Nature of Source
Introduction
Records created under the Old Poor Law are a valuable but often overlooked source for researching ancestors across England and Wales from the Act of Settlement and Removal (1662), up to 1834. The Settlement system, created under the Act, was central to the administration of the Poor Law. The documents it produced shed light about a person’s life, movements and family circumstances, making them a valuable addition to parish registers.
Understanding the 1662 Settlement Act
The Settlement Act of 1662 (also known as the Settlement and Removal Act) fundamentally transformed the system of poor relief in England. It established a set of rules designed to control migration between parishes and ensure that each parish would only be financially responsible for its own poor.
Provisions of the Act included:
- The requirement of every person to prove their legal right, known as ‘settlement’, to live and work in a parish in order to receive poor relief.
- The provision of poor relief and support to individuals who became destitute.
- The control of migration and movement between parishes.
- The prevention of outsiders from becoming financial burdens.
- The concept of ‘settlement certificates’, which established a person’s legal place of settlement.
As a result, a set of important records were generated by parish and court officials:
- Settlement Certificates
- Settlement Examination Papers
- Removal Orders
Settlement Certificates
Settlement certificates were issued mainly to individuals or families who might become ‘chargeable to the parish’ (in need of poor relief) or families moving from one parish to another. This was particularly important to reassure the parish they would not become financially responsible. The certificates confirmed which parish a family belonged to and therefore which parish had the legal responsibility to provide poor relief if needed. The certificate gave the right of a person to live and receive welfare in their parish of legal settlement.
Although administered by the Overseers of the Poor, settlement certificates were not issued exclusively to paupers. They were often given to labourers, apprentices or families seeking work or residence in another parish.
The certificate itself provides limited direct genealogical information but does place a man and his wife in a particular location at a particular time. This could be useful if the wife’s name is not known. The certificate will probably indicate that the marriage took place in their parish of settlement as well as the baptism of one or both partners. It is important not to assume that an individual’s parish of settlement was always their parish of birth, especially for women who acquired settlement rights in their husband’s parish upon marriage.
Settlement Examination
Settlement examinations were formal interviews, conducted under oath before a Justice of the Peace, usually on the order of the Overseer of the Poor. Their purpose was to establish whether an individual had the legal right of settlement in the parish and thus likely to become a financial burden and chargeable to the parish. Common cases included:
- Unmarried pregnant women.
- Illegitimacy cases.
- Those taken ill or injured or otherwise unable to support themselves.
- Parish incomers whose settlement status was uncertain.
- Suspected vagrants or beggars without visible means of support.
The results of an examination are found in Examination Papers. The detailed interviews are rich in biographical information potentially noting the person’s work history, former residences, place of birth, apprenticeship or service and marital status and other family details. In illegitimacy cases, they frequently identify the alleged father of the child.
Removal Orders
Following the findings of the examination into an individual’s settlement status, a person would be served a document known as a Removal Order if found without a valid right of settlement. The person was removed, forcibly if necessary, from the parish and sent back to their original or legal parish of settlement. These orders were frequently issued to single pregnant women who were not settled in the parish where they were residing. The removal typically took place before giving birth to avoid the child becoming chargeable to the new parish. In such cases, the examination and removal documents might also include the name of the putative father.
How Parish Settlement Could Be Acquired
Birth
- Legitimate children automatically inherited their father’s settlement, regardless of the child’s place of birth.
- Illegitimate children took their mother’s settlement.
Employment
- An unmarried man acquired settlement by working within a parish for a continuous period of one full year.
- Parish apprentices who began their apprenticeship at or before age seven and served and lived in the parish for at least 40 consecutive days could gain settlement.
- A married trader or person renting a smallholding or farm who stayed in the parish for 12 months, paid parish rates and rented property worth over £10 per year also gained settlement.
- Servants who lived and worked in the parish for one full year from the date of hiring and leaving with full wages, could acquire settlement.
Marriage
- A woman took her husband’s settlement at marriage.
- Widows retained the settlement of their deceased husband unless they remarried.
Property and Residence
- Renting property with an annual value over £10, paying parish rates and residing in the parish for 12 consecutive months.
- A person inheriting an estate of land and living on the estate for more than 40 days.
