A
Access Conditions: Restrictions on researchers' access to archives, whether because of a legal or closure period, or because damage or fragility makes archives unfit for production.
Affiliation order: see Bastardy
Archives: Records in any format and of any date, created by individuals, families or organisations in the course of their activities or business, and preserved permanently.
Assize, Courts of: Sessions of courts presided by circuit Judges in England and Wales which were serious to be tried at Quarter Sessions. Assize and Quarter Session Courts merged in 1971.
B
Bastardy: From the 16th century onwards in England, the status of an illegitimate child had particular legal and social consequences which led to a lot of documentation. For example, a bastardy bond or recognisance could oblige the supposed father to appear at the Quarter Sessions or Petty Sessions court, or simply oblige him or another relation to provide for the child so that she or he was not supported by the parish authorities. A bastardy or affiliation order could be made by a Quarter Sessions or Petty Sessions court, requiring the father to pay for the child's upkeep - failure to pay, could result in a prison sentence.
Benefice: See Incumbent
Bishop’s Transcripts: Copies of England and Wales parish register entries forwarded annually to the bishop, dating from 1598.
Board of Guardians: Managed poor relief through unions of parishes and were elected by local landowners and ratepayers.
Bond: or recognisance. A legal document recording an obligation to pay a sum of money, or acknowledging a present or future debt.
Borough or municipal corporation: Dating from as early as the 11th century. Typically, a town with a governing corporation, and privileges conferred by a royal charter such as its own Justices of the Peace.
C
Churchwarden: A person appointed to have responsibility for the parish church accounts, which also included the giving of relief to the itinerant poor, paying the bell ringers for celebrating national events and paying for the shooting of birds and vermin.
Civil Registration: Government imposed compulsory registration of births, deaths and marriages. From 1 July 1837 in England and Wales, 1 January 1855 in Scotland and 1 January 1864 in Ireland.
Closure period: A period of time when archives are held in a repository but are not yet available for public access and consultation, for legal or privacy reasons. Some categories of archives which are less than 100 years old may be covered by a closure period ('closed'). If a closure period exist, details are usually given in archive catalogues. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 a person is entitled to view documentation about themselves. See: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/eventual.aspx?id=34
Constable: Manorial in origin the constable was the link between the Lord of the Manor and his tenants, and was also the keeper of law and order. He was appointed from the better off members of the parish by the jury of the leet court. With the decline of manors in the 17th and 18th century the appointment was made on an annual basis at the parish Vestry meeting. The post was unpaid and no expenses were given. The constable raised taxes and kept accounts.
Court Leet: Manorial courts which dealt with petty law and order and the administration of communal agriculture.
E
Electoral register/roll: Lists of people eligible to vote. A requirement dating from The Parliamentary Reform Act of 1832. The lists have given increased information as the franchise was gradually extended. Since 1928 they have listed the names and addresses of all registered eligible voters.
Electronic format: Information which is stored in a form that can be read by a computer eg disk, CD-Rom or is stored on a computer eg a database.
F
Fiche – see Microfiche
G
GRO indexes: Collated quarterly indexes of all birth, marriage and death registrations dating from 1 July 1837 in England and Wales as submitted to the General Register Office. Surnames are listed alphabetically. Scotland and Wales have their own GRO indexes.
H
Holdings: The records and other items held by an archive.
I
Incumbent: Office holder of a Benefice. A Benefice is an ecclesiastical office which, under Canon law, carries certain duties and conditions together with certain revenues. The incumbent in a Parish was historically named a Rector or a Vicar. A resident Rector received all the tithes of the parishioners. A Vicar was appointed by an absentee Rector and received the small tithes.
Indenture: A formal agreement between a master/employer and his apprentice.
J
Justice of the Peace: or magistrate. An individual appointed by the Crown to keep the peace within a specified area such as a county. The title dates back to 1361 and is sometimes abbreviated to JP.
L
Leet Courts: See Court Leet
Legal settlement: The parish in which a person was legally entitled to claim relief under the Poor Law acts. See also: Settlement
M
Microfiche: A small rectangular sheet of film onto which information is
photographed in a reduced size. Needs a special microfiche viewer to enlarge the
images.
Microfilm: A roll of film onto which reduced images of documents have been photographed. Needs a microfilm viewer to enlarge the images.
Municipal corporation: see Borough
O
Overseers of the Poor: Appointed in every parish under the Poor Relief Act 1601 to provide for the relief or maintenance of poor people who had settlement in that parish, and to levy a parish rate or tax for that purpose.
P
Paleography: The study of old handwriting.
Parish: An administrative area. A unit of pastoral care that was also expected to provide the resources to maintain its church and support its priest.
Parish Chest: A large, strong, wooden chest in which all important parish papers and documents were stored. Usually kept in the parish church. Some can still be found as decorative furniture in churches.
Parish Officer: Officials appointed to carry out parish administrative duties.
Petty Sessions: The lowest tier in the English court system, now known as magistrates' courts, where most crime is dealt with. From the 16th century onwards Petty Sessions were held for specific areas or divisions of a county, and separately in boroughs. Petty Sessions archives typically relate to criminal cases heard by the magistrates or Justices of the Peace for each division or borough. They may also include documents such as plans relating to the licensing of public houses, clubs and other bodies.
Poor Law: The law which related to the public relief and support of poor people in England, before the establishment of the modern social services and benefits system. Relevant Acts of Parliament include the Poor Relief Act 1601.
Q
Quarter Sessions: The main judicial and administrative bodies of the English counties from the 16th century onwards. Their administrative function was replaced by county councils, established in 1889, but their judicial function was not abolished until 1971. Members of Quarter Sessions courts were known as Justices of the Peace. Quarter Sessions typically met four times a year. There were separate Quarter Sessions courts for boroughs. The principal Quarter Sessions archives relate to criminal cases, but there are administrative papers too. The archives reflect the wealth of human experience from birth to death: for example apprenticeship, work, poverty, transport, land use, religion, and all sorts of misdemeanours are among the subjects covered.
R
Removal order: Typically made by Justices of the Peace. Taking the form of bond or warrant they were used to send poor people back to their parish of settlement if they become chargeable. See also: Settlement
Repository: A record office, archive unit, library or other institution where archives are held, cared for and made available for researchers and members of the public.
S
Settlement: the Poor Law required the authorities of a parish to be responsible for the maintenance of poor people settled there. Settlement certificates were issued to those who moved to another parish. If the need for maintenance arose, the authorities could make a removal order to send them and their dependant’s back to their parish of origin, after carrying out an examination (or interrogation) as to their settlement. Settlement certificates, removal orders and settlement examinations may be found in the archives of Quarter Sessions courts and of parishes.
T
Tithe: One-tenth of all produce on the land which went to support the Rector of a Parish, who in return maintained the chancel of the church.
Township: The smallest unit of early local government. In many parts of England parishes formed a single township but in districts where parishes were large, they were subdivided into townships. Townships survived until the creation of Urban and Rural District Councils in the late 19th century.
V
Vestry: Originally the room where parish meetings were held. Membership of the vestry comprised the minister, churchwardens and leading parishioners.
Virtual: Information and/or images that can be accessed by means of the
internet.
W
Workhouse: A building to house the poor of a parish offering them shelter, food, work and medical care. Some workhouses also established schools.
An extended glossary can be found at: http://www.a2a.org.uk/help/glossary/index.asp
