This is a little bit long, but not too much so. Journeyman- A day labourer who had completed his apprenticeship. His hours were actually spelled out. In the summer, 5A- 7 or 8P with not more than 2 hrs a day allowed for mealtimes, and in the winter, form dawn to dusk. Most journeyman lived away from their work, but the term has no relationship to travelling Knobstick wedding- the equivalent of a modern "shotgun" wedding. A pregnant single woman was married to the alleged father under pressure form the church . The church wardens attended the ceremony and the name is derived from their knobbed staves of office. Knocknobbler- a member of the church responsible for driving dogs out of the church if they were a nuisance. also called a Dog-whipper. Marriage License Records- to avoid crying the banns, a couple could purchase a license outright, usually done to avoid publicity. [ if anyone wants a more detailed definiton, please e-mail me privately. The whole definition took up 2 columns] Mechanic- a journeyman involved in one of the lower trades Mr.- An abbreviation for Master, and was formerly pronounced that way. In the 17th century, any man of repectable status was so titled. Mrs.- the equivalent of Mr, except that it applied to married or single women during the 17th century, as it stood for Mistress, (not a sex partner, in this instance) and in the 18th century was accorded to mature single women as a sign of respect. Naked- A note made in the death register for an unshrouded body in an unlined coffin.Usually occurred when a family was too poor to afford a woolen shroud or pay the fine for using another kind. Related to this is The Act for Burying in Woollen, passed in 1678 to support the woolen trade. It was illegal to wrap corpses or line coffins in any other material than wool, the only exception being those who had died from the Plague. Nephew- Until the end of the 17th century, it meant a grandson, descendant or kinsman. Niece- Again, until the end of the 17th century, this word meant a descendant, *male* or female. Palatine Counties- The original counties were those along the Scottish and Welsh borders, ruled by the Earls of Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford, The Duke of Lancaster and the Prince Bishop of Durham. Marriage Register--I'm only going to put in a note here--If the couple can't be found in either of their home parishes, Mr FITZHUGH says to look in the parish of the nearest market town. [He devotes 6 pages to that which may be found in Parish Registers] Pinder-The person whose job it was to round up stray animals and confine them to the pinfold of the manor or parish. Putrid fever- a group of diseases that included small pox and typhus. Ragged Schools- Schools that were set up to educate the poor for free. The first one was established in 1818. [This may have been strictly English. Mr Fitzhugh doesn't say] Settlement- A legal right to poor relief, based on a settled place of abode. A person was considered a resident after living in a place for one month. A child took on his father's settlement until he was apprenticed out. At that time, his place of employment became his settlement. A woman took her husband's place of settlement. Illegitimate children received their settlement where they were born, which led the officials to drive out unmarried pregnant women. The act was repealed in 1834. [There is much more on this topic in the book] Sweating sickness- Once a common epidemic disease, rapidly fatal. Some died within 3 hrs after onset. It encompassed cold shivers, dizziness, headache and pains in the neck and shoulders, with the shivers quickly turning to heat and sweating, followed by intense thirst, palpitations and delirium, but if any survived it for 24 hrs, they were safe. Also known as the English disease. [Mr FITZHUGH does not give a modern equivalent.] Tertian Ague- malaria Time Immemorial- A legal term meaning all time prior to King Richard coming to the throne in 1139. Uterine- A brother and sister born of the same mother, but different father. Wife Selling- Until the end of the 19th century, people still thought a wife could be sold because she was her husband's property. The usual method was to take her to the market-place, hang a halter around her neck and put her up for auction. Recorded cases occur from the late 17th century. In 1823, the going price was 23 shillings. In 1891, it was ruled that no law gave a husband complete dominion over his wife, but cases were still recorded into the late 1890's. I hope you all enjoyed these definitions. I have paraphrased as many as I could without taking away the definition. I found the entire book fascinating and learned much from it. If anyone wants me to send them a longer definition of something which I've indicated took several columns, please feel free to ask, but do it off list, please. Lynn in Baltimore, USA [email protected]