that relate to Aughton folk:
Parish | Reference | Document | Date | Details |
Seaton Ross | PC7/5/4 | Settlement examination | 11 Jun 1787 | Name: Thomas Robinson; Age: not given; Status/occupation: not given; Place of settlement: Aughton; Other particulars: born at Acklam. Hired by George Richardson, farmer of Aughton Ruddings. |
Seaton Ross | PC7/6/14 | Settlement certificate | 27 Apr 1757 | Name: Elizabeth Newbald; Age: not given; Status/occupation:; Place of settlement: Aughton; Other particulars: children |
Seaton Ross | PC7/6/31 | Settlement certificate | 11 Apr 1781 | Name: Robert Cook; Age: not given; Status/occupation: yeoman; Place of settlement: Laytham, parish Aughton; Other particulars: wife Sarah, children William, Jane |
Seaton Ross | PC7/6/36 | Settlement certificate | 12 Oct 1784 | Name: Robert Tindale; Age: not given; Status/occupation; Place of settlement: Aughton; Other particulars: wife Elizabeth, son Robert |
Seaton Ross | PC7/5/6 | Settlement examination | 11 Jun 1787 | Name: David Wray; Age: not given; Status/occupation: not given; Place of settlement: Storwood, par. East Cottingwith; Other particulars: born at Flaxton, N.R. Hired by Robert Adamson, farmer of S. |
Seaton Ross | PC7/6/26 | Settlement certificate | 1 Apr 1774 | Name: George Hunter; Age: not given; Status/occupation:; Place of settlement: East Cottingwith; Other particulars: wife, children Easter, George |
Aughton | QST/47/22 | Vagrants | c1764-65 | Audited voucher of constable of Aughton: - vagrants. |
Bubwith | QSU/1/4/8 | Bastardy recognizance | 1803 | Session: 1803 Easter; Father: Matthew Johnson; Father's residence: Bubwith; Father's job: servantman; Surety: Matthew Johnson; Surety's residence: Aughton; Surety's job: labourer; Mother: Sarah Ombler; Mother's residence: Scoreby |
Bubwith | QSU/1/19/6 | Bastardy recognizance | 1818 | Session: 1818 Christmas; Father: James Coates; Father's residence: Gribthorpe; Father's job: farmer; Surety: George Eland; Surety's residence: Gribthorpe; Surety's job: farmer; Mother: Ann Smith; Mother's residence: Aughton |
Gilberdyke | QSU/4/12/1 | Removal order | 26 Dec 1801 | Removal order of Lea Bristow, singlewoman; from Aughton to Gilberdyke. |
Hemmingborough | QSU/4/112/9 | Removal order | 31 Oct 1826 | Removal order of Matthew Green, Ann his wife, children Jane (2), James (1); from Aughton to Hemmingborough. |
Pocklington PLU | QAL/2/1/7 | Return of pauper lunatics | 1842 | Ann Wansburgh, 30, East Cottingwith |
Pocklington PLU | QAL/2/12/6 | Return of pauper lunatics | 1854 | Stephen Robinson, East Cottingwith |
Pocklington PLU | QAL/2/14/6 | Return of pauper lunatics | 1856 | Stephen Robinson, East Cottingwith |
Pocklington PLU | QAL/2/17/7 | Return of pauper lunatics | 1859 | Stephen Robinson, East Cottingwith |
Fulford | QSU/1/5/13 | Bastardy recognizance | 1804 | Session: 1804 Easter; Father: Matthew Ben; Father's residence: Fulford; Father's job: labourer; Surety: John Ben; Surety's residence: Fulford; Surety's job: farmer; Mother: Mary Carvil; Mother's residence: East Cottingwith |
Gilberdyke | QSU/1/7/10 | Bastardy recognizance | 1806 | Session: 1806 Midsummer; Father: Matthew Precious; Father's residence: Gilberdyke; Father's job: labourer; Surety: William Precious; Surety's residence: East Cottingwith; Surety's job: labourer; Mother: Ann Hunter; Mother's residence: Allerthorpe |
East Cottingwith | QSU/1/13/4 | Bastardy recognizance | 1811 | Session: 1812 Christmas; Father: John Calvert; Father's residence: East Cottingwith; Father's job: farmer's servant; Surety: Thomas Rennet; Surety's residence: East Cottingwith; Surety's job: labourer; Mother: Jane Vousburgh; Mother's residence: East Cottingwith |
Minthorpe | QSU/1/13/5 | Bastardy recognizance | 1811 | Session: 1812 Christmas; Father: Joseph Lully; Father's residence: Minthorpe; Father's job: servantman; Surety: John Arnold; Surety's residence: East Cottingwith; Surety's job: labourer; Mother: Elizabeth Ward; Mother's residence: Sutton upon Derwent |
Seaton Ross | QSU/1/14/8 | Bastardy recognizance | 1813 | Session: 1813 Michaelmas; Father: William Killingbeck; Father's residence: Seaton Ross; Father's job: servant; Surety: Thomas Harper; Surety's residence: Foggathorpe; Surety's job: farmer; Mother: Betty Holborn; Mother's residence: East Cottingwith |
Laytham | QSU/4/221/1 | Removal order | 6 Feb 1841 | Removal order of Robert Brabs; from Storwood to Laytham; with examination papers |
Latham | QSU/4/130/6 | Removal order | 23 Mar 1832 | Removal order of George Smith, Ann his wife, daughter Mary (6 months); from Eastrington to Latham. |
Latham | QSU/4/137/8 | Removal order | 5 Mar 1834 | Removal order of Robert Cook, Mary his wife, children John (15), Henry (11), Robert (8), Ann (5), Joseph (1); from Latham to Foggathorpe. |