England Parliamentary Papers, Sacrament Certificates, Subscribers, Treasury Books - International Institute

Parliamentary Papers
Parliamentary papers have been little-used by family historians as they seem intimidating, but in fact they are remarkably well indexed and thus easy to use. They are full of extraordinary amounts of information about people marginally involved in government, or giving evidence on various subjects of social concern.

The parliamentary papers calendars and texts are starting to become available online. Fowler and TNA research guide D7 have details about all kinds of parliamentary papers and how to use them. A searchable index from 1801-1997 has been published in CD-ROM and there are printed indexes covering 1700-1799, 1801-1851, 1852-1899, and 1900-1949; these are available at TNA and several major university libraries worldwide, and online for a fee. The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) provides a Chronological Table of the Private and Personal Acts[of Parliament] 1539-2006 which is available.

It is particularly useful for such things as:

Petitions
Petitions are applications and consist of two main forms:

For positions with:


 * A public body such as the national government, a county, borough, parish or manor.
 * An institution such as the Honourable East India Company or HM Customs and Excise.
 * A private person.

Any of these could involve the submission of a petition giving biographical information and qualifications (Camp 1994). However, not all positions required petitions, for example those taken in rotation amongst parishioners, or appointments made by quarter session.

For assistance:


 * Financial assistance such as a pension, or admission to an almshouse.
 * Redress of a grievance, either to Parliament or Quarter Sessions. These could emanate from an individual, family, parish or other area representative or a group of tradesmen.

One of the genealogical bonuses in parliamentary papers are the petitions laid before parliament which can contain remarkable details about individuals and their families (Camp 2001).

Surviving documents will likely be amongst the records of the appropriate body, for example in parliamentary papers, quarter sessions record kept by the clerk of the peace, or the records of the institution or company.

Sacrament Certificates 1672-1828
One of the requirements of the Test Act, in force from 1672-1828 and applicable to all holding official civil or military posts was the production of a sacrament certificate recording when and where the bearer took Anglican Holy Communion. Between 1689 and 1702 it also applied to beneficed clergy, university members, lawyers, schoolteachers and preachers. Communion was to be taken at least once a year and testified by the clergyman, churchwarden and two witnesses. Thus anyone doing so was not a Non-Anglican at the time. If previous evidence of nonconformity or Catholicism exists then this may date a change to conformity, perhaps as part of a career pattern and upward mobility. In 1828 a declaration was substituted and was required until 1841.

Some sacrament certificates relating to the Home Counties are at TNA but most will be with Quarter Sessions at the county level. An example for a schoolteacher is shown here.

Chart: Sacrament Certificate for Charles Powell 1750

Subscribers
There are many other subscribers lists which do not fall in those categories and the researcher is urged to carefully note what is available for their area and time period. One example:

St. Paul’s Briefs To finance the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral after it was destroyed in the Great Fire a special tax was levied on coal arriving at the port of London. In addition citizens all over England were encouraged to contribute. Parochial lists (briefs) of contributors with the amounts donated in 1677-1678 still exist for about 30 English counties. The records are held at the Guildhall (Harvey 1998) and the Society of Genealogists has the six films of the contributors, which form a useful partial census of parishes at this date. These records can be also found along with accounts to craftsmen, and many earlier records of repairs to the cathedral, on 34. Further information is given by Churchill (St. Paul’s Cathedral Rebuilding Fund, 1678. Genealogists’ Magazine Vol. 27 #12, page 535).

Treasury Books
The letters and papers of the Treasury Board relating to the period 1557-1920 are considered in TNA research guide D39 and in Mullins’ older texts. The treasury Board considered applications for payments for all kinds of services rendered to and by the State and almost every area of government was involved at some time. Consequently there are tremendous numbers of names of people being appointed to offices, having remissions for fines and dues, being granted money or pensions, submitting accounts and so forth. TNA has calendars and finding aids but these records have not been filmed by the GSU or TNA; the researcher needs to use them at TNA.

Trustees
Lists of trustees will be encountered and all can add to your knowledge of your ancestor’s occupation and interests. Minutes of the board will indicate nomination or election dates as well as resignation or death, and may give details about activities and opinions. All kinds of organizations had trustees, for example turnpikes, schools, railway companies and chapels. Examples of lists on film include:


 * List of Surviving Trustees for the Middlesex and Essex Turnpike Roads on.


 * Trustees of the Stocks of the Russia Company 1666-1955 on seven films starting at.


 * Trustees for various Society of Friends burial grounds in 1724 on.


 * Minute Book of the Trustees of the Cordwainer and Bread Street Wards Charity School, London on.


 * Church Trustees minutes, accounts and rate books 1781-1879 for St. Alkmund’s, Shrewsbury on.

Finding Religious, Loyalty and Other Lists
I have indicated the most usual repositories where the main lists can be found, but the sheer diversity and quantity of records is daunting! When you discover an original, do ask the archivists if there is a published transcript to simplify your search, then refer to the original. There is no single catalogue of lists of people, the researcher will come across them by patiently examining catalogues of archives and online sources. Serendipitous discoveries can be found hidden amongst groups of more well-known records and there are lots more waiting to be catalogued!

Those hoards labelled miscellaneous documents are good hunting grounds for one-off items, as in the case of a very unusual Bill of Articles concerning the rights of the parishioners in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire described by Hibbert (No Swyne after Sonne Be Sett. Family Tree Magazine Vol. 17 #1, page 68-69, 2000). The City of London is particularly well-provided with miscellaneous lists, for example on there are lists of housekeepers 1807 in St. Benet Paul’s Wharf parish, inhabitants 1811-1824 in St. Botolph Aldgate parish and inhabitants 1787-1808 in Barr’s Precinct.

The List and Index Society have published an enormous amount of miscellaneous lists, many of which are at the Society of Genealogists and other major reference libraries, and filmed on the FHLC.

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