Selected quad for the lemma: child_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A25231
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An Account of the general nursery, or colledg of infants, set up by the justices of peace for the county of Middlesex with the constitutions and ends thereof.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing A294; ESTC R13483
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10,978
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28
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that few or none came to good did appropriate some part of their Corporation Work-house for their Reception that an Experiment might be made of a more regular method and better way for the breeding up and disposing of these poor Infants And according as they found it good in Effect and Practice either to dissolve it or carry on the same To that purpose by their Order at their General Quarter Sessions they appointed a small proportion out of every Parish to be sent thither that they might see whether the Proposals when put into practice were in themselves good and advantageous for the publick and Westminster Sessions made the like Order upon proposidg of it there Now all the Parishes did comply with the said Order and do very much approve the same but St. Clement Danes whose proportion being but 5 Children which charge would have amounted but to 2 s 6 d. per week more than now they pay for that reason only did absolutely refuse to obey the Order of the Quarter Sessions and would send none thither tho they at discretion gave away 2708 l. 16 s. 05 d. in the 7 years Upon which this Order was made Middl. ss Ad Generalem Sessionem Pacis Dom. Regis tent pro Com. Middl. apud Hicks-hall in St. John-street in Com. praed ’ die Lunae scil Sexto die Decembris Anno Regni Regis Jacobi Secundi nunc Angliae c. secundo WHereas the Church-Wardens and Overseers of the poor of the Parish of St. Clement Danes in this County have been summoned to attend his Court this present Sessions to shew how many poor Children of the said Parish they have put out to be Apprentices at the charge of the said Parish for the space of seven years last past and their names as also the names of the persons to whom they put them Apprentices and the places of their abode and what money they gave with them and what is now become of the said Apprentices And the said Officers have attended this Court but have not given any satisfactory Account to this Court in the Premises but desired time It is therefore thought fit and Ordered by this Court That it be and it is hereby recommended to Sir Thomas Rowe Kt. John Phelips Esq Tho. Done Esq Simon Parry Esq Richard Price Esq and Peter Lugg Esq his Majesties Justices of Peace of this County or to any two or three of them to cause the said Church-Wardens and Overseers of the poor of the said Parish and such other persons as they think convenient to come before them and examine the said Officers and Persons concerning the disposal of the said Parish Children for Seven years last past and what is now become of them And the said Justices are hereby further desired to make a Report to this Court in Writing under their hands how they shall find the true state of the Premises and how they shall find the Muster-Roll of the Parish Children in the said Parish at the General Sessions of the Peace to be held for this County next after Hillary Term now next ensuing The Report Whereas by an Order made at last Christmas Quarter Sessions it was desired and referred to Sir Thomas Rowe Knight John Phelips Esq and several other his Majesties Justices for the said County to Examine what Children the Parish of St. Clements Danes have had under their care for Seven years past and how many of them have been put forth Apprentices and what charge the Parish hath been at with the said Children and how many of them now are in being We the said Justices do Report as followeth That we inspected the said Books and do find that in the year 1679. there were then at the charge of the Parish 89 Children of which 16 were Foundlings all Clements And we find there hath been added to the charge of the Parish 110 in the following Six years in all 199. of which 51. are Clements Children laid in the streets We find that of these 55. hath been put forth to Apprentice and that there are now in being 32 of the said 55. only And we find that there now remains of Children at the charge of the Parish 58. of which 13. are Clements And of the Apprentices living 32 of which 3 are Clements In all 90. We find that the Officers have expended for Nursing these Children in the Seven years last past 1943.l 09 s 0.d And for Binding forth the Apprentices 0109.l 08 s 0.d In all 2052.l 17 s 0.d And we further find that they have given away on Extraordinary Charges at their pleasure some of which are for the Children 2708.l 16 s 05.d All which we submit to this honourable Court Tho. Rowe Jo. Phelips Peter Lucy Sim. Parry 1. Note that Seven years ago the Parish had 89. Children and that 110. have been since added in all 199. of these Apprentices accounted in there is but 90. left So that 109 are lost and dead in the said Seven years or never were Though payed for in their Books 2. Note that of 55. bound out Apprentices in these Seven years last past which cost the Parish 109. l. 8. s. there is only left 32. And how many of the 32. will stay to serve out their Time is to be enquired further off 3. Note that 51. of the 110. were