Filiation Order: Robert Norris

ORDER OF FILIATION:

Lancashire, to wit.

WHEREAS complaint hath been made unto us, two of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace
and Quorum in and for the said County of Lancaster, residing next unto the limits of the
Parish Church of Eccleston within the Parish of Eccleston in the said County, by the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the Township of Parbold in the Parish and County aforesaid, that Ann Norris single-woman hath lately been delivered of a male bastard child, in the Township of Croston in the said County under a certificate from the Churchwardens and Overseers of Parbold aforesaid which is yet living and chargeable to the said Township of Parbold

AND, WHEREAS, the said Ann Norris this day came voluntarily and of her own free will and accord before us and then and there upon her Examination upon Oath, did declare that she the said Ann Norris was upon the sixth day of July last delivered of a male bastard Child in the Township of Croston in the Parish under such certificate as aforesaid; which said child is now living in and heretofore hath been and still is chargeable to the said Township of Parbold and likely so to continue: And that John Cottom of Croston in the said County, labourer, did beget the said Bastard on her body, and is the father of the same. And WHEREAS the said John Cottom hath been duly summoned to appear before us the said Justices to the end that upon the examination of the cause and circumstances of the premises we might take such order as to right doth appertain; and hath not appeared before us nor shewed any sufficient cause why he should not be adjudged the reputed father of the said bastard Child.

WE therefore, the said Justices, upon due examination and consideration of the premises, as well upon the Oath of the said Ann Norris as otherwise, do hereby declare and adjudge that the said Child was born a Bastard upon the body of the said Ann Norris in the said Township of Croston in the Parish and County aforesaid under such certificate as aforesaid, and is now living and heretofore hath been and still is chargeable to the said Township of Parbold and that the said John Cottom is the father of the said bastard Child. Thereupon we Order as well for the better relief of the said Township of Parbold as for the sustentation and relief of the said bastard Child that the said John Cottom shall and do forthwith upon the notice of this our Order Pay or cause to be Paid unto the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the said Township of Parbold or to some one of them the Sum of two pounds & five shillings for and towards the charges and expenses incident to the birth of the said bastard Child, and the maintenance of the said bastard Child from the time of his birth to the time of making this our Order, the further sum of fifteen shillings for and towards the costs of apprehending and securing the said John Cottom and the sum of seventeen shillings and six pence for and towards the cost of this Order of Filiation; such charges, expences, costs, and sums of Money respectively having been duly ascertained on Oath before us the said Justices to be reasonable. And we do likewise hereby further Order that the said John Cottom shall well and truly Pay or cause to be Paid unto the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the said Township of Parbold or to some one of them for the time being the sum of one shilling & six pence weekly and every week from this present time for and towards the keeping, sustenance, and maintenance of the said bastard Child, for and during so long time as the same shall be chargeable to the said Township of Parbold. And we do hereby further order that the said Ann Norris shall likewise well and truly Pay or cause to be paid unto the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the said Township of Parbold or some one of them for the time being the Sum of one shilling & six pence weekly and every week from henceforth so long as the said bastard Child shall be chargeable to the said Township of Parbold in case she shall not nurse and take care of the child herself.

GIVEN under our Hands and Seals at Rufford in the County of Lancaster, this sixteenth Day of September in the third year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the fourth by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty Two

[signed]

Call Thomas Whalley, Thos. D. Hesketh, Wright Alty, Joshua Thomas Horton

NOTES:
1:	The parts of the above text in italics are written in by hand on a pre-printed document.
2:	The spelling of John Cottam's surname varies from one document to another.
3:	The above information is taken from the original document held at the Lancashire Record Office.