Scope and Content
Routine business:
removals & acceptance of certs.;
birth & burial notes
sufferings
"brought in"; members' lists checked;
times of elders' & overseers meetings noted;
advices read.
Organisational matters:
YM
minutes received as well as epistle (no more long reports) e.g. p.138; report of cttee to examine YM rules of 1832 (p.91)
QM
regular formal notifications, including finance;
p.22 appoints cttee. to visit MMs 1830
99 reminds of new advices & queries 1834
157 "acceptable company of Sam. May, Jn. Whiting, Ben. Tatham, QM cttee. 1836
160 as above: Wm. & Eliz. Lucas, Priscilla (?) Manser, Ann May 1836
228 another visiting cttee of 11 appointed 1838
MM
clerk:
79,80,83 difficulty in finding nominee 1838
87,285-6,359 Jos. Cranstone; he resigns 1841 1833-44 but successor cannot be found & he continues
Membership:
139 Eliz. Pryor; report on; continue care 1835
268,271 Kentish family of 3 children (Wm.Emma,Ann) 1840 322,328,333 Alfred Bennett Cranstone 1843
340,342,344 Alice Tibbetts 1843
Finance:
usual contrib. to nat.stock,qtrly coll.,
Ackworth & Croydon schools (e.g. p.94)
Times of meeting:
occasionally changed (e.g.p.231: Fourth Day aft. 2nd First Day, 11 a.m.; ministers & elders 6 p.m. previously) 1838
Elders
occasional names brought in (p.2 Lydia Brown, p.322 Wm.Brown), but difficulty in keeping up; (p.160) reduced state; (p.169) no way open; (p.418) no way open; (p.309) QM says try.
Overseers:
(resp. for members' lists, e.g. p.98)
(p.29) addition reqd. because Dan.Brown ill; 1831
(p.37) Sar.Cranstone sr., Eliz.Pearman
(p.135) Dan. Brown released; Wm. & Hen. Brown 1835
Meeting of ministers & elders:
(p.31) it does not appear the time has yet arrived 1831
(p.41) later in the year;
(p.43) 6 p.m. before MM
Meetings & meetinghouses:
Luton: (p.4) trust renewed; (p.89) time of mtg. altered: summer 10 & 65 winter 10 & 3 (1833)
Dunstable: (pp.159,159A) building some years since used as mtgho. is out of repair; to be sold; 1835
Sewell: (p.141) dispose of ground? 1835
Albans: property sold to Ric.Kentish for £250, but right of way to burial ground retained, so new deed for this; meetinghouse: sold for £70; residue £51 divided betw. Luton & Hemel PMs. (pp.127,133) Garden (trust for MM poor): sold for £180; residue £157 invested in public funds (p.127)
(for use of property in the interim, see pp.13,15,59,71,82,89,97) the meetinghouse was used as a schoolroom "on the British system", rent first suggested 10s.p.a., then £2 p.a., doing repairs;
it appears that a meeting for worship was occasionally held (p.15,71) 11 a.m.; (p.82) some have tried to go, but v. reduced state; so discontinuance proposed to QM & disposal of property; purchaser to erect brick wall & gate.
Discipline:
p.24,28,31,44,60: Jas. Pryor marries out; disowned; refused readmission 1831-2
p.30,44: Tho.Belch jr. absent 1831
p.63,65,72,128,131: Joshua Knight: intercourse with female servt.; v. sorry; insolvent - no proper accounts, culpable negligence; disowned. 1832-5
p.138,143: Margt. Huntley, High Wycombe, marries out; resigns after mature deliberations (please, no visits); painful; great esteem for Society 1835
p.172,178,185: Ann Jackson, Aylesbury, marries out; forbearance because of youth; resigns. 1836-7
p.219,227,233: Alfred Watson marries out; 1838
p.409,411,416: Jos.Jn.Tylor, now at Manchester, has enlisted; served 3 mths.; expects to be bought out; Hardshaw East MM writes that he is not sensible of impropriety; disowned 1846
p.412,417,420: Jas.W.Coles marries out
(note weekday meeting deficiencies, e.g. p.300: 1841)
Poor:
in general few: difficulty in disposing of charity income; (p.283) "we have no poor" 1841; but from time to time lump sums from £2 to £10 are given to individual Friends; e.g.
p.253,297,367,448; Alice Coles of Rickmansworth: this case is disputed with Leighton MM; her husband is out of work or else gets a minimal wage, & son unable; ultimately Leighton MM accepts responsibility; pp.304,310,323,324,328,330,337,343; 1842-3
Slavery:
p.135: Mtg. for Sufferings: fund to help N.Carolina YM to remove coloured population into free states of N.America; 1835
p.150,153; have not succeeded;
p.235: Hemel £1.15.0, Luton £2.2.0 for the African race 1839 Travelling Friends: in-coming:
p.251 Sar. Squire 1839
p.277 Grover Kemp, Lewes & Chichester 1840
439 Joshua Frefry, Devon 1847 (see also QM visiting cttee.)
travelling Friends: outgoing:-
Jn Foster almost annually:
p. 1 Hertford & Hitchin, Bucks., Oxon 1830
53 Lincoln, Leics., Derby, Notts., Cambs., Hunts. 1832
100-7 Glos. & Wilts., Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants. 1834
132 Hertford MM 1835
157 Norfolk & Suffolk 1836
184 London & Middx. 1837
218 Westmorland & Cumb'ld 1838
235 Bucks. 1839
258 Warwicks. 1840
264 Scotland 1840
273 Yorks., Derby, Notts. 1840
305 Bucks 1842
309 Cheshire, Staffs., Warwicks. 1842
334 Devon, Cornwall 1843
380 Leics., Rutland, Derby, Notts. 1844
404 Cambs., Hunts., Lincs. 1846
422 Bristol & Som. 1846 Amelia Brown likewise:
56 Bristol & Som. 1832
95 ("a minister in esteem amongst us") Hitchin & Bucks. 1833
154 villages round Luton 1835
169 Cornwall 1836
183 Hertford MM 1837
186 Bucks. QM 1837
205 Warwicks., Leics., Rut. 1837
228 Berks., Oxon. 1838
315 Birmingham, Worcester etc. 1842
357 Hereford & Radnor 1844
392 Hertford & Hitchin 1846
409 Devon & Cornwall 1846
439 Glos. & Som. 1847
Women:
41 inexpedient at present that at Hemel men & women Friends should meet together in PM 1831
Miscellaneous:
271 surrender of registers 1840
293 tithe commutation 1841
436 difference between Friends; one refuses arbitration; 3 Friends to care for this 1847