Key Research Tips
- The survival rate of settlement papers is patchy and not all parishes kept complete or consistent records.
- Settlement certificates were not issued to all residents, only to those who might become ‘chargeable to the parish’.
- Appeals and disputed settlement cases were dealt with by the Quarter Sessions courts
- The vestry minutes and other parish officials’ accounts also dealt with matters related to settlement and poor relief.
- Occasionally baptism and marriage certificates might be attached within settlement documents.
The New Poor Law (1834)
The New Poor Law (Poor Law Amendment Act) was enacted in 1834. The Act replaced the responsibility for poor relief from individual parishes to newly established Poor Law Unions. These Poor Law Unions were groups of parishes administered by locally elected Boards of Guardians. The authorities built workhouses for the poor in every poor law union. Despite the reforms, individual parish authorities remained responsible for settlement matters until 1865, when these duties were transferred to the Poor Law Unions.
Additional Resources
The following GenGuide sources could assist in researching parish settlement records:
Where Found
County Record Offices
Local archives hold various types of poor law-related records including settlement certificates, settlement examinations and removal records.
Society of Genealogists
Many settlement examinations and certificates, removal orders, or bastardy examinations and bonds can be located in the copies of parish records and quarter sessions at the library.
Period Covered
1662 – 1834
Genealogical Value
Settlement Certificates
- Name of husband and wife and their address.
- Parish of settlement.
Examination Papers
- Name, age, place of birth and parentage of examinee.
- The examinee’s apprenticeship, occupation, place and date of marriage, former and present address.
- Names of former husbands or wives, relatives and employers.
- Names and ages of children.
- Verdict of examination.
Removal Orders
- Name of person removed.
- Name of the person’s parish of settlement.
Further References
- Aschrott, Paul Felix. The English Poor Law System, Past and Present: Knight 1902 (Available to read online or download at the Internet Archive)
- Bagley, John J & Bagley, Alexander John. The English Poor Law: Macmillan, 1968
- Beier, Lucinda. The Problem of the Poor in Tudor and Early Stuart England: Routledge, 1983
- Boyer, George R. An Economic History of the English Poor Law, 1750-1850: Cambridge University Press, 1990
- Brundage, Anthony. The English Poor Laws 1700-1930: Palgrave, 2002
- Burlison, Robert. Tracing Your Pauper Ancestors: Pen and Sword Books, 2009
- Cohen, Deborah, Family Secrets: Living with Shame from the Victorians to the Present Day: Viking, 2013
- Cole, Anne. Poor Law Documents Before 1834: Federation of Family History Societies, 2000
- Englander, David. Poverty and Poor Law Reform in 19th Century Britain, 1834-1914: From Chadwick to Booth: Longman, 1998
- Fitzgerald, Michael. Ragged London: The Life of London’s Poor: The History Press, 2011
- Fowler, Simon. Poor Law Records for Family Historians: Family History Partnership, 2011
- Gibson, Jeremy & Hampson, Elizabeth. Specialist Indexes for Family Historians: Federation of Family History Societies, 2000 (Preview available from Google Books)
- Hawkings, David. Pauper Ancestors: A Guide to the Records Created by the Poor Laws in England and Wales: The History Press, 2011
- Hindle, Steve. On the Parish? The Micro-Politics of Poor Relief in Rural England 1550-1750: Oxford University Press, 2009
- Hitchcock, Tim & Black, John. Chelsea Settlement and Bastardy Examinations, 1733-1766: London Record Society, 1999
- Leonard, E M. The Early History of English Poor Relief: F. Cass, 1965(Available to read online or download at the Internet Archive)
- McLaughlin, Eve. Annals of the Poor: Federation of Family History Societies, 1990
- McLaughlin, Eve. The Poor are Always With Us: Varneys Press, 1994
- Paley, Ruth. My Ancestor Was a Bastard: A Family Historian’s Guide to Sources for Illegitimacy in England and Wales: Society of Genealogists, 2004
- Raymond, Stuart. My Ancestor was an Apprentice: Society of Genealogists, 2010
- Raymond. Stuart A. Tracing Your Poor Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen and Sword Books, 2020
- Rose, Michael E. The English Poor Law, 1780-1930: David and Charles, 1971
- Sim, Alison. Masters and Servants in Tudor England: The History Press, 2006
- Slack, Paul. The English Poor Law, 1531-1782: Cambridge University Press, 1995
- Tate, William Edward. The Parish Chest: Phillimore, 1983 (Preview available from Google Books)
- Thompson, Kathryn. Apprenticeship and Bastardy Records: Historical Association, 1997
- Tomkins, Alannah & King, Steven. The Poor in England 1700-1850: An Economy of Makeshifts: Manchester University Press, 2003
- Welbank Fowle, Thomas. The Poor Law: Macmillan, 1893 (Available to read online or download at the Internet Archive)
- Wise, Sarah. The Blackest Streets: The Life and Death of a Victorian Slum: Vintage, 2009
Websites
The National Archives Research Guide
How to look for records of Poverty and the Poor Laws. Use this guide for advice on how to locate poor law records at The National Archives, as well as documents in which issues of and connected to poverty are discussed more broadly.
