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HIGHWAYS.
The Records give many Indictments against the inhabitants of parishes and places for not repairing the common way, highway, or King's way; or for "non repair" of a "layne" or "venelle" etc. These records of Indictments are interesting at the present day, as they show to some extent the courses of the old highways, and where there was most traffic. It may be assumed that the parishes and places indicted were the more populous and important. Among the roads named is the "road from Ragnall Milne to Dunham Mooregate" (1694); the road between "Dunham and West Drayton"; "Darlton Layne"; "Helding-shipp Lane" (Raggenhill). Every parish was liable at Common Law for the repair of the highways within it, and for this purpose Surveyors of Highways were annually appointed, whose duty it was to keep the highways in repair by compulsory labour. If a parish failed to appoint a Surveyor of highways, the inhabitants were presented at the Quarter Sessions. All the inhabitants of a parish were liable to the compulsory labour, and had either to work themselves or supply substitutes. The Surveyor appointed the days when people were to come to work on the roads. If he failed to do this he was indicted for neglect of duty.
PLAGUE.
The plague appears to have pressed somewhat heavily upon parts of the County in the early portion of the 17th century. There are no references to the subject after 1637. Infected persons were confined to their houses, and as such were not able to get work, relief to them was necessary, and the statute 1 of James I. c 31 gave power to the Justices to assess any parish within 5 miles of a town or place in which there was an outbreak, at so much a week.
On the 19th of July, 1605, an order of the Court was made for the relief of men infected with the plague in Worksop, and a levy was made on several parishes, as follows:—
Dunham and Ragnall 10/-: Darlton 6/8.
RECUSANTS.
By the statute 35 Elizabeth c 2 sec 4 it was enacted that all 'Popish Recusants" should deliver their true names in writing to the minister of the Parish and to the Constable or Tything man of the towne and the minister shall enter the same in a booke to be kept in everie Parishe for that Purpose and afterwards the Minister and the Constable shall certifie the same in writing to the Justices of the Peace of the Countie at the next General or Quarter Sessions and the Justices shall cause the same to be entered by the Clarke of the Peace in the Rolls of the same Sessions.
In consequence of the Gunpowder Plot a further statute was passed in 1605 (3 James I. c 4) which enacted that the Church-wardens and the Constable of every Parish were once in every year to present the monthly absence from Church of all Popish Recusants and the names of each of their children being of the age of 9 years and upwards and the names of the servants of such Recusants. Those who would not take the oath of allegiance were committed to goal.
The following were presented as Popish Recusants in the reign of Charles I.:
Dunham—Elizabeth Nix, spinster, 1633. Isabell Smith, spinster, 1633.
| Ragnall | —Wife of Leonard Nix, gentleman, 1634-35. | ||
| Isabella Metcalf, spinster, 1634. | |||
| Darlton | —Francis Mullinsay | { | Absence from Church for one |
| Thomas Cayley | { | month — during reigns of | |
| { | Charles II & James II. | ||
VAGRANTS.
The Parish Constables had statutory, powers and duties to place in the stocks and to whip any vagrants they may find, and pass them on from Constable to Constable till they reach the parish in which they were legally settled—usually the parish of their birth.
On April 16th, 1613, the Records contain a copy of a passport or "letter of testimonial" as it was called, which a female vagrant carried with her to the place to which she was sent. It was issued at that session, and is as follows:—
"Whereas Eliz Hawkins late of Blythefield in the County of Stafford widow hath repaired to Dunham on Trent in the County of Nottingham with a certificate signifying that she lately dwelt in ye town of Blythefield and there behaved herself well as by the certificate under the hands of the Minister and Churchwarden appeareth. We therefore his Majest's Justices whose names are subscribed assembled in the open Sessions held at East Retford the 16th day of April in the yeare etc finding upon consideration of the said certificate that by law no poore can be put out of their towns where they are settled and so be made vagrants have therefore thought good hereby to return her unto ye said town of Blythefield there to be provided for according to law Given under our hands etc".
