My ancestors and Hathersage

My ancestor Sarah's father Thomas, who was a collier residing in Prescot, died in 1793 and was buried on 13 February. Her mother Elizabeth died in 1794 or 1795 and was buried at St Mary the Virgin, Prescot on 3 January aged (probably) 46. Three days later, on 6 January, the surviving children, Mary Waine of the age of 22 years or thereabouts Sarah Waine of the age of 19 Years or thereabouts Martha Waine of the Age of 12 years or thereabouts and John Waine aged 6 Years or thereabouts had their settlement examination. Their siblings John, Catherine and Catherine had died in infancy before this date. A brother Thomas, the eldest, appears to have married and got a job before this date. Before poor law reform, parish relief was the concern of your parish of settlement. It was not easy to change your parish if you moved away. Settlement passed down the paternal line. On marriage a woman took the parish of her husband. 

 Why is the settlement examination so close to the mother's funeral? And why are the children poor persons? Three of them are old enough to work. Perhaps the mother was the tenant of the family home and they faced eviction. Perhaps there was a recession at the time. The outcome was initially that they were found to be poor persons settled in Hathersage not Prescot and were ordered to be sent there. Why Hathersage? They must have inherited this from Thomas. To date I have found nothing to link Thomas with Hathersage. I think the children had never been to Hathersage and knew nobody there. The nearest likely link was a marriage of Thomas and Elizabeth in Kniveton, Derbyshire. The only answer to why they were settled at Hathersage was that the father (or grandfather) of Thomas was settled in Hathersage. How many generations back were the authorities prepared to go to establish settlement? The order to move was quickly set aside. Perhaps it was considered impractical in view of the distance and the tenuous link between the children and Hathersage. This was not the end of their dealings with the authorities.

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