Albans MM minutes

FR2/1/1/6

Albans MM minutes

1830-1847

Fo. vol., bound calf, 460 pp.

Routine business: removals & acceptance of certs.; birth & burial notes sufferings "brought in"; members' lists checked; times of elders' & overseers meetings noted; advices read.

Organisational matters:

YM minutes received as well as epistle (no more long reports) e.g. p.138;

report of cttee to examine YM rules of 1832 (p.91)

QM regular formal notifications, including finance;

p.22 appoints cttee. to visit MMs 1830

99 reminds of new advices & queries 1834

157 "acceptable company of Sam. May, Jn. Whiting, Ben. Tatham, QM cttee. 1836

160 as above: Wm. & Eliz. Lucas, Priscilla (?) Manser, Ann May 1836

228 another visiting cttee of 11 appointed 1838

MM clerk:

79,80,83 difficulty in finding nominee 1838

87,285-6,359 Jos. Cranstone; he resigns 1841 1833-44

but successor cannot be found & he continues

Membership:

139 Eliz. Pryor; report on; continue care 1835

268,271 Kentish family of 3 children (Wm.Emma,Ann) 1840

322,328,333 Alfred Bennett Cranstone 1843

340,342,344 Alice Tibbetts 1843

Finance: usual contrib. to nat.stock,qtrly coll.,

Ackworth & Croydon schools (e.g. p.94)

Times of meeting: occasionally changed (e.g.p.231:

Fourth Day aft. 2nd First Day, 11 a.m.;

ministers & elders 6 p.m. previously) 1838

Elders

occasional names brought in (p.2 Lydia Brown, p.322 Wm.Brown), but difficulty in keeping up; (p.160) reduced state; (p.169) no way open; (p.418) no way open; (p.309) QM says try.

Overseers: (resp. for members' lists, e.g. p.98)

(p.29) addition reqd. because Dan.Brown ill; 1831

(p.37) Sar.Cranstone sr., Eliz.Pearman

(p.135) Dan. Brown released; Wm. & Hen. Brown 1835

Meeting of ministers & elders:

(p.31) it does not appear the time has yet arrived 1831

(p.41) later in the year;

(p.43) 6 p.m. before MM

Meetings & meetinghouses:

Luton: (p.4) trust renewed; (p.89) time of mtg.

altered: summer 10 & 65 winter 10 & 3 1833

Dunstable: (pp.159,159A) building some years since used as mtgho. is out of repair; to be sold; 1835

Sewell: (p.141) dispose of ground? 1835

Albans: property sold to Ric.Kentish for £250, but right 1835

of way to burial ground retained, so new deed for this;

meetinghouse: sold for £70; residue £51 divided betw.

Luton & Hemel PMs. (pp.127,133)

garden (trust for MM poor): sold for £180; residue £157

invested in public funds (p.127)

(for use of property in the interim, see pp.13,15,59,71,82,89,97) the meetinghouse was used as a schoolroom "on the British system", rent first suggested 10s.p.a., then £2 p.a., doing repairs;

it appears that a meeting for worship was occasionally held (p.15,71) 11 a.m.; (p.82) some have tried to go, but v. reduced state; so discontinuance proposed to QM & disposal of property; purchaser to erect brick wall & gate.

Discipline:

p.24,28,31,44,60: Jas. Pryor marries out; disowned;

refused readmission 1831-2

p.30,44: Tho.Belch jr. absent 1831

p.63,65,72,128,131: Joshua Knight: intercourse with female servt.; v. sorry; insolvent - no proper accounts, culpable negligence; disowned. 1832-5

p.138,143: Margt. Huntley, High Wycombe, marries out;

resigns after mature deliberations (please, no visits); painful; great esteem for Society 1835

p.172,178,185: Ann Jackson, Aylesbury, marries out;

forbearance because of youth; resigns. 1836-7

p.219,227,233: Alfred Watson marries out; 1838

p.409,411,416: Jos.Jn.Tylor, now at Manchester, has enlisted; served 3 mths.; expects to be bought out; Hardshaw East MM writes that he is not sensible of impropriety; disowned 1846

p.412,417,420: Jas.W.Coles marries out

(note weekday meeting deficiencies, e.g. p.300: 1841)

Poor: in general few: difficulty in disposing of charity income;

(p.283) "we have no poor" 1841; but from time to time

lump sums from £2 to £10 are given to individual Friends;

e.g. p.253,297,367,448;

Alice Coles of Rickmansworth: this case is disputed with Leighton MM; her husband is out of work or else gets a minimal wage, & son unable; ultimately Leighton MM accepts responsibility; pp.304,310,323,324,328,330,337,343; 1842-3

Slavery: p.135: Mtg. for Sufferings: fund to help N.Carolina YM to remove coloured population into free states of N.America; 1835

p.150,153; have not succeeded;

p.235: Hemel £1.15.0, Luton £2.2.0 for the African race 1839

Travelling Friends: in-coming:

p.251 Sar. Squire 1839

p.277 Grover Kemp, Lewes & Chichester 1840

439 Joshua Frefry, Devon 1847

(see also QM visiting cttee.)

MM travelling Friends: outgoing:-

Jn Foster almost annually:

p. 1 Hertford & Hitchin, Bucks., Oxon 1830

53 Lincoln, Leics., Derby, Notts., Cambs., Hunts. 1832

100-7 Glos. & Wilts., Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants. 1834

132 Hertford MM 1835

157 Norfolk & Suffolk 1836

184 London & Middx. 1837

218 Westmorland & Cumb'ld 1838

235 Bucks. 1839

258 Warwicks. 1840

264 Scotland 1840

273 Yorks., Derby, Notts. 1840

305 Bucks 1842

309 Cheshire, Staffs., Warwicks. 1842

334 Devon, Cornwall 1843

380 Leics., Rutland, Derby, Notts. 1844

404 Cambs., Hunts., Lincs. 1846

422 Bristol & Som. 1846

Amelia Brown likewise:

56 Bristol & Som. 1832

95 ("a minister in esteem amongst us") Hitchin & Bucks. 1833

154 villages round Luton 1835

169 Cornwall 1836

183 Hertford MM 1837

186 Bucks. QM 1837

205 Warwicks., Leics., Rut. 1837

228 Berks., Oxon. 1838

315 Birmingham, Worcester etc. 1842

357 Hereford & Radnor 1844

392 Hertford & Hitchin 1846

409 Devon & Cornwall 1846

439 Glos. & Som. 1847

Women:

41 inexpedient at present that at Hemel men & women Friends should meet together in PM 1831

Miscellaneous:

271 surrender of registers 1840

293 tithe commutation 1841

436 difference between Friends; one refuses arbitration; 3 Friends to care for this 1847

English