Cambridge Library Collection - British and Irish History, 19th Century: Parish Law: Being a Digest of the Law Relating to Parishes

John Steer (fl. 1830) was a barrister and writer on legal issues best remembered for this detailed survey of the state of parish laws in the early nineteenth century. In this period the parish was the main institution of rural administration, and parishes were responsible for both ecclesiastical and civil matters, these being administered by the parish vestry. This volume, first published in 1830, contains a clear and comprehensive review of the many laws relating to the responsibilities of the parish. Organising the text according to parish institution, Steer provides a thorough description of legislation which governs all aspects of parish activities, including the parish vestry, Poor Law and church administration, and the duties of Justices of the Peace, with the legal statutes and pertinent legal cases included. This volume was published in multiple editions during the nineteenth century, and provides a rich resource for the study of contemporary life.

1. Parishes; 2. Churches; 3. Minister and officers of the church; 4. Sacraments; 5. Parish books; 6. dissenters; 7. Highways; 8. Highway Acts; 9. Parish vestries; 10. Select vestries; 11. Justices of the Peace; 12. Constables; 13. Jury lists; 14. Weights and measures; 15. Disorderly houses; 16. Vagrants; 17. Church rate; 18. Country rate; 19. Highway rates; 20. Poor rates; 21. Overseers of the poor; 22. Incorporated districts; 23. Relief of the poor; 25. Parochial settlements; 26. Removal of paupers; 27. Lighting and watching parishes; Addenda; Index.