Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other MatterWalter, J. Conway (James Conway)
History
Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other Matter
Walter, J. Conway (James Conway)
Woodhall Spa (England)
An entry on “Aprill the 15 1707” gives “The Church More lying in Well
sick cloase was leten for 4 & 6.” This is moorland near Well Syke wood
belonging to the church, from which peat was cut for church fuel; and two
other entries refer to this practice: “Simon Grant of Dalderby for 1 days
work of bages (i.e., sods) . . . 2 ,, 6.” “Simon flinte for 1 days works
of bages . . . 2 „ 6.” This was good pay according to the rate of wages
in the early part of the 18th century, to which these entries refer. But
it was “skilled” labour, and, moreover, hard work, as anyone will
understand who remembers the instrument used on the moor forty years ago.
It was a large, flat, and broad kind of shovel at the end of a long pole
with transverse handle a foot long, which was placed against the
workman’s waist or pit of his stomach, and he thus thrust the tool
forward through the turf with the whole weight and force of his body.
Those who were much engaged in this kind of work usually suffered from
rupture of the lower muscles of the body.
For some years before 1657 none but civil marriages were valid in law,
and Justice Filkin is mentioned in the Register as marrying the Rector of
Roughton, John Bancroft, to Ann Coulen. Persons were often married in
the church, as well as before the Justice; the civil marriage was also
often neglected, and the feeling was generally so strong that marriage
should be a religious rite, that in the year 1657 marriage by the
minister was allowed by Act of Parliament.
A peculiar entry in the parish account book is “Mary Would overseer of ye
poore gave up hir accountes” (1707 Ap. 15). We are now, at the beginning
of the 20th century, admitting women to a limited number of public
offices, yet the people of Roughton were evidently in advance of the
times, and forestalled us 180 yeans ago. One or two curious instances of
spelling may here be given, showing that the schoolmaster was not then
much in evidence:—“1703 Beuerils, &c.”; “1705 Bearths, Robert ye son of
bniamen hehuhinson (Benjamin Hewinson) and jane his wife was borne ye 15
day of january.” “Burial. John Snow, Inn-holder, July 3d., 1765”; “1707
Rebekah Leach was beureid July the 10”; “1708 John Bouth and Doryty his
wife”; “Rebekah Langcaster 1725, the douter of Joseph Langcaster.” “John
Swingo the sun of John Swingo and Ann his wife howous (was) Baptized the
17 of Aprill 1709.” This name, in another entry, 1733, is given as
Swinsgo; the modern spelling is Swinscoe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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