Scope and Content
Cover: minute of 2/9/1716 debarring any not in unity from being present
p.1 list of meetings: Flaunden & Watford Chorleywood & Rickmansworth Hempstead & Wood End Albans
pp. 1, 8 YM queries, 1-9; 1-13 (1759 & 1762)
p. 2 QM queries:
1. are any not in unity admitted to business meetings?
2. wills
3. attendance at weekday meetings
4. poor & children
5. tithes
6. ending differences
7. how are Friends preserved from giving way to a sleepy drowsy disposition?
8. QM queries: in due time
p. 7 QM queries: version of 1755
p. 9 QM queries to ministers & elders, 1759
pp.3-6 YM: epistle, 1706
Minutes of 1698, 1699, 1720 (travelling Friends)
Letter to QMs. about poor, removal, servants, 1724.
General: very well kept, but somewhat less so latterly;
names of those attending given (varies 4 (p.177, 1744) to 13
sufferings in detail; (p. 70, 1731); or 9 (p.355 1767)
Answers to queries in full: E.g. p.15, 38 weekday meetings poorly attended; p. 66 not so well with respect to unity as we could wish; p.74 wish could be better
Removals given
Marriages - full particulars
Collections
Representatives to QM & reports from
YM epistle
Indications as to organisation:
YM
p. 34 book to be bought for YM epistles, 1727
p. 93 (& elsewhere) reference to YM week "when divers Friends are like to be absent", 1734
QM
p. 30 Baldock MM received into unity, 1727
p. 87 QM to be at 10th hour (except midsummer)
p. 183 QM reps. visit: Jn. Pryor, Hertford; will be at Chorleywood; visit v. acceptable, 1746
p. 257 QM meeting of ministers & elders, 5th hr., 1st day before QM, 1758
p. 268 QM: only 1 representative, 1759
MM
p. 28 new treasurer Tho. Reading (Zach. Wallis d.)
p. 44 Albans alters weekday meeting from 1st to 10th hr., 4th day
pp. 51-2 QM reps. bring a minute from YM & QM to each MM to make choice of some faithful elders to watch over such as are young in ministry, 1729 (Sol. Weedon, Jn. Owen)
p. 97 Albans wants MM once in 3 months at Albans, 1734/5
p. 98 agreed: Watford, Hempstead, Albans in rotation
p. 103 Tho. Beech, treasurer, d.: Tho. Dearmer; stock now 7d.
p. 118 Jn. Owen clerk for over 30 yrs.; succeeded by son-in-law, Tho. Squire, 1737
p. 163 meeting declining - death & removal, 1743
p. 182 meeting declining, 1746
p. 198 too great deficiency at weekday meetings, 1749
p. 239 things low amongst us, 1755
p. 217 visiting of Friends: "as this meeting is now circumstanced" not practicable, 1751
p.244 YM recommends it
p. 246 "as things are now circumstanced, we cannot make such an appointment" - small numbers & dispersed, 1756
p. 265 meetings v. small - not practicable to hold meetings of ministers & elders, 1758
pp. 273, 305 for some time past no overseers, 1759, 1762
pp. 285-6 no weekday meeting at Watford (sorrow); proposed 11th hr., 6th day (apparently Chorleywood), 1761
PM
reestablishment of Preparative Meetings a continuing minute (e.g. p. 321, 1764)
pp. 331, 334-5 Albans will do this, 1765 (others recommended to)
meeting houses & meetings:
pp. 78-9 Wood End conveyed 1704/5; trust renewed 1732 Hempstead, 1718; Albans, 1711; new bur. gd., 1721; (all deeds with Wm. Tomson)
p. 103 Chorleywood to have £4 out of stock, 1735
pp. 102-3, 105, 113 Rickmansworth slack & negligent in attendance, 1735
p. 103 Albans & Hempstead have been at v. gt. expenses for charges of this meeting: to have £6 & £5, 1735
pp. 107, 113 Chorleywood own their neglect - much illness, 1736
p. 152 Watford & Albans both think necessitous Jn. Packer belongs to the other, 1741
p. 153 Watford remiss in attending MM, 1742
pp. 192, 195 Albans deeds found, 1747
p. 194 book to be found to register deeds
p. 290 draft of account of deeds brought in: 1761 Trust deeds: Albans, 1742; Wood End, 1755; Watford, 1739 (this last is copy of ct. roll, Watford manor: Sam. Weeden sr. names of trustees are given
p. 324 Watford: usually once a month, but Chorleywood Friends propose dropping; referred to next meeting, 1764 Next meeting - majority for discontinuance; where is MM to be held?
