Settlement / Removal Orders

From 1662, every person "belonged" to a particular parish which would be responsible for poor relief payments to the person if it should become necessary.

The parish responsible was normally the parish of birth or where property was owned, but from 1691, legal settlement in a parish could also be obtained through apprenticeship, being in service for a year, or paying rates in the new parish.  Also a parish of settlement might pay another parish to keep its people there rather than have them back - payments to paupers were ultimately financed by the ratepayers.

When someone left "their" parish they would be given a settlement certificate which would then be given to the new parish and sometimes copied into the parish records. If then the person needed poor relief, the new parish might not be willing to give it, but the person might not want to return to their own parish, and then there would be formal proceedings held by a magistrate possibly resulting in a removal order - back to the "parish of settlement" which would then be responsible for the person.