South Yorkshire Times and Express, November 3rd, 1951
Records Nearly 200 Years Old
A Peep at Bolton-With-Goldthorpe Parish Council
Accounts and minutes of “Bolton-with-Goldthorpe Parish Council,” nearly 200 years old, have been presented to Goldthorpe Public Library in the form of about a dozen books, and will probably be put on display shortly. Most of them are in excellent state of preservation.
The books were given by Mr. Fred Hawksworth, recently retired Clerk of Dearne Urban Council, and came into his possession from his uncle, Mr. J. Ledger Hawksworth, who was Clerk before him.
Dearne Council have suggested that the books be opened at particular pages and displayed under glass cases, but the Librarian, Mr. Arthur Owen, is waiting to see whether any new resolution or suggestion is made by the new Council when it is formed.
Back to 1762
The books do not appear to take in Thurnscoe, but one or two references are made to Hooton Pagnell. The oldest dates back to 1762, and is more legible than one or two of the later ones, though beautiful copperplate writing is a feature of them all. Mostly they are account books and some of the money paid out was for curious things. Frequent payments for sparrowheads were made, for instance, and the general rate seemed to be one half penny a head.
Roundabout that time – the middle of the nineteenth century – there was another source of income from the sparrows. This came from Mr. Bingley, who at certain times of the year wanted sparrow pies. His “fee” was a penny a sparrow and his name was perpetuated in another way – every child who was christened Bing after him was given a ten shillings christening present.
No “Outside” Labour
One of the most interesting minutes is one in which a local employer had to pay ten pounds to release him from employing a certain apprentice. At that time no-one in the parish was allowed to take on outside labour unless there were no possible employees in the parish. The Parish Council and Constables appointed apprentices to employers and fines had to be paid if those apprentices were not taken on.
Odd Accounts
Odd accounts picked out among the books are: 1s for horse and cart to take old woman to the workhouse; to the rat catcher, three guineas; expenses to go into Mexborough, five shillings; provision of clothes for a Peter Stenton – hat 2s., shoes 5s., coat 7s., breeches 11s., and waistcoat 5s 6d.: Wolsey petticoat for a Ruth Elliot, 4s., shift 1s., three yards of cotton for a shirt and cost of making, 3s 6d. (These are extracts from the poor accounts). Wine for sacrament and fetching (this was in February, 1813, and the sum was repeated in June). Sums were paid for the teaching of “five poor children” the 3R’s. Five pence was put on the rates for the Overseer of the Poor of the Parish – a man called George Pigott – and a corner near Bolton Council Offices is still called Pigott’s corner.
In 1779 a Constable of the Parish, Edward Swallow, was paid two shillings a trip for going to Doncaster to swear in “militia men”. Mention is made in 1775 of a Peter Ellison. There is still a Peter Ellison in Bolton living in High Street. He is 74. Record is made of children being “put out” to masters “for meat and clothing” until they were 18 and the pay then (1800) was five shillings a week for a youth and half-a-crown for a girl under 16.