List of Vicars.
| Name | Date of Institution | Patron | Vacated |
| Duns William | before 1283 | Prebend of Dunhan | |
| Kichard de Haloughton 1298 | " " " | ||
| John Marescall | before 1346 | " " " | |
| Will de Feriby, Junr. | 7 July 1349 | " | by death |
| Ric de Lanum | " " " | by resignation for Church of Kelham | |
| Adam Kneaall | 16 Apr 1377 | " " " | |
| John York | " " " | by resignation for Vicarage of Nafferton | |
| Will Morpeth | 4 July 1401 | " " " | |
| Robert de Allerton | before 1414 | " " " | exchanged livings with |
| Richard de Water | 11 Apr 1414 | " " " | |
| William Wartyr | before 1499 | " " " | |
| Richard Blake | before 1535 | " " " | |
| John Wilson | before 1543 | " " " | |
| John Collier | 4 Oct 1554 | Philip & Mary | by death |
| William Williamson | Sept 1558 | Prebend of Dunham | by death |
| James Harrison | 30 May 1567 | " " " | by death |
| Leonard Gawthrop | Jany 1588 | " " " | by death |
| Thomas Greenwood | 1599 | " " " | |
| John Hammond | May 1601 | " " " | by death |
| Anthony Southouse | 23 Nov 1607 | " " " | by death |
| William Christmore | April 1614 | " " " | by death |
| Walter Cary | 1618 | " " " | by death |
| William Brompton | 1657 Commonwealth | by death | |
| (Minister) Appointed Vicar | |||
| ditto | 1660 | ||
| John White | 3 June 16763 | Prebend of Dunham | by death |
| Joseph Etherington | 1 Dec 1688 | " " " | by death |
| Andrew Cave | 1723 | " " " | by death |
| William Law | 1754 | " " " | by death |
| Brook Boothby | 17 Oct 1826 | Both were Prebends | by death |
| John Sedley Venables | 23 Apr 1829 | and Vicars | |
| Vernon | |||
| Frederick Norris | 18 Jan 1838 | Prebend of Dunham | by death |
| Henry Jubb | 1856 | " " " | by resignation for Rectory of Clayworth |
| James Francis | 1884 | Bishop of Manchester | by resignation for |
| Rectory of Hawerby | |||
| Howard Chadwick | 13 Sept 1906 | " " " | by resignation for Vicarage of Rampton |
| Samuel Bennett Bleau | 10 Mar 1913 | " " " | by resignation for Vicarage of Laxton |
| H. H. E. Dangerfleld | 1921 | Bishop of Southwell | (by lapse) |
List of Chaplains and Curates.
| Name | Church | Date | Vicars |
| Dom (Dominus) Robert | Ragnall | 1328 | |
| Richard de la Moore | Darlton | 1331 | |
| Robert---------------- | " | 1357 | |
| Richard Seman | Ragnall | 1377 | Adam Knesall |
| John de Glentham | Dunham | 1377 | " |
| Reginald de Haynton | " | 1392 | John York |
| Richard Martyn | Ragnall | 1422 | Richard de Water |
| Norman Power | " | 1461 - 1472 | |
| John Elton | " | 1484 - 1506 | William Wartyr |
| John Unwyn | " | 1527 | Richard Blake. |
| Robert Wilbertosse | Darlton | 1570 - 1582 | James Harrison |
| John Hammond | " | 1594 Apptd Vicar 1601 | Leonard Gawthrop and Jas. Greenwood |
| John Hebblethwaite | " | 1754 - 1760 | William Law |
| Thomas Newbound | Dunham | 1755 - 1769 | |
| Joseph Simpson | " | 1769 | |
| John Richardson | " | 1760 - 1777 | |
| George Holt | Darlton | 1771 | |
| John Wootten | Dunham | 1779 - 1805 | |
| R. Procter | " | 1806 - 1813 | |
| John Sedney | " | 1813 - 1816 | |
| John Drake Cooper | " | 1816 | " |
| Edward Younghusband | " | 1824 - 1841 | William Law & B. Boothby, J. S. V. Vernon, F. Norris |
| C. Rowlatt | " | 1842 - 1843 | Fredk. Norris |
| Thomas Cheadle | " | 1843 - 1856 | " |
| J. Morris | " | 1856 - 1858 | Henry Jubb |
| " | 1860 - 1861 | ||
| J. R. Lambe | " | 1858 - 1860 | |
| C. J. Wilkins | " | 1861 - 1869 | |
| C. N. Oliver | " | 1870 - 1874 | |
| ------------- Hawkins | " | 1874 - 1875 | |
| Thos. Holland Chadwick | " | 1875 - 1877 | |
| J. Hammond | " | 1878 - 1879 | |
| C. W. Pearson | " | 1880 - 1884 | |
| George Place | " | 1885 - 1887 | James Francis |
| Octavius Claydon | " | 1888 - 1893 | " " |
| H. B. Ferry | " | 1894 - 1896 | " " |
| Arnold Pawson | " | 1896 | " " |
| J. W. Scott | " | 1897 - 1904 | " " |
| Arthur Eddowes | " | 1905 - 1906 | " " |
| Thomas E. S. Ferris | " | 1907 - 1920 | Howard Chadwick and S. B. Bleau |
| C. F. Norgate | " |