Thanks John , that sounds very reasonable . I have doubts however - was it legally possible to tie the apprenticeship obligations to a property in such a way that they then transferred to a new tenant ? Wasn't an apprenticeship a contract between individuals ? In law , could an apprenticeship indenture be agreed with an estate ? A legal expert would be helpful here :>) Best wishes, Robert >>>>>>>>>>At a guess, if they where apprenticed to a tenant farmer and the farmer lost the tenancy, both the apprentice and tenant would still be tied to each other and thus both potential charges on the parish. If the apprentice was tied to the farm and the tenancy was lost, the apprentice would just carry on as before but with a new master. John<<<<<<<<<<<<<