| |
Constables' accounts
From medieval times until the mid 19th century
the appointment of local constables was technically a manorial
responsibility, though constables were sometimes chosen by the
parish and sworn in by the county justices of the peace. An act
of 1603 authorised constables to levy a rate of their own and,
as a result of this legislation, in the years leading up to the
Civil War, some parish constables began to keep accounts of their
expenditure for the annual scrutiny of the manor court or county
justices.
Availability
Many of the early account books have not survived,
and so Halifax is fortunate in that one of its out-townships,
Sowerby, has a continuous run of constables' accounts from 1629
down to 1867, which must be amongst the most complete in the
whole region of West Yorkshire. selected extracts from the original
documents are available in print for the whole of this period.
Value
The primary duty of the constable was to keep
watch and ward in the township. He also had to provide and maintain
the parish butts (for archery), and take charge of the parish
armour. The parish stocks, whipping post and pillory were also
under his supervision, and he also had to arrest vagrants, pursue
criminals and raise the militia. His accounts present an incredibly
detailed picture of township affairs in the Halifax area for
a significant period of time, and the entries reveal the diverse
and onerous responsibilities of one of the community's more lowly
officials.
|