Foundlings all Clements laid in the Parish in Six years last and so take the name of Clement from the Parish and 16. were then there in all 79. the first year of the Inspection in all 97. now only 3. are bound out Apprencies and 13. are left the first number 16. and 51. all Clements addded are all lost and dead now the Parish-Books have been searched how many were Christned of these Foundlings or Clements or buried and very few appear upon the Register It is questionable if they ever were all there though payed for It is much that 51 should die out of 67. in Seven year The particuler Money payed for Nursing of these Children is 1943. l. 9. s. 0. d. in Seven year Now judg if well disposed October the 15. Anno. 30. Jacobi Regis Midd ss WE the Grand Jury sworn for the Body of the County of Middlesex this present Michaelmas Sessions having been to view and inspect the College of Infants set up by the Justices of the Peace for this County do present That it is a very advantageous and an exceeding Good work useful to the Publick and a thing that will give much ease to the several Parishes of this County if they send their Children thither and prevent many evils which daily increase by the Ways and Methods as the Officers now use and it will prevent many Cheats put upon the several Parishes by paying for Children which have been a long time dead and for many which never were and give a great satisfaction to all persons in passing the Officers Accounts of the several Parishes and it will be a great ease to the Officers for there they
may at any time see them together which when placed at a distance and in several places it will take much time and expence to perform it will be a great ease in the Charge for these Children placed in the General Nursery will be taken from the Parishes without charge for their Education sake and the Parishes will save 3.4 or 5 l. a piece by giving Money to Bind them Apprentices and providing Cloathes for them and by giving an Addition of Money when any are sick all which is by this Provision saved to the several Parishes and we do for our selves and the whole County whom we represent give our humble thanks to the Justices of Peace of this County for their setting a foot so good a work And we give our hearty thanks to Sir Thomas Rowe for his great care in the prudent management thereof and desire that they will encourage the same by sending thither so many of the Parish Children as the House can receive for we conceive the Officers of the several Parishes cannot better provide for their poor Infant Children nor can the Publick Money raised for that purpose be better imployed than by paying for their Infant-Children in that place Francis Brown Foreman John Smith Henry Anger John Sharp William Watkins Thomas Merriot Thomas Harding Amor Oxley Thomas Woodward Thomas Knight Thomas Fryer John Jordan Christopher Ingleton John Houshaw Thomas White John Bowden Richard Piggat The advantages that all persons will receive by this College of Infants 1. By breeding the Parish Children in this way they will be taken for Apprentices to very good Trades or Servants for their Education sake and the Parishes save the Money they now give with them and the Cloathes they provided 2. There is no accidental Charge can be charged upon them by the Officers of the Parishes either for Sickness Cloathes or any other accident the 3. s. per Week being the whole charge in the College and thereby the accidental Book of the Parish will be much lessened 3. No Child can be payed for that is not nor any longer than they are alive and the Officers of the Parishes will with much more ease and satifaction adjust their Accounts when they produce an Acquittance from the House for a Voucher 4. There will not be so many Children exposed to the Parish as now are for it is believed that one half of the Children left to the Parish in the Streets are more to save credit and trouble given by Parish Officers about security than for want of 3 s. per Week to pay for them had they a conveniency as in the College Here the Widower may settle his Children and go to the Indies for a Soldier or any place where he pleaseth The Widow may do the like The young man who by Folly is extravagant may having placed it here be free from the opportunity of further Folly by the Womans coming after him for Maintenance which many times is the occasion of getting more and greater evils The Tradesman may leave off House-keeping having here provided for his Child and may see it every Day without trouble or more charge The dying man may be sure of a Provision for his Child for leaving 50 l. to the House his Child is taken care of put forth Apprentice and shall have 10 l. out of the 50 l. to set up withal what more he leaves is to be accounted for every year to the Justices at every Christmas Sessions if he by Will leaves no body else and the Interest made Principal and a good Fund in Land is now setled for the performance hereof and at the house they may be satisfied therein and a man may find many persons who will see this done to whose care if the Money and Child were left the Money might be lost and spent and the child come to the Parish And for such as are not willing to engage any person for Security they may leave a caution of Money in the House and have the Fund setled for Security the Surplusage returned when they take away the child the usual Rate of the House being first paid and no Questions asked whose the child is or whence it came FINIS