PA-OLD-CHESTER-L Archives

From: "Sandra Ferguson" <>
Subject: warning-out
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 16:30:58 -0500

I got curious about the question concerning "warning-out", which I had never heard before, so I did a google and came up with the following.....really interesting, and I've never heard of anything like this going on in Chester...has anyone else?
S.



A "warning out" was a legal formality, sort of like "irreconcilable differences" in a current day's divorce court. The theory was that someone had lately come into town and might become a burden on the town's resources from poverty. They were therefore immediately run out of town. Well, that was the theory. In practice, one of the town's constables showed up at the person's or family's location (often a residence) and issued the formal charge to be gone. The warning itself, regardless of whether the person or family departed, served to absolve the town of any future responsibility,
and so whether the person warned out actually left made no difference. On many occasions, perhaps even in the majority of cases, the person warned out settled in town, bought property, and in all respects became a
productive member of the community. It had nothing to do with the warned person's former activities or
financial standing. I know of at least one case where a person was warned out even though the reason he had come to town was to take possession of the prosperous farm he had just paid cash for! That town was perhaps being a bit too legalistic, but it wasn't alone. There are examples, on the other hand, of people who were not aware of the practice, and thought that they had fallen among the least hospitable people on the face of the earth!

This thread:

• warning-out by "Sandra Ferguson" <>