Sometime further back than our normal list discussions about Occupations, I have come across an Elizabethan ancestor who was noted for being a Parish Clerk and Yeoman. Now Parish Clerk is almost certain to have been ecclesiastical and administrative but what was its true status in Elizabethan , pre Cromwell times? Was a Yeoman a minor official or did it then have military connotations? Any opinions would be most welcome Thanks Graham

Hello Graham Have several Parish Clerks in my tree too and a summing up of their duties was given to me by Stan Mapstone on the Sunderland List PARISH CLERK (CLERICUS PAROCHIALIS) was a layman who assisted the parish priest in the administration of the church and in the performance of minor duties during services such as leading the singing, reading the Gospel or Epistle, announcing the metrical psalm and making the congregational responses. Clerks were often entrusted with making up the parish Registers though, in fact, delegation of this responsibility was unlawful. The London Guild of Parish Clerks was incorporated by Henry III in 1232, and became a Livery Company of the City of London. When their charter was renewed by James I, and later by Charles II it was stipulated that 'Every person that is chosen Clerk of a Parish shall first give sufficient proof of his abilities to sing at least the tunes which are used in parish churches'. In 1844 an act of parliament deprived the parish clerks of nearly all their duties, which were transferred to curates. Another act of 1894 left them with few responsibilities other than the care of certain documents and maps, which are now handled by the purely secular clerk of the parish council. An historical definition of a Yeoman is "One of a class of lesser freeholders, below the gentry, who cultivated their own land, early admitted in England to political rights." Have a look at this link for a fuller description of the term (Yeoman) through the ages http://www.reference.com/browse/yeoman Best regards Heather Visit my Family Tree's at GOODWIN and GORDON http://heatherac.tribalpages.com CARBIS SPARROW ATTWOOLL http://carbissparrow.tribalpages.com JOLLIFFE MOULAND http://jolliffemouland.tribalpages.com/ --- On Tue, 30/9/08, The Taylors <gemat@83bramcote.freeserve.co.uk> wrote: Subject: [Ess] Elizabethan Occupations To: essex-uk@rootsweb.com Sometime further back than our normal list discussions about Occupations, I have come across an Elizabethan ancestor who was noted for being a Parish Clerk and Yeoman. Now Parish Clerk is almost certain to have been ecclesiastical and administrative but what was its true status in Elizabethan , pre Cromwell times? Was a Yeoman a minor official or did it then have military connotations?

There's a summary of the status of an Elizabethan yeoman here ( it was more a class than a military designation) http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2001-04/0987834094 The parish clerk was a responsible position. here is an abstract from a summary of a book about Parish Clerks > The parish clerk's changing role following the Reformation is > examined within the prevailing continuities and discontinuities. New > duties in relation to Registration and Bills of Mortality are marked > in addition to the parish clerk's increasing social involvement in > the civil affairs of the parish. There's also a Project Gutenberg ebook about them http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13363 HTH Anne On 30 Sep 2008, at 18:49, The Taylors wrote: > Sometime further back than our normal list discussions about > Occupations, I > have come across an Elizabethan ancestor who was noted for being a > Parish > Clerk and Yeoman. > > > > Now Parish Clerk is almost certain to have been ecclesiastical and > administrative but what was its true status in Elizabethan , pre > Cromwell > times? Was a Yeoman a minor official or did it then have military > connotations? > > > > Any opinions would be most welcome > > > > Thanks > > > > Graham > > ~