Clerk of the Mooting

[carey341]

The death of Gabriel Ferry is recorded at the Queen Street Independent Chapel (or meeting House) in Ratcliff, Middlesex on 7th July 1782. Gabriel Ferry is recorded as being a Silkweaver and Clerk of the Mooting.
Gabriel was most probably of Huguenot decent and a number of Ferry's were silkweavers in the east end. I know that a Moot is a quasi legal forum for discussing or debating legal points but can anyone steer me towards what the "Mooting" might be in this case. It may be something to do with the guilds or something to do with religion.
Thank you.

[KN]

have a look at https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/current-students/mooting-oxford/mooting-what-it-and-why-take-part

kn

[Bookbox]

Looking at the image, it reads Clark of the Meeting. (E and O are easily confused at this period.)

[carey341]

You could well be right - meeting rather then mooting - it seems an odd thing to write in registering his death. All the registered deaths for men show an occupation. There certainly were Moots about in 1780 and other areas still have old Mooting Halls. If it's clerk of the meeting I am none the wiser - although given these independent chapels were also called meeting houses perhaps the clue lies there. Nonetheless I can't find him listed among the membership of the chapel prior to his death. If it is clerk to the mooting - then what were the mootings that went on in the east end in 1780's.

[Bookbox]

Looking at other words in this entry (below), and comparing the letter e as it appears in Gabriel, Ferry and weaver (twice), these all have a small loop at the top. I see the word very clearly as Meeting, and not Mooting.

Clark of the Meeting might indeed have been his occupation, the 'meeting' being equivalent to the 'congregation'. I should imagine that he was employed by the Queen Street Meeting-House as its clerk, rather like a parish clerk at an Anglican church. Perhaps he would not necessarily have been a worshipping member of the congregation?

[goldie61]

Just to confirm - the word IS 'Meeting'.
As Bookbox says, this is how the letter 'e' was written at this point in the past.
I see you are quite new to Rootschat  Welcome!
You should be aware that Bookbox is the font of all knowledge and the expert in all things to do with reading old documents,  handwriting etc - even the Latin bits! We are  VERY, very lucky that he is a member of this forum!

[Bookbox]

Thanks for the compliment, goldie61, but there are plenty of other handwriting experts on this forum, yourself included. There's always room for a variety of opinions on RootsChat, and difficult readings are often resolved by teamwork. 

[carey341]

Thank you both - my moot hunt is over and now I need a trip to Tower Hamlets or the LMA to find whatever records I can for the independent chapel.

"It is good to rub,and polish our brain against that of others".

[goldie61]

Thanks for your kind words Bookbox.
That's why Rootschat is so good - lots of lovely people helping others out.

I like the apt quote carey.
I hadn't heard it before. I found it was by Michel de Montaigne, who I'd also never heard of! - My education was obviously lacking in 16 C French Renaissance writers! What a fantastic amount of quotes.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michel_de_Montaigne

I like this one:
Wherever your life ends, it is all there. The advantage of living is not measured by length, but by use; some men have lived long, and lived little; attend to it while you are in it. It lies in your will, not in the number of years, for you to have lived enough.