Settlement Certificates

The 1697 Settlement Act meant that strangers to a parish had to have a certificate issued by the legal place of settlement and which showed they could be returned to that place if they became a burden on the parish by claiming poor relief.

The sixty four instances in the table below are those that survive for Great Harwood and which are kept at Lancashire Archives, document reference PR 143.

The most pertinent information from each certificate only is included. The example for John Smith, set out here, is representative of the style of the majority of the documents.

Whereas John Smith and Jennet his wife as Poor Persons Legally settled and belonging in Our Town of Clayton in the Moors in the said County But for their better convenience of living are desireous to reside in Great Harwood in the County aforesaid.

Therefore we the Church Wardens and Overseers of the Poor of Clayton aforesaid Do promise to receive the said John Smith and Jennet his Wife when They or their Child or Children become Chargeable to the Township of Harwood aforesaid Unless they acquire a Legall Settlement Elsewhere. AS witness our hands and seals this Fifteenth day of December One Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty One.

Witness:
Wm. Shuttleworth
John Smith
Thomas Smith

Chr. Roberts C:Warden
Jo. Coward Overseer of the Poor

YEAR	NAME	SURNAME	PLACE OF ORIGIN	NOTES
1729	Nathaniel	Aspden	Simonstone	Mary his wife, Thomas, William, Elizabeth and Ann their children.
1741	William	Aspden	Mitton, Henthorn and Coldcoats	Martha his wife, Elizabeth, Mary, Margery, Thomas and Nathaniel their children.
1713	John	Aspinall	Wilpshire	Elizabeth his wife and his children.
1744	John	Barrett	Billington	Isabel his wife, James, Richard, Sarah and John their children.
1741	Jno.	Blackburn	Cuerden	Ann his wife, and any child or children all ready begotton or hereafter to be begotten.
1741	Henry	Bradshaw	Clitheroe	Anne his wife and William their son.
1742	Thomas	Bradshaw	Clayton le Moors	Elizabeth his wife and William, Elizabeth, Mary, John, Thomas, Alice, Henry, Ann and Ellin their children.
1745	William	Bradshaw	Clitheroe	Anne his wife, Alice, Susanna, Mary, James and Thomas their children.
1747	William	Bradshaw	Clayton le Moors	Elizabeth his wife.
1741	John	Briggs	Clitheroe	John Briggs the younger, Ellen his wife, Elizabeth their daughter.
1699	James	Brown	Blackburn	and family
1705	Andrew	Brown	Holme, Westmorland	Agnas his wife and Edward their son.
1748	James	Burton	Rishton	Susannah his wife. Note added in 1759 that Susannah now living with her father in the Forrest of Pendle.
1734	Thomas	Chatburn	Rishton	Catharine his wife
1757	George	Chatburn	Burnley	Elizabeth his wife and Thomas, George and Betty their children.
1746	James	Critchley	Altham	Sarah his wife.
1747	Joseph	Dean	Billington	Ann his wife and Mary their child.
1746	Thomas	Duxberry	Rishton	Jane his wife, John, Ann, Thomas, James and Mary their children.
1743	John	Duxbury	Rishton	Dorothy his wife.
1745	John	Duxbury	Rishton	Elizabeth his wife, Ann, Elizabeth and Catherine their children.
1748	James	Duxbury	Rishton	Sarah his wife and Roger and Easther their children.
	Peter	Edmondson	Samsbury	Agnes his wife and Margret their daughter.
1759	Richard	Etough	Hapton	Mary his wife, Thomas and Isabel their children.
1758	Henry	Forrest	Little Mitton, Coldcoats	Margret his wife.
1718	Robert	Giles	Almondbury	Spelt Giels. His wife and children.
1723	John	Greenwood	Heptonstall, County of York.	Margret his wife.
1739	George	Hanson	New Accrington	Mary his wife and Lawrence and Elizabeth his children poor persons.
1744	Henry	Haworth	Clayton	Husbandman and Ann his wife, James, John, Alice and George their children.
1732	John	Heap	Little Marsden	Johanna his wife and William his son.
1733	James	Hindle	Halifax	Elis his wife
1742	Robert	Hindle	Billington	Grace his wife, John his child.
1744	Thomas	Holgate	Clayton le Dale	Weaver. Ellen his wife and their children.
1757	John	Howarth	Philly Close, Reedley Hollows.	Mary his wife and Mary, Alice, John, James and George their children.
1748	William	Kellett	Clayton le Dale	Margret his wife and Robert, William and Jennet their sons and daughter.
1747	Rachel	Kenyon	Billington	John, Ann, Alice and Joseph her children.
1711	John	Marcer	Sowerby, West Riding	Mary his wife, and children ‘if they happen to have any’.
1708	Richard	Mercer	Soyland, West Riding	Son of Robert Mercer of Great Harwood. Carpenter. His wife and children.
1712	Edward	Mercer	Midgeley, Ebor.	Elizabeth his wife.
1732	Ann	Mercer	Walton le Dale	And sons John, Edward and Thomas – father dead John Mercer
1736	Robert	Mercer	Midgeley	Elizabeth his wife.
1749	William	Morris	Rishton	Ellen his wife, Roger and William Morris his sons and Aoles Morris his daughter.
1739	John	Ormerod	Dinckley	Alice his wife, Lawrance his sons, Alice and Mary his daughters.
1745	Peter	Piccop	Wiswell	Jennet his wife and Peter their son
1733	William	Rig alias Sawrey	Undermillbeck Westmorland	A bastard child. A letter to any town accepting responsibility.
1750	Thomas	Roberts	Altham	Alice his wife, Mary, Christopher, George and Alice.
1727	Thomas	Shaw	Billington	Ailes his wife, Joannah, Ailes, Jane and John their children.
1741	John	Smith	Clayton le Moors	Jennet his wife, poor persons.
1744	William	Smith	Clayton	Alice his wife, James and Mary their children poor persons.
1731	Richard	Standen	Altham	Martha his wife, John, Richard, William, Mary and Thomas their children being poor persons legally settled in Altham.
1749	James	Tattersall	Haslingden	Ellin his wife and family of children.
1746	Henry	Taylor	Oswaldtwistle	Mary his wife.
1747	John	Tompson	Billington	Elizabeth his wife, Anne, Michael and John their children.
1741	John	Walmsley	Oswaldtwistle	Ellen his wife, John, Robert, Jane, Hannah, Elizabeth their children poor persons.
1742	Edward	Walmsley	Mellor	Alice his wife and Anne his daughter.
1747	Edward	Walmsley	Mellor	Alice his wife and Anne his daughter.
1714	John	Warren	Clayton le Dale	His wife and his issue.
1752	John	Warren	Rishton	Alice his wife and Elizabeth their child
1704	Giles	Whitehead	Altham	Margaret his wife
1729	James	Whitehead	Billington	Grace his sister.
1729	John	Wilkinson	Hapton	Elizabeth his wife and John and Henry their sons.
1737	Samuel	Wilson	Colne	Jane his wife, and his family.
1705	Thomas	Wolsendale	Billington	Martha his wife and Martha and  Alice their daughter
1756	John	Wolstenholme	Clayton le Moors	Mary his wife, James, John and Benjamin their children.
1753	John	Wright	Crumpsall	Sarah his wife, Richard, William and Alice their children.