An analysis of various periods - from study of the original manuscript book held by the CRO
1741 - 1770
1771 - 1799
The family names Brittain (John); Ithell (John); Heskett (Robert); Thomason (Thos);
are featured in meeting records - names that still occure in the mid-1800s.
Other names Dunbabin (Peter) and Padlebury? (James) do not accure later on in the mid-1800s.
1800 - 1838 (covers the period when the population grew from c170 to c270 plus the
building of the asylum in 1929 to hold c150 patients by 1838
1839 - 1859 (covers the twenty years from the time of the Tithe Map/Apportionments - aperiod
when the population grew from approx 270 to 370 (excluding the growing asylum numbers)
The pages mainly record the quarterly accounts along with any meetings - all relating
to setting a rate (local tax) and administering local public costs - the key cost seemingly
being 'for the poor of the township'.
Meeting are typically of 6 'Overseers of the Poor' - all local males of some 'local standing'
- either farmers or significant property/land holders. It appears that occasionally new members
join and after a while are elected as 'Overseers of the poor'.
Chairing the meetings and preparing the accounts seemed to circulate around the membership -
each 'doing their bit' for a year or so.
The names in 1839 were -
- Sam Thomason (farmer at the moated Grange Farm)
- Francis Dickson (Nurseryman)
- Thomas Ithell (farming over 25% of the township)
- George Denson (village centre farmer)
- George Rolison(of Egerton Arms & farmer)
- Thomas Seacombe (farmer at Upton Hall)
- Charles Potts (Chester gentleman of Upper Upton Hall estate)
By the 1850s Ithell - now at Upton Hall - but may have been Thomas's son Thomas;
Thomason & Rolison were still Overseers but new names had appeared
- William Beecroft (farmer at...)
- William Evans (now farming from the village centre)
- William Carter (of Upton Mill)
- William Hughes
- John Edward Norton? (could this be farmer John Evans of the 1851 census?)
- Thomas Wikoxon? (could this be farmer Thomas Worrall of the 1851 census?)
- John Axe (property owner)
Meetings set the rate eg '6p in the £' based on the rateable value of land/property and occasionally
discussed the need to reset certain rateable values. As well as electing in new 'Overseers of the Poor'
they elected other roles within their number such as ' Surveyor of Highways' and 'Guardian of
the Township' - the duties of the latter not yet identified. Meetings sometimes discussed
the state of certain roads (on one occasion Charles Potts even offering to pay £5 if used
on the road used to access his estate.
Typical quarterly accounts based on an income of typically £60
- typical outgoings
- 13/9d - constable R Turpin (25% salary - he served other townships)
- £7/0/d - County rate
- 10/0d - magistrates fees
- £40 - to the 'Union' - presumably for allocation to the poor
- other costs - highways; general expenses; auditors fees etc (one case noted of paying a surgeon - Mr.Harrison)
1860 - 1879 (covers the thirty years of growth in housing (e.g. Upton Park)
when the population tripled from approx 370 to 110 (excluding the growing asylum numbers)
1880 - 1894 (covers the fifteen years of further housing
when the population grew from approx 1100 to 1500 (excluding the growing asylum numbers)
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