Amanuensis Monday: Apprehension of Richard Read re Bastard child & his brother John paying the Bastardy Bond for him!!

Amanuensis Monday is a blog theme started by John Newmark on his blog Transylvanian Dutch, in which he is transcribing letters, newspaper articles, audio tapes, and a war diary etc., concerning his family.

John explains Amanuensis as “a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another”.

This week as a change from the Wills I have been showing, there are two items I am adding for Amanuensis Monday.

One is for the Apprehension of Richard Read of Quainton in 1773 who is the said father of a soon to be born illegitimate child!  The other is for 1777 in which Richard’s brother John agrees to pay a set amount every week until Richard’s illegitimate child reaches the age of fourteen years!

Warrant for Apprehension of Richard Read

Document (copy obtained from Bucks Record Office) in my private collection - copyright 2010

 Transcript for Richard Read’s Apprehension!

(before Birth)

 Bucks)   To the Constable of Quainton in the said County

 Whereas Ann Burgess of Quainton in the said County single Woman, hath by her voluntary Examination, taken in Writing upon Oath, before me  E  Millward  Clerk one of his Majesty’s Justices of the Peace in and for the said County this present Day declared herself to be with Child, and that the said Child is likely to be born a Bastard, and to be chargeable to the Parish of Quainton in the said County and that Richard Read of Quainton in the said County did beget the said Child on the Body of her the said Ann Burgess  And whereas  Wm. Eeles(?) one of the Overseers of the Poor of the Parish of Quainton aforesaid, in order to indemnify the said Parish in the Premises, hath applied to me to issue my Warrant for the apprehending the said Richard Read   I therefore hereby command you immediately to apprehend the said Richard Read and to bring him before me, or some other of his said Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the said County to find Security to indemnify the said Parish of Quainton or else to find sufficient Surety for his Appearance at the next General Qtr. Sessions of the Peace to be holden for the said County then and there to abide and perform such Order or Orders as shall be made, in pursuance of an Act passed in the Eighteenth Year of the Reign of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, concerning Bastards begotten and born out of lawful Matrimony.  Given under my Hand and Seal the 20th Day of August in the Year of his said Majesty’s Reign and in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and 73

 

                                                        E. Millward

 

 

In 1777 it seems that for some reason Richard Read’s brother John Read signs a statement agreeing to pay the parish a fixed sum every week instead of Richard paying this.

Document (copy obtained from Bucks Record Office) in my private collection - copyright 2010

Transcript of John Read’s Statement

I John Read of Quainton in the County of Bucks, Blacksmith do hereby promise to pay unto Peter Hughes, John Frank..n, Charles King and William Twynam, Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the parish of Quainton aforesaid Or to any or either of them Or to their, any, or either of their successors for the Use of the parish of Quainton aforesaid, the Sum of one Shilling and Sixpence, Weekly, and every Week untill Richard the Base born Child of my Brother Richard Read shall attain his Age of fourteen Years providing he shall so long live.  In Witness whereof I have set my Hand the third day of May 1777

 

                                                                 John Read

 

Witness hereto

George Simms

Jno. Wheeler

 

I am wondering why John Read would agree to pay the parish for the illegitimate child of his brother rather than Richard Read paying it.  If the child was born 1773/1774 then he would be about four years old at this time, meaning that John Read was going to have to pay for him for another ten years.

I am still researching this family, so when I discover why Richard Read does not pay for his child and if I can discover also what become of the illegitimate child I will add an update on this blog!