Records of People Forced to Move to and from Chedworth 1712 – 1858 by M. Tovey A. People Returned to Chedworth under Poor Laws 1743 - 1858 If a person found themselves on hard times the parish where they were living would be reluctant to support them so would make enquires by taking them to a JP to find out where they were “settled” meaning which parish was responsible for them. This was a horrible system forcing people to go back to a place where they were unlikely to be welcomed and probably had no work or home. On at least one occasion a Chedworth Parish officer gave a family money to return to where they had come from rather than admit them to the Northleach Poor House at Chedworth’s expense but sometimes (as in the Moses Redford story below) a degree of compassion and common sense was exercised. I have transcribed these entries from Poor Law related documents held in the Gloucester Archives:
1743 Duntisbourne Rouse James EVANS 1774 Notgrove William and Mary MYERS 1776 Bibury Sarah COOK 1777 Barnsley John and Margaret BURTON 1780 Barnwood Mary LARNER 1784 Cirencester William and Ann HARDING 1784 Northleach Thomas Mason 1784 Watermoor John and Keziah MIDWINTER 1784 Cirencester Edward MILES age 11- born Coln Rogers and apprenticed to Wm MIDWINTER but ran away. 1785 Little Barrington Richard and Maria WHITE 1793 Barnwood Lydia LARNER - examination of Mary BROWN wife of labourer Wm. BROWN. 1800 Bibury Mary PEER singlewoman. 1800 Ashton Keynes John SELBY - disordered in his mind. 1800 Bampton (Ox) Ann ROBINS singlewoman being with child. 1800 Twickenham James and Elizabeth AISH and children (Middlesex) William 12 and James 7. 1813 Poulton Thomas and Elizabeth MUSTOE and children Jacob 8, Isaac 6, Abraham 3, Mary 2 and Alice 6 months. 1813 Hereford Ann NEWMAN the wife of Robert NEWMAN Private in 67th Regiment of Foot. 1820 Stoke Damerel Ann NEWMAN alias TROTMAN wife of (Devon) Wm Newman alias Trotman a seaman serving on HMS Windsor Castle. 1830 St Giles in Fields James and Elizabeth ASH. Possibly not Middlesex removed as Chedworth parish agreed to pay 3s a week. 1831 Somerford Pausey Emanuel and Elizabeth STEPHENS and (Wilt) children Maria 13, Moses 11, Arran 9, Mark 5, Ann 3, Ezra 2 and Eli 6 months. 1845 Cheltenham Joshua and Jane STEVENS and children Sarah 9, Joshua 6 and Ellen 3. 1845 Stratton Eliza SMITH age 29 widow of John SMITH and children Ester 2 and John 4m 1847 Cheltenham Emmanuel and Rose BRIDGES and children Ann, William, Rosina, Mary, Prudence, Elizabeth and Jane 1848 Luckington (Wilts) Robert BAILEY an order served from Badminton a year earlier had apparently been ignored by Chedworth. 1851 Leckhampton Rose BRIDGES and children Prudence, Elizabeth and Jane. 1855 Tetbury Elizabeth BAILISS widow of Wm BAILISS children Mary Ann 11, Joseph 5 and Lucy 2. 1858 Eastington William and Elizabeth WILSON and children Mary Ann, Elizabeth, William and Ellen. 1858 Cheltenham James and Maria SMITH and children Charles 15 Louisa 11.
