Vestry, 2 May 1844

Centre for Bucks Studies, PR237/8/1

Parish of Buckingham
Winslow Union
County of Buckingham

At a Meeting of the Rate-payers of the above Parish and owners of Property therein entitled to vote pursuant to an Act passed in the fifth Year of the reign of his late Majesty King William IV intituled “An Act for the Amendment and better Administration of the Laws relating to the Poor in England and Wales” at the Vestry Room of the Church in this parish on Thursday the second day of May 1844 pursuant to the Notice of such meeting duly published and given on Sunday the twenty eighth day of April 1844.

Mr John Bull, Chairman

It was resolved
That the Churchwardens and Overseers shall and they are hereby directed to raise the sum of Eighty pounds as a Fund for defraying the expenses of the emigration of poor persons having Settlements in this parish and being willing to emigrate to be paid out of the Stock invested in the £5 per centum Consols in the names of the Guardians of the Winslow Union for the benefit of this parish, if the Poor Law Commissioners will sanction the same and if not then out of the rates raised or to be raised for the relief of the Poor in this parish and to be applied under such rates orders and regulations as the Poor Law Commissioners shall in that behalf direct.

That the following sums of money shall be supplied to the several Emigrants on arrival at Australia     
To each Single person above 14 Years of Age  £1  
To each Married Man and his Wife    £1 10s  
And for every Child under 14 years of Age the further sum of 5s

An equivalent resolution was passed at the vestry on 5 Aug 1847, and another for raising £60 on 7 April 1848.

National Archives, MH12/514

Winslow 22nd April 1844
To The Poor Law Commissioners, Somerset House, London
Gentlemen,
I am directed by the Board of Guardians to inform you that they have been requested to apply to you to sanction the payment out of the balance which will remain vested in the funds in respect off the sale property belonging to Winslow parish (after paying for the parish pumps now in the course of erection) of the passage of Catherine Yates of this parish about 20 years of age who wishes to accompany her parents and their family to Australia but who is considered to be ineligible for a free passage on account of a disfigurement by the loss of part of her nose by disease. The rate payers are anxious to be allowed to dispose of the ultimate surplus of the invested funds which will then remain or a sufficient part thereof in paying the expences of clothing other paupers of the parish emigrating to Australia, and the charges incident to their conveyance to embark, they having been secured a free passage. I am requested to entreat an immediate reply as the parents of Catherine Yates are to sail in about a fortnight.
Dav Thos Willis [signature] Clerk to the Union
P.S. I ought to have remarked that the Medical Officer of the Union certified Catherine Yates to be in good health.

[Response added to the page]
W. Lumley 20th April 44
No objection to sanction this emig(rat)ion But the usual forms must be attended to.
The p(aris)h must agree to raise the amount & the Com(missione)rs will authorise this applic(ati)on of the rate produce.

Winslow 2nd May 1844
Winslow Parish Sale Produce & Emigration
To The Poor Law Commissioners
Somerset House, London
In pursuance of the directions given to me by the Board of Guardians I lose no time in forwarding you copies of the resolutions of a vestry held in this parish this morning and of the notice convening that meeting with a certificate from the Minister and parish officers that the forms of the act have been complied with. As the emigrants are to sail on the 16th inst and will start for the place of embarkation some days previously the Board will feel obliged by receiving your order if practicable in the course of two or three days. I presume that your order will provide for the cost of power of attorney for the sale of stock and broker’s charges. I enclose a list of the persons who up to this time signified their wish to emigrate, being all paupers belonging to this parish, and you have will observe that such list comprises the name of Catherine Yates respecting whom you wrote on 26th ult.
Dav Thos Willis [signature] Clerk to the Union
P.S. As being in some measure connected with the above allow me to call your attention to another communication from me by this post on the subject of the parish pumps, as it would save some expence if the Guardians could by one power of attorney authorise the raising of a sufficient sum for both purposes.

[Response added to the page]
W. Lumley 9th May 44
I have the order for the emig(rat)ion
I state that the Com(missione)rs cannot issue the order for the sale of the stock until the whole amount of the cost of emig(rat)ion has been ascertained.
Add that if the emigrants proceed by the [illegible] ships no landing money is to be paid

Rate Emigration order
Dated and sent 6th May 44

[stamped] May 3 1844
Notice is hereby given that a Meeting of the rate payers of this parish and of such of the owners of the property therein as shall have required their names to be entered in the rate books of this parish as entitled to vote pursuant to the provisions of an Act passed in the fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty intituled “An Act for the Amendment and better Administration of the Laws Relating to the Poor of England and Wales” will be held at the Vestry Room in the Church of this Parish on Thursday the second day of May next at ten in the forenoon for the purpose of considering whether any and what sum or sums of money not exceeding half the Average yearly poor rate for the three years now last past shall be raised or borrowed as a fund for defraying the expences of the Emigration of Poor persons having settlements in this parish and being willing to emigrate and of giving directions for raising or borrowing such sum or sums to be paid out of or charged upon the rates raised or to be raised for the relief of the poor in this parish and to be applied under and according such rules orders and regulations as the Poor Law Commissioners shall in that behalf direct.
Dated this twenty seventh day of April 1844 
The above is a true Copy of the Notice referred to in the annexed Certificate
[signatures]
JE Bradford              Minister
Sam(ue)l Dudley     
John Curtis             Churchwardens
JL French                
Thos Morecraft        Overseers

At a Meeting of the Rate payers of the above Parish and owners of property therein entitled to vote pursuant to the provisions of an Act passed in the fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King William IV intutled “An Act for the Amendment and better Administration of the Laws Relating to the Poor of England and Wales” held at the Vestry Room in the Church of this Parish on Thursday the second day of May 1844 pursuant to Notice of such Meeting duly published and given on Sunday the twenty eighth of April 1844.
Mr John Bull       Chairman
[Vestry resolution recited]

… And we do further Certify that the paper marked (A) hereto annexed and signed by us is a true Copy of the Notice of such Meeting and such Notice fairly written was affixed on the twenty eighth day of April 1844 on the principal door of the Church of the said Parish and that the paper hereto annexed marked (B) was signed by us is a true Extract from the Vestry Books of the said Parish.
And we do further Certify and Declare that the aggregate amount of Rates raised for the relief of the Poor in the said Parish for the three years last past is £2252..8..1
Witness our hands this second day of May 1844
[signatures]
JE Bradford              Minister
Sam(ue)l Dudley     
John Curtis             Churchwardens
JL French                
Thos Morecraft        Overseers

Sailed 17th May 1844: all the above except Sarah Dumbleton (Sailed 1st April 1844) and James Cockerell (Sailed 16th April 1844)

Winslow 28th May 1844
To The Poor Law Commissioners
Somerset House, London
Gentlemen,
By direction of the Board of Guardians I forward you an account of the emigration expences which they are desirous of paying out of the money invested from the proceeds of the property sold on account of the parish of Winslow. They will feel obliged by your issuing an order authorising them to sell out stock to raise the amount (£49-17-6) with the further sum of £55-10s the cost of the parish pumps, and the charges of sale, and of a power of Attorney to Messrs Praeds & Co for that purpose…
Dav Thos Willis
Clerk to the Union

See also:

• Winslow in the 19th-20th Centuries
• Parish council and vestry