pp. 326-7 Chorleywood to have MM 3, 6, 9 month (Hempstead & Albans alternate as formerly)
Discipline
pp. 56, 58-9 Ben. Mitchell of Albans has (after too gt. familiarity) married his servant maid by the priest, 1730; disowned
pp. 62-4 Wm. Harrison of Albans married servant maid by priest, 1730/1; on being visited he "ran into reflections against Friends" pp. 77-9 Rachel Weedon of Rickmansworth complains of husband Sol.: ill treatment & hard usage, 1732; she should have gone first to her PM; two Friends to go & conciliate; both promise amendment (long report - she accuses him of adultery); both are given advice, & Rachel is not to be allowed at business meetings;
pp. 177-9 Ben. Baldwin & w. acknowledge their fault (disorderly practices) 1744
pp. 179-82 Ste. Scotten & Priscilla Warner married by priest, 1745
pp.216, 221 Jas. Prior: suspected marriage by priest, 1751; not disposed to give satisfaction; disown, 1752
pp. 227-8 Eliz. Neale mar. by priest, 1753
pp. 235, 248-9, 253, 262 the Hill sisters:- (marr. by priest) Rosamond & Rachel (Rachel repents), 1754 Sar. seems likely to, seems resolute, does, & won't repent, 1756-7; (see also Ann below)
p. 255 Ann Gee (nee Wallis) repents of marrying out, 1757
pp. 262, 264 Sar. Wingfield's disorderly conduct, mar. out of Soc., 1758 but repents
p. 267 Jn. Belch marries by priest, 1758
p. 271 Ann Hill married by priest, 1759
Visiting of families
pp. 87-8 1733
p. 288 enquiries into those who pay tithe & don't bring up children plainly to be made by each PM (apparently from YM) all to be watchful against spirit of liberty creeping in; if any Friend feels drawn to visit another in love, do so; 176]
p. 289 Albans in favour of visitation; no reply from others;
p. 290 appointment made "in a spirit of love & tenderness"
p. 291 report on a visit: not so much success as could wish;
p. 294 nothing further done
p. 306 "some progress" (Drags on for some further pp.)
pp. 315-6 enquiry into case of Jn. Child's "crime" - disowned, 1763
Queries
pp. 117, 133 no increase, but "there seems a desire in divers neighbours to hear the testimony of truth declared, esp. when we happen to have any strangers who are ministering Fds.", 1735
p. 204 agree there should be added a query as to drowsiness, 1749
pp. 211, 225 send same replies as before, 1751, 1753
p. 292 numbers small, thinly attended, 1761 Some faithful against tithe, others comply
Poor
p. 16. legacy from Geo. Bowles
p. 25 Albans not able to continue collection for Wid. Packer's 3 chn., 1726
p. 28 2 Packer children put out & sum reduced, 1726
p. 30 Albans refuses to pay at all - Hempstead & Watford make up;
p. 66 Hannah Wallis reduced in the world, 1731
p. 103 son of Wm. Greenhill, 1734
p. 123 Robt. Crouch, Fen Stanton, Hunts., 1737/8
p. 152 Packer again
pp. 158, 160-1, 164, 167, 170-1 Sar. Wells 183-6,
pp. 296, 302-3, 311-4, 317 et seq. Wid. Butterfield of Watford likely to be destitute, 1746 Devonshire Ho. mtg. has spent £40 on Ann Butterfield, & asks for repayment, 1762 Charge has been growing for 17 yrs.; judgement of QM; "The case of this poor Friend does not belong to us"; Appeals Cttee arbitrates; "Small & scattered meeting don't like to contend with large & powerful QM of London" pp. 307-9 Jn. West, Horslydown (Albans): he was at Albans two yrs. ago as apprentice but did not answer, 1763
Books
p. 70 Anth. Pearson: Gt. case of tithes
pp. 80-1, 96, 102, 174, 196 printing vol. on Sufferings: subs. are taken; Hempstead 3, Watford 1, Albans 2, MM lib. 1 (later increased) p. 94 Barclay's Apology to be reprinted
p. 95 enquiry to be made whether "the bookseller of Albans" will
p. 96 sell & expose to sale Friends' books, 1734; Jn. Owen submits list
p. 104 He (Wm. Hunt) is v. willing, on sale or return
p. 275 check on books, 1759
p. 278 catalogue of, 1760 328 books for poor Friends, 1764
p. 330 Fox's journal, 1765
School
p. 90 Hempstead schoolmaster's dau. (Sar., dau. of Jn. Owen) to m. Tho. Squire, late Hempstead, now Witney, 1733; Wedding decently solemnised at Hempstead, 5/1/1734-5
Travelling Friends
pp. 17, 20 Joan Turpin, Albans - north, 1725; "well approved as minister"
p. 35 Hertford MM informs that Hen. Taylor travelled as public Friend without cert., 1727
Finance
p. 68 MM stock lends £5 to member of Albans meeting, 1731
p. 73 collection in this county deficient, 1732
p. 103 grants to Albans & Hempstead, 1735
p. 159 division of stock: Hempstead £7.10.0; Watford £7.10.0; Albans £5
p. 165 similar 187 ext. expenses - no probability of accomplishing collection, 1746
p. 269 collection for Soc.: Albans £1.11.6 ; Hempstead £2.12.6 ; Watford £ 3.5.6 1759
Women
p. 33 considered whether men & women should meet together
pp. 35-6 awhile before business entered on; but rejected, 1727
pp. 85-6 women have £20 in all - to be handed to men who
p. 101 will lend to Jn. Belch @ 5%, 1733
Miscellaneous
p. 186 speedy & liberal collection for Friends who
p. 187 suffered in rebellion (but see ante), 1746 - not acted on
p. 218 alteration of calendar, 1752
pp. 338-9 enclosure, 1766
Occupations (not all noted) Baker, servant, Cabinet-maker, shoemaker, Carpenter, tailor, Corn chandler, tinplate worker, Flour man or mealman, wheelwright, Husbandman, writing master, Grocer, yeoman