Vol 3 - Lackham Countryside Centre

The Manor of Lackham Vol 3 : The Montagu family
the Lord's amendments to the bill for enlarging the time for
taking the Oath of Adjuration 13/2/1703 258
This was an oath which, by the act made of 1701, had to be taken by all
holders of public offices, clergymen, teachers, members of the
universities, and lawyers, adjuring and renouncing the exiled Stuarts
In 1692 the “Settlement” Act was amended to provide that if a
person served an apprenticeship in a parish such
apprenticeship should be adjudged good settlement. This
meant that the Parish where the apprenticeship was served
became liable to support the person if they became destitute,
rather than their birth parish; they were deemed to have
settled officially in the new parish”. 259
As a result many Lacock children of the poor were apprenticed to other
parishes, presumably with a view to reducing the number of poor for
whom the Lacock Overseers might subsequently become responsible. It
is noteworthy that in Lacock, between 1700 and 1750, only 7 boys were
apprenticed to farm work and one girl to house work. Her
apprenticeship terms were illegal however, for she was bound to the age
of 24 not 21 “and that in the household of the owner of Lackham, himself
a Justice of the Peace” 260 .
James III and Elizabeth had four sons and (possibly) 5 daughters.
Their first son was another James, James IV, of whom more below.
258 Cruickshank, E, Handley, S and Hayton, DE [eds] [2002] History of Parliament :
the House of Commons 1690-1715 CUP Vol iv p896
James of Lackham 1673-1747 MP Chippenham 1702-1705
259 Hinton FH (>1927) Parochial history of Lacock in the Eighteenth century in
Wiltshire Gazette preserved in Cunnington Cuttings 7 38 WANHS Library, Devizes
260 Hinton FH (>1927) ibid
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