Edward Aldis - Notes

Additional information - see figures (eg. [1]) in article on Edward Aldis on pages listed below.

[1] (Page 3) Deed of Assent

Educationally the 18th century was a relatively quiet time. The future of mass education had been affected by the1662 Act of Uniformity which, amongst other provisions, required that all school masters be licensed by a bishop. This act was reinforced in 1665 by the passing of the Five Mile Act which made it illegal for non-conformists to teach in any school, be it public or private. The Deed of Assent signed by Edward and James was their licence to teach.

[2] (Page 6) Administration - Letters of (usually abbreviated to Admon.)

A grant to the next-of-kin (or some other person or persons) who applied to administer the property of an intestate.

[3] (Page 6) £sd

Derived from LSD ( Libra, solidi, Denarii), the Latin for Pounds, Shillings and Pence, which had been used for centuries, became pounds and new decimal pence (£1 = 100p) when the currency was decimalised in 1971. Before that amounts were written e.g. £6..5s..6d or sometimes £6/5/6. There were 20 shillings in £1 and 12 pence in 1 shilling.

[4] (Pages 6 & 7) The Parish

The English Parish, dates back to the period of early Saxon settlements, which in turn were often based on earlier pagan land-grant, was a very efficient administration unit, independent of the aristocracy, autonomous and self-governing yet amenable to the authority of the Established Church, subject to gentry patronage, and open to the supervision of the bishop's visitation and the J.P's in Quarter Sessions. The records, reports and accounts of churchwardens and overseers, constables and way-wardens are the documents which make up the Parish Chest - literally a stout chest held at the parish church. Many of the early documents which were held in churches are now housed at local record offices for safe keeping and restoration. Some are still in church hands, and many have been damaged irretrievably in the past through water or fire. Vestry Minutes date from the 16th century, Poor Relief Accounts from the 17th century, and Enclosure and Tithe Awards from the 18th century. Together they provide an immensely rich source for local, social and family history.

[5] (Page 7) Parish Registers

These are possibly the first and most useful source for family historians when tracing family lines. In 1538 Cromwell decreed that all parishes keep records. Their state of preservation and accuracy depended entirely on the diligence of the individual parish priest. In addition the priest, or later his curate, was required to keep a separate account of the number of baptisms, burials, and marriages, with names, for each calendar year and submit them to the local Bishop or Archbishop. These are known as Bishops or Archbishops Transcripts. Where the original parish register has been damaged by fire or water these are the only source of information. However, some parish priests seem to have been less that enthusiastic about the extra burden and some records are very scrappy and incomplete.

[6] (Page 12) Rates and rateable value

In 1601 an act was passed called The Statute of Elizabeth. It enjoined JPs to nominate for each parish between 2 and 4 householders, who, together with the churchwardens were to be Overseers of the Poor. These were to work with 2 local JPs to: a) set to work children whose parents could not maintain them; b) find work for the unemployed; c) help or provide employment for the disabled; d) pay premiums for local poor children to be apprenticed. The Overseers were to find the money by 'taxation of every inhabitant, parson, vicar and other and every occupant of lands, houses, tithes, - coalmines or saleable underwoods' and they were to buy in raw materials to set the unemployed and relatively able-bodied to work. The act remained in force until it was superseded in 1834 by the New Poor Law - necessary because of the drift to towns at the start of the industrial revolution. Inhabitants paid taxes, which were set by the Overseers, based on the value of their houses, fields, etc. For example it might be set at 10p in the pound so that a householder with a property with a rateable value of £5 would pay 50p a year (or 4s and 2p in 'old money'). The rate varied from year to year according to need. 4s 2p in 1750, say, would be worth about £21 at today's valuation. The law remained unchanged until new legislation in 1909.

[7] (Page 28)

Parish Registers, which had recorded baptisms, burials and marriages since 1538, were replaced, in 1836, by civil registration of births, deaths and marriages. The new records actually began in July 1837. The County of Norfolk was divided into 24 Superintendents Registration Districts each of which contained a number of sub-districts. Parishes were grouped together by the new Poor Laws enacted in 1836. Over the years many changes were made to these Districts as boundaries were adjusted. Depwade Registration District, of which James Aldis was Registrar, consisted of 45 parishes comprising all of the 21 parishes in Depwade Hundred and 11 parishes in Diss Hundred. The Census of the population administered within the newly formed Registration Districts began in 1841 and has continued at 10 year intervals ever since.