At last in Oxfordshire enjoying the beauty of the villages and countryside When I visited Shorthampton Church where our Bartletts were baptised and married I was surprised to see gates on the pews. There were 3 higher pews that you could not easily look into and on the other side a number of lower pews. What was the purpose of the gates? regards Chris Bartlett

When I visited Shorthampton Church where our Bartletts were baptised and married I was surprised to see gates on the pews. There were 3 higher pews that you could not easily look into and on the other side a number of lower pews. What was the purpose of the gates? To keep out the common people who might otherwise have decided seats were for sitting on. Most pews were paid for by renting and this ensured that no casual invaded. Older pews might be allocated to the current inhabitants of Xfarm or Y house. there were generally a few common pews at the back - or people just stood around. EVE author of The McLaughlin Guides for Family Historians Secretary, Bucks Genealogical Society