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Archiver > BRITISH-JEWRY > 2007-10 > 1191681605


From: Carolyn Hahn <>
Subject: Re: [BRITISH-JEWRY] London Settlement Examinations
Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:40:38 -0400
References: <8C9D5F835E03854-244-7763@webmail-md08.sysops.aol.com><004801c8080a$6468bce0$0201a8c0@bergville><8C9D629F3C5E721-CC8-7C95@webmail-mf01.sysops.aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <8C9D629F3C5E721-CC8-7C95@webmail-mf01.sysops.aol.com>


Interesting--I googled "city of london settlement examination" and found
many chances to see what people had transcribed for areas they were
interested in (eg, depending on the area, some family history group may
have it on the internet after all). Comment: settlement examinations
were the city's way of seeing which church parish someone "belonged" to
so they could assign that person to it for financial assistance.
Parishes played all kinds of games not to have to take responsbility for
the poor--assigning people back to the (non-London) parish of their
birth, etc.. So the lists I looked at in detail are a sad compendium of
abandoned wives, widows, broken men unable to work, etc.. And then we
get back to Jews..I did a search in one East London settlement area and
came up with two LEVYs but no SOLOMON (no surprise, but I thought I'd
try) .Under what circumstances--not counting conversion-- would a
Christian parish take responsibility for Jewish paupers? I thought it
was the Jewish community's responsibility.. Did parish literally mean
"surrounding area"?

Carolyn Hahn, NYC
Researching SOLOMON/S in Tower Hamlets, London & Kent

wrote:

>Dear Beverly,
>
>It is on CD. You can find the following reference on the internet -
>type in "City of London Settlement Examinations."
>
>
>
>CD 14 CITY OF LONDON SETTLEMENT EXAMINATIONS.
>Volume I - St Botolph Aldgate 1742-1868 – abstracted and indexed by
>Cliff Webb, who writes in the introduction: “St Botolph Aldgate is a
>large but poor parish with a highly transient population. There are
>only a few Huguenots in the records but quite a few Jewish people,
>Irish, Scots and other early immigrants. (snip)
>
>


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