LostCousins Newsletter
Using settlement certificates in family history research, by Margaret Ounsley.
Essex Record Office
An introduction to settlement papers. A post by David Perkins, who catalogued the settlement papers for Rayleigh and Hadleigh last year as part of an MA Placement, funded by the University of Essex and the Friends of Historic Essex.
Essex Record Office
The secrets of settlement papers, by David Perkins.
Essex Record Office
A study in settlement. The article explains the value of settlement papers and why they matter and how to use the newly catalogued records.
GENUKI
A Place of Legal Settlement, by Anne Cole.
Victorian Web
The 1662 Settlement Act.
London Lives
Settlement. The web page provides a detailed historical explanation about the concept of ‘settlement’ in relation to the Old Poor Law in England, particularly from the 17th to 18th centuries.
London Lives
Researching Poverty. The web page provides background information on the social history of poverty and poor relief systems in eighteenth-century London.
London Lives
The Poor Law and Charity: An Overview. The page provides a detailed historical account of the system of poor relief in 18th-century London, discussing the variety of poor relief and charity.
City of Westminster Archives
Researching family history at the Archives Centre: Parish and Workhouse records. Parish records can be a rich source of information as they include apprenticeship indentures, school records, settlement papers, bastardy bonds, workhouse and charity records.
FamilyTree
15 records to take your family history back to the 1500s. Discover the 15 essential record collections and numerous invaluable websites that could take your family history back to the 1500s, or earlier. Celia Heritage reveals those must-search records for successful research.
Brigham Young University
Poor Law Records. The guide provides a history of poor laws and where to find online poor law records listed county-by-county.
KindredPast
In the Parish Chest: Settlement Examinations, Settlement Certificates, Removal Orders.
Parsons Family Home Pages
A Brief Explanation of the Poor Law in respect of Rural Communities 1601-1834.
Lincolnshire Family History Society
A Place of Legal Settlement.
Online Databases
- London Poor Law Abstracts, 1581-1899. Search abstracts from the City of London Parochial Poor Law Records including Bastardy/Affiliation Orders, Bastardy Bonds and Examinations as well as Quarter Sessions and Quarter Sessions Appeals. These records were compiled by genealogist Cliff Webb.
- London Lives, Culture & Society 1680-1817. Search a variety of sources including criminal registers, session papers, ordinary’s accounts from Old Bailey, apprentice records, coroner inquests, workhouse minutes, Register of admissions to workhouse, clerks’ papers, Churchwarden’s account books, Vestry minute books/vestry minutes, Register of removal orders, Pauper examination books/examination books, bastardy bonds and much more.
- Westminster, Poor Law and Parish Administration. The database contains over 1.7 million records from the poor law and parish administration records. The records cover Parish apprentices, Bastardy bonds, Settlement examinations, Paupers outdoor relief, Land tax and valuations and Workhouse admission records.
- Devon, Plymouth & West Devon Parish Chest Records, 1556-1950. Records from the parish chests of Plymouth and West Devon including: Examinations, Jury Lists, Settlement Papers, Bastardy Papers and Overseers and Churchwardens’ Accounts.
- Norfolk Parish Chest Records, 1300-1990 Browse. Explore a variety of parish chest records from Norfolk including Bastardy bonds and Bastardy examinations and orders.
