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The returns relate to the years 1641- 42, around
the start of the Civil War. The Protestation was an Oath of
loyalty to Parliament and to the King, and was originally
drawn up and taken by the members of the House of Commons
on 3rd of May 1641, the following day the protestant Peers
in the House of Lords also swore it.
On the 30th July the House of Commons passed a resolution
that all who refused the Protestation were unfit to hold office
in Church or Commonwealth. The scope was widened so that it
should be sworn by all adult males, in some parishes officials
also recorded females, in others it seems some families had
only the Head signing or making a mark.
During the earlier stages of the return, collecting
signatures and marks to swear loyalty; seemed to go hand in
hand with a "Collection in Aid of Distressed Protestants in
Ireland". A valid reason for Catholics to avoid it perhaps?.
Avoidance could be difficult though, as a team or bench of
local dignitaries (constables, magistrates, clergy, overseers
etc) who would know of most inhabitants of the parish - heard
their Protestation Oath & witnessed it.
The Protestation Oath:
I, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ do, in the presence of Almighty
God, promise, vow, and protest to maintain, and defend as
farr as lawfully I maye, with my Life, Power and Estate, the
true Reformed Protestant religion, expressed in the Doctrine
of the Church of England, against all Popery and Popish Innovations,
within this Realme, contrary to the same Doctrine, and according
to the duty of my Allegiance, His Majesties Royal Person,
Honour and Estate, as alsoe the Power and Privileges of Parliament,
the lawful Rights and Liberties of the Subjects, and any person
that maketh this Protestation, in whatsoever he shall do in
the lawful Pursuance of the same: and to my power, and as
farr as lawfully I may, I will appose and by all good Ways
and Means endeavour to bring to condign Punishment all such
as shall, either by Force, Practice, Councels, Plots, Conspiracies,
or otherwise, doe any thing to the contrary of any thing in
this present Protestation contained: and further, that I shall,
in all just and honourable ways, endeavour to preserve the
Union and Peace betwixt the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland
and Ireland: and neither for Hope, Feare, nor other Respect,
shell relinquish this Promise, Vow and Protestation.
The meaning of the words : Protestation
and Condign
at the time of this Oath. Click
Here
Omissions
from the Cornish Protestation Returns:
All Parishes are included, except : Jacobstow,
St. Austell, Truro, St. Neot, Isles of
Scilly.
Although the Isles of Scilly are not shown as omitted, and
the remaining Parishes in the Hundred of Penwith are all included,
unfortunately for Scillonian genealogy researchers the information
for the islands is nowhere to be found. ( unless of course
you know better? please, please, e-mail
me if you know the whereabouts of Protestation Returns
for the Isles of Scilly. ).
Despite the 5 missing Parishes we are still very fortunate
that so much of this valuable genealogical information is
available to us in Cornwall, for many other Counties the Protestation
Returns are very patchy, in some Counties very little survives.
Location:
A printed collation of work by R.M. Glencross & H.L. Douch,
edited by T.L. Stoate in 1974 entitled "Cornwall Protestation
Returns" is available for your perusal at the Cornwall Record
Office, Truro. It has no I.D. or "piece number" but is on
the open shelving behind the reception desk. This tome not
only has lists of names in each Parish, it also has a county
wide surname index.!
Further
reading: details of the returns & taxes of this period
can be found in "The Protestation Returns 1641-42 and other
contemporary listings" by Jeremy Gibson and Alan Dell published
by the Federation of Family History Societies. ISBN 1 86006
006 4.
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