Libraries and leisure

Removals 1688–1882

An index to removal orders dating from 1688–1882. The majority of the entries fall within 1770 and 1834. The index provides details of your ancestor, the place they were removed from and their legal place of settlement. The actual order may provide further information such as the person’s occupation, spouses name and names of children.

The restrictions on the poor by the Settlement Act (See Settlement Index for further information on the Act) made it very difficult for the poor to move around in search of work. Invariably people did migrate from place to place to seek work but, if they did not carry a settlement certificate with them, this could lead to a complaint by a churchwarden to a Magistrate that a person had intruded into a parish in which he did not have a legal right to settle. The Magistrate could then issue an order for the person to be removed back to their last legal place of settlement. After 1775 a person had to be legally chargeable (ie, needing money from the parish) before being removed. Before that time, a suspicion that the person would likely be chargeable was sufficient to issue a removal order.

This index has been compiled by members of the Hertfordshire Family History Society from original documents held at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies. The index, containing further details, has been published and is available for sale through the Society or Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies. You can also contact Hertfordshire Family History Society to request a search, a link to their website can be found on the right hand side of the page. Copyright of the index is retained by Hertfordshire Family History Society. We would also like to thank Mr Brian Gravestock for his help.

To search the index please click the link to Hertfordshire Names Online on the right hand side.