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90
It may be remarked that in the early records of the
Parish the term "Reverend" is not applied to the clergy,
the prefix "Dr." or "Mr." being alone employed.
Among other duties, the Vestry had to take an oversight
of persons desiring to effect a settlement in the Parish, as
appears by the following minutes, both dated the 17th July,
1685:—
"Joseph Bedford, carpenter, late of [blank in the original], came into
ye Parish about three monthes agoe, and has now his wife & two children,
and to secure the Parish, offers two securityes Stephen Whitehead Brewer in
Poultny Street & Jennet Bell Widd. in ye same street, they each in £10 &
ye party himselfe £20 & Mr. Batchelor to prepare a bond."
"Anne Davies who being with child was brought before the Vestry to
secure the Parish, and not being able to doe it, was sent by Warrant back to
St. Clement Danes, it appearing she was settled there (vizt.) three monthes."
In spite of Acts of Parliament requiring attendance at the
Parish Church and forbidding trading on the Lord's Day and
the swearing of profane oaths, and in spite also of the recent
suppression of fairs at the west end of the town, which had
become notorious for lewdness, it is not surprising to find,
considering the lax morals of the court, that the precedingextract
from the Minutes of the Vestry is typical of a very
common state of affairs at the time.
Taking the accounts of
the Parish for the first three years, we find that the overseers'
receipts were derived from the following sources:—
1685
1686
1687
Rates
871
2
7
948
6
3
988
6
7
Collected at the Church doors
65
12
11
55
6
0
37
0
0
For Bastard Children
129
3
0
112
9
6
135
5
0
For Breach of the Sabbath
3
11
9
—
—
King's Bounty
—
50
0
0
—
Fine
—
12
0
0
—
For Pensioners' Goods
4
2
6
7
12
0
80
7
0
Legacy
—
2
10
0
—
£
1073
12
9
£1188
3
9
£1240
18
7