- Yorkshire, Sheffield Social and Institutional Records 1558-1939. Settlement certificates, 1700-1810; Removal orders, 1701-1844.
- Norfolk Borough Records, 1317-1981 Browse. Browse through a variety of Norfolk borough records including Books of bastards.
- Middlesex Poor Law Records, 1699-1846. Search Poor Law records for 10 parishes in the west of the ancient county of Middlesex. The records include settlement examinations and removals as well as bastardy orders and bastardy bonds.
- Lincolnshire Settlement Certificates.
- Wiltshire Settlement Examinations.
- London, England, Selected Poor Law Removal and Settlement Records, 1828-1930. This database contains Poor Law records relating to settlement and removals for the unions of Bethnal Green, Hackney, Poplar, Shoreditch, and Stepney. Provided in association with The London Archives.
- Warwickshire Parish Poor Law, 1546-1904: This is a collection of parish Poor Law records that relate to disposition of relief in Warwickshire, England. Examples of the types of records found in this collection include removal orders and settlement examinations and certificates.
- Warwickshire, Miscellaneous Church of England Parish Records. Examples of the types of records include orders of removal.
- Dorset, England, Poor Law Settlement and Removal Records, 1682-1862.
- Lancashire, England, Quarter Session Records and Petitions, 1648-1908. The records include filiation and maintenance orders, settlement orders and removal orders.
London Lives
The site is dedicated to the social history of London in the 18th century, offering access to a vast collection of original historical records giving access to 3.35 million names. Datasets include: Pauper Removal Orders including St Martin in the Fields Settlement Examinations, 1725-1793.
Gloucestershire Archives
Genealogical Search. Search indexed catalogue entries of Records of the Overseers of the Poor including settlement papers, pauper apprenticeships and bastardy documents. Searches can also be made on the Indexes page.
Hertfordshire Names Online
The site provides online access to the Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies indexes including Removal Orders & Settlement Certificates. Searching the indexes is free but a charge is made for copies of a document. The indexes could also be of use for those with ancestors in the neighbouring counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Middlesex.
Bath Ancestors
Settlement Examinations, 1816-1866. Search examination records of those seeking financial help from the parish
Bath Ancestors
Registers of Paupers Removed, 1849-1863. Register of paupers who came from outside the Bath Poor Law Union who would be removed to their own Union. Also lists Bath paupers whose costs were charged to a different parish within the Union.
Cornwall OPC Database
Search Parish Settlements and Removal Orders.
Midlands Historical Data
Warwickshire Poor Law Index.
Yesterdays Journey
Explore settlement transcriptions dealing primarily with Derbyshire.
Pickard’s Pink Pages for Warwickshire
Warwickshire removals & settlements including Settlement Certificates for Kenilworth, Warwickshire 1695-1790.
Sussex Record Society
Database of Poor Law Records for West Sussex. The records primarily consist of Settlement and Removal 1662-1835 as well as records of bastard children and of the apprenticing and boarding out of pauper children.
Kent Family History Research
East and West Kent Settlement and Removal Index lookup service.
CD Roms
The EurekA Partnership
The company offers transcriptions of Poor Law records such as workhouse records, settlement examinations and removals, settlement certificates and other poor law union records.
GenFair
GenFair offers a range of poor law records, including settlement records and papers. These are available for various counties and through different suppliers such as local family history societies.
Parish Chest
The company offers access to poor law and settlement records covering a number of regions.
Devon Family History Society
Rich man, poor man beggar-man, thief: A collection of over 63,000 entries from records held at Devon Record Office.
Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire FHS
Indices of Cambridgeshire Poor Law Papers, Master and Apprentices, Settlement and Bastardy Papers.
East Surrey Family History Society
Battersea Poor Law Records: Index to Orders of Justices 1700-1772 (Settlement) and Index to Apprenticeship Records 1602-1902.
Lincolnshire Family History Society
The society offers access to poor law and settlement records for a number of towns and county-wide.
Berkshire Family History Society
Berkshire Overseers’ Papers: Abbreviated transcripts of all the documents relating to the administration of the Poor Laws of Berkshire from 1601 to 1834 developed as part of the Berkshire Overseers Project. The CD contains comprehensive indexes for personal names, place names and occupations.
