Genealogy Chat

I only have a few settlement orders for my family but I have hundreds of removal orders! I was interested in three removal orders which I thought might have concerned my ancestor. In the end, I phoned Lancs Record Office (who were the holders of the documents, according to the info on A2A) and the very helpful lady there was able to tell me that all three orders appeared to concern the same woman and that she had in fact been three times removed FROM the workhouse in another area back to where she was born. The nice lady also said that there was very little other info on the orders, not worth paying for in her opinion, so I didn't! (Incidentally, I also found three bastardy orders for this woman which helpfully gave me the names of the children and of their father, it seemed that the father kept the children and she kept going to the area where they lived, presumably in order to see her children)

Access to archives: http://www.a2a.org.uk/ There are also links from the National Archives website. Enjoy B

What survives varies hugely from parish to parish. It is completely a matter of luck. Really early stuff tends to be thrown out, but I have a beautiful one for a Norfolk ancestor in the 1740s and not only does it list all his employers but it also informs me that his linen was washed by his employers during harvest time! B

Lots of different archives have contributed parts of their catalogues to A2A. If you click on the number of hits link, this will take you to the screen with more details. At the top there is a link to contact the relevant archive. B

Thanks for that Brenda. Now does that mean I send to the Record Office in the area and not to some government Archive Dept. in London.? I`ve just realised that of all the records I trawled through, I never saw a Settlement Order. Does that mean they`re like hens` teeth ? Jay.

As far as obtaining copies is concerned, the record offices are manned by real people who ought to be able to give you a quote for photocopying. In some places, they suggest a cheque written out for not more than £x. This will indicate to both parties how much you are prepared to pay. I have to say that costs can vary wildly from record office to record office. Some may charge 20p a copy, others well in excess of £1. B

You are not likely to get very much more on a removal order than is shown in an index. What is beyond rubies is a settlement examination. This might give wife, ages of children, personal circumstances etc etc etc. B

Hi, I`ve just been on the A2A site as someone was singing its praises on the message board. But..... can anyone tell me if it is worth sending for a copy of a Removal Order which I think may refer to relatives of mine. Would there be just what you see online, or would there be more info? And how on earth do you sort out how much it`s likely to cost? The whole process looks so daunting that it`s putting me off going any further, but I`m so curious now. Jay.