B. People forced out of Chedworth under the Poor Laws 1712 – 1832 I have extracted the following records of people ejected from Chedworth and the parish to which they were returned:
1712 Turkdean Robert & Sarah COATES 1720 Coln Rogers William YOUNG and wife (not named). 1720 Oaksland (Wilt) John BURCHAL, wife and child (not named). 1748 Sherborne William & Eleanor MARSHFIELD and a child. 1774 Shipton Sollars? Charles LOVESY 1775 South Cerney John & Catherine BARRINGTON children Betty, Ann 6, John 4 and Daniel 2. 1778 Cirencester John & Sarah GLOVER and 2 children. 1781 Yanworth Thomas & Ann SPENCER and Hannah 1. 1781 Hempsford Moses & Rachel ROLFORD children Ann 7, Moses 4, Morris infant. 1782 Yanworth Margaret ROBINS, singlewoman. 1782 Rowell? Glos. George & Mary COALE children William 9, Sarah 8, Mary 7 and Jeremiah 6. 1783 Hampnett Matthew HARDING 1783 Hampnett John & Mary BEAMS, William 5, Ann 2 and Thomas 1. 1785 Sherborne William & Mary DAVIS 1787 Oxendon John & Penelope HALE 1787 Yanworth Elizabeth CULLIMORE widow of John lately deceased. 1789 Cheltenham Hannah JOCHIAM singlewoman. 1792 Coln St Dennis Sarah HALL 1792 Hampnett James & Ann HALL, Amey 4, Dinah 2 and David 10 weeks. 1792 Bouton o.t.Water Thomas & Jemima TOMBS 1793 Coln St. Dennis William & Ann BARTLETT and Mary age 1 1794 Sherborne Edward & Elizabeth SOULE children William 7, Anne 4, Mary 2 and Dinah 6 months. 1794 Hampnett James & Ann HALL children Amy 7, Dinah 3 and David 2. 1795 Coln Rogers Hannah HALL, singlewoman - examination indicates that her mother was Eleanor PEACHY. 1798 Sudley Keziah BARTLETT 1800 Whaddon John & Mary BATCHELOR 1800 Harnhill John & Sarh MEALING children Thomas 7, Betty 4 & Robert 2. 1802 Horsley Thomas & Sarah HALL children Hannah 5, and Ephrain 3. 1805 Rodborough Hannah HANBURY singlewoman. 1809 Rodmarton Sarah JACKSON wife of Richard JACKSON private soldier in the Royal North Gloucestershire Militia and her children William 3 and Jane 18m.. 1810 Cirencester Jane COATES singlewoman. 1811 Crowle, Worc. William and Ann CLARKE, Thomas 7, Jemima 5 & Benjamin 3. 1812 Withington Thomas & Sarah POULTON children Maria 4, Phebe 3, Edmund 6 months.
1812 Parton, Wilts Mary TAVENER singlewoman. 1817 Stowell Mary BOWNE widow of labourer William BOWNE late of Chedworth. 1820 Yanworth William and Mary SMITH-BARNETT and Charles 1. 1823 Winchcombe John PARKER 1824 Elkstone Elizabeth Trotman aged 2 daughter of William 1825 Cirencester Sarah GLOVER 1827 Bleddington James & Rebecca NEALE, Charles 5, John 3 and Hannah 1. 1828 Shurdington Mary Ann SHERRAD, singlewoman. 1829 South Cerney Ann SCOTT, singlewoman. 1829 Ashbury, Berks Elizabeth TAYLOR, singlewoman. 1829 Northleach Leonard MILLER a labourer. 1831 Tewkesbury Mary Ann BALLINGER, singlewoman. 1832 Cheltenham Mary BLACKWELL singlewoman.
The Examination of Moses Redford 1774
We who are Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the Parish of Kempsford In the County of Gloucester do own and Acknowledge Moses Redford Residing in the Parish of Chedworth in the County aforesaid To be an Inhabitant legally Settled in our Parish and Will own him as Such and if he Should become Troublesome or Chargeable to the Parish of Chedworth we will Receive and Take to the Said Moses Redford & his Wife without Puting the Parish of Chedworth to any Trouble or Expense But having made a Promise among our Selves to grant no more Certificates are not Willing to alter our Resolution And have Sent this to Satisfy you that You Shall Come by No Damage in Leting the Said Moses Redford continue at Chedworth In witness whereof we have Set our hands this 13th day of March 1774
Humphrey Pope Churchwarden Thomas Pope Junr Churchwarden Robert Pope Overseer Thomas King Overseer John Hiscock Witness
Gloucestershire Moses Redford now residing in ye Parish of Chedworth in ye said County maketh oath that he was borne in ye Parish of Kempsford in ye said County and that he hath not been hired for a year or served a year in any Parish whatsoever nor otherwise gained Legal Settlement in any other place than as above said Sworne & Examined before J. Smith March 29 1771 The mark of Moses Redford