Removal Orders

[Jessie711]

I have just received copies of two removal orders from Bury St. Edmunds records office.

Both are for removal of members of the Simper family by Church Wardens and Overseers of the Poor to be delivered to the Church Wardens of Pakenham.

The first is from Barking to Pakenham on 07 May 1781 and the second is from Battisford to Pakenham on 16 Nov 1781.

Is there somewhere I can do a follow up and possibly find out more details?

Thanks
Jessie

[c-side]

Hi Jessie,

Do you just have copies of the removal orders or do you have the preceding examinations as well?

Christine

[Jessie711]

Hi Christine,

Thanks for the reply, I’m sure they are only the removal orders they are only a one page document.

Malcolm

[c-side]

Hi Malcolm,

In that case you could see if the examinations have survived.

These are the 'witness' statements taken by the authorities to help determine a persons place of settlement i.e. the place responsible for his/her upkeep.  The statements can contain a wealth of info on where they were born/lived/earned a living etc and even names of parents.

Even if they haven't survived you can bet that the family have their roots in Pakenham or the parish wouldn't have accepted the responsibilty.  So start searching around that area.

Christine

[Jessie711]

Hi Christine,

It would be great if I could get the examinations, if they exist are they likely to be held at the same records office?

I have been told that Thomas Simper was born in Pakenham abt. 1736 and he married Lydia Markwell in Battisford abt. 1755 they had a son baptized in Pakenham in 1756 and four other children baptized in Battisford from 1758-1765. So it would be very interesting to read the examinations.

Malcolm

[c-side]

That is interesting and potentially confusing because, technically, you could have half of the family with one place of settlement and half with another - Pakenham and Battisford.  It was not unknown to split families up under these circumstances so some agreement must have been arrived at.

Looking at the frequency of the removals it suggests that the family were possibly itinerant farm workers - one place for planting and another for harvest (or similar).  In this case they may well have had a Settlement Certificate which they handed in with the parish overseers when they arrived in a place of work - it was like an insurance against that parish having to incur any expense when the work was over.  A guarantee that another parish accepted responsibilty for them.  I'm not sure whether a removal order would have been necessary in that case, though.

Christine

[coombs]

Hi

In July 1802 my ageing 5xgreat grandfather Richard Titshall and his second wife Ann were the subject of a Removal Order from Framlingham to Redlingfield. An interesting note on the back says that Ann was too ill to travel back to Redlingfield. She died in October 1802. Richard lived until 1807 and is buried in Framlingham.

Ben

[c-side]

I've come across this sort of situation before but you'll find that any financial support (meagre though it was) would be provided by Redlingfield.

Christine

[Aulus]

Hi Malcolm,

In that case you could see if the examinations have survived.

These are the 'witness' statements taken by the authorities to help determine a persons place of settlement i.e. the place responsible for his/her upkeep.  The statements can contain a wealth of info on where they were born/lived/earned a living etc and even names of parents.



Christine

Gosh, I'd never heard of these examinations before.

How common is it for them to survive?