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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: homeguard on Friday 18 May 18 05:33 BST (UK)
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Hope this topic is in the right place ! but I am looking to find information on the role of the Parish Clerk in the 1850s. Things like, would they have been well educated ? was it a full time job ? did it come with perks ? what class of person were they usually or was the position open to all ? was it for life ? was there a diffrence in the duties if it was rural or town/city church ? any help much appreciated.
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The book The Handy Book of Parish Law by W.A. Holdsworth, Esq., Barrister at Law, published 1886 states on page 56
“The person appointed parish clerk must be twenty years of age ; and, according to a canon of the church, must possess competent skill
in reading, writing, and (if possible) in singing, although this latter qualification does not appear to be indispensable.
When elected or appointed, parish clerks are usually licensed by the bishop, and take an oath to obey the incumbent. This, however, is not necessary
to complete their title to their office.”
Cheers
Guy
PS earlier on page 55 it also states
"According to writers on ecclesiastical law, parish clerks were originally chosen from aspirants for the
clerical office, whose poverty compelled them to accept this inferior office."
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This question has been asked before a number of times on RootsChat, for example http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=727299.0
You can see details of what responsibilities were transferred to the secular parish council in the 1884 Act at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/56-57/73/section/6
See also Parish Clerk in "A practical treatise of the laws relating to the clergy" By Archibald John Stephens http://www.rootschat.com/links/0e6k/
Put Parish Clerk in to RootsChat Search.
Stan
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Hope this topic is in the right place ! but I am looking to find information on the role of the Parish Clerk in the 1850s. Things like, would they have been well educated ? was it a full time job ? did it come with perks ? what class of person were they usually or was the position open to all ? was it for life ? was there a diffrence in the duties if it was rural or town/city church ? any help much appreciated.
My wife's first husband's grandfather was Parish Clerk in Mundford. He had been an Ag Lab all his life till a fully laden hay cart ran over his lower leg. His reading, righting and comprehension skills were quite excellent. His handwriting was broad and easily read. On the other hand his mathematical skills were almost non-existent. He had a well made box full of wooden coins and notes. It seems the only way he could balance the books, or keep the accounts properly was to actually see the money. He could not do it in his head and had to have it physically in front of him. The wooden money had to do instead. The job came with a cottage and a small wage. He died in office aged ~75.
Regards
Chas
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Thanks for your replies, they give me a better idea of what being a Parish Clerk was about. My Parish Clerk was listed as such in 1851 but 10 years later was descibed as a Provision Dealer and in 1871 as an Annuitant.
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Hello
My ancestor was the first clerk of St Margaret's Hollinwood near Oldham when it opened in 1769, I have wondered if the parish registers are his handwriting or would the curate do that?
Thanks
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Clerks were often entrusted with making up the parish registers though, in fact, delegation of this responsibility by the incumbent was unlawful.
Stan
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Thanks Stan, just wishful thinking!
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Be nice to prove it or otherwise
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My ancestor was the first clerk of St Margaret's Hollinwood near Oldham when it opened in 1769, I have wondered if the parish registers are his handwriting or would the curate do that?
Check the marriage register.
I have an ancestor who was parish clerk in one of the Westminster churches around the same time. He signed as witness to somewhere between 25% and 75% of the marriages on most of the pages in the register.
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The parish clerk was often witness at a marriage because he had to be present in order to open the parish chest to get the register out.
Sometimes, like James Liptrot at Bolton's parish church, prepared the marriage entry to the point of just needing the signatures adding (including "<name of party> her mark").
A relative of mine was parish clerk for 30+ years in the early 19th century. The clergyman liked doing the form-filling, but he signed as witness, even when there were already two signatures. He lived in a large house close to the church; apparently he was not a farmer, so inherited his money. He is down with the occupation of Parish Clerk on the 1841 census, but he was probably too old to be enumerator - 68, NOT rounded down. It's possible that he got someone else to do the leg work. He HAD been responsible for the 1821 census, along with a prominent farmer.
There are also documents referring to him as being responsible for maintaining (or failing to maintain!) the roads, so there were other parish tasks involved in the job.
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Thank you, I did a search on the witness section on Lancashire Online Parish Clerks and his name
came up as a witness to several marriages that didnt seem to be relatives, but at Prestwich not
St Margarets as I dont think St Margarets was licenced for marriages in its early days.
I compared the signatures and he didnt seem to be a very good writer, so pobably did not have
anything to do with the registers. His grandson was a local dialect poet and published a book in 1875
and the preface confirms his grandfather was the first clerk, taking up his duties about 1765