| Description | Settlement examination of Mary Johnson singlewoman late of Foxholes in the East Riding but now of Billingham in county Durham
In May 1803 she lived at Foxholes as servant to Mr John Pottskill, an innkeeper. When she was pregnant with a bastard child she was taken before the magistrates at Driffield, and was told on 3 June 1803 that a removal order had been obtained, but as it was a long way to her place of settlement at Yafforth, the overseer did not know how to get her moved. He offered to give her money provided she would go of her own accord. Johnson set out for her mother's house at Osmotherley on Friday 3 June 1803 and reached Malton and slept there on the same evening. The next day she continued her journey towards Helmsley and slept at a small village on the way. On Sunday 5 June 1803 she reached Helmsley, having got a ride in a cart, for which she paid one shilling. At about six o'clock in the evening she called at the house of an acquaintance called Hannah Myers. She was soon afterwards taken ill, and in less than two hours was delivered of a bastard daughter. About three weeks later she was taken before the magistrates at Kirby Moorside and was committed to the House of Correction at Northallerton for vagrancy. In her defence she said that did not ask relief from anyone during her journey and she had seven shillings in her pocket when she reached Helmsley, which she gave to Hannah Myers (except for one shilling paid for baptizing her child) |