In 1538 parish priests were ordered to keep registers of all the baptisms, marriages and burials at which they officiated. Consequently for the first time there were records of the ordinary folk as well as their lords, for unless you were a rogue or a landowner, or rich enough to make a will, or in earlier times have an inquisition post mortem on your estate, you could be born, marry and die without any record.

        The registers of St. Mary's begin in 1560. The early entries are simple statements; the baptisms name the father, not always the mother; the marriage records state spinster or single man, with sometimes the name of a parent or place of residence. The entries for burials are just as sparse. Sometimes the priests are moved to add a few words, and the Nodes and the yeoman families are paid a little more attention. A priest recording his own marriage or his own child often wrote in Latin if he had that scholarship. The first register took 170 years to fill!

        In 1574 David, the child of a pore man was baptised. The pore man apparently had no identity; perhaps the family had no settled abode. A few years later Edward Richards 'a strangers child was buried'. In 1597 Gabriell Nailer, a beggar, was buried, and not long afterwards Margaret Michel 'a poore woman maintained by the towne'- the word towne was then used for parish. What kind of story lies behind this entry? - 'Richard Mason the unlawful begotten sonne of John Mason married man, and of Margaret the wife of Nicholas Turner, baptised Nov 24th 1596'.

        In 1644 priests were instructed to add the date of birth and both parents' names to the baptism entries, and the date of death with burials. Later, trades of the fathers were often noted, and such evocative terms used as a baseborn, a poore widow, a youth, a poore servant, a mayden, a yonge mayd, a poore spinster. One common factor recurs; whether Nodes from the manor, yeoman such as North or Kimpton, priest at the vicarage or labourer in his cottage, so often they christened their newborn infants only to have them recorded in the burial register weeks, months or a year or two later.

        William North of Half Hyde was buried without a coffin in 1646. Fifty years later the vicar recorded Susanna Nodes being buried in 'linnen' - in 1667-8 laws had been passed that no-one was to be buried in anything other than 'what is made from sheep's wool only'; this was intended to help the wool trade, and a penalty of 25 was imposed on the deceased's estate if wool was not used. These Acts were not repealed until 1814, long after their disuse. In 1722 Ann, the daughter of Charles Cambridge, lately deceased, was baptised; the Vicar noted that her father was a black servant of Mrs. Nodes. In 1738 Mary Bayford died aged 100; and when Mary Vaughan died in 1748 it was noted that she had been housekeeper to Mr. Nodes for 37 years.

        Marriage licences were needed if the people getting married were from another diocese; marriages took place by a licence 'out of the Arches'- the Arches was the Court of Canterbury - or out of the Court of Faculties at St. Albans. During the incumbency of Stafford Leventhorpe in the 17th century there was a number of marriages between people from other parishes, mostly taking place by licence; as Leventhorpe was also Rector of Stevenage and several of these were his own parishioners, it seems that the little church in the country was then, as now, a popular place for weddings. Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1754 declared that weddings could only take place after the publication of banns, and bound volumes of printed forms were brought into use. A stamp duty on all entries in the registers was imposed in 1783 and specially printed separate registers were enforced in 1813.

        In 1707 the Constable of the parish of Shephall started a new account book which was to last nearly a century. In this a succession of constables and overseers recorded payments made for the rates, money for the poor, accounts for the upkeep of the church, for repairing roads and for taking ill-doers to justice. By 1708, having raised two rates at 3d and 1½d in the pound, the parish was in the red, income totalling ₤10.12s.Od but outgoings, or disbursements as they were called, ₤11.14s.7d. In the following year six Hue and Cries were made at 4d each on the Constable's account - a Hue and Cry was a literal call for help in arresting a wrongdoer, an early citizen's arrest, and everyone in the village was obliged to join in the chase. The same year 6d was paid to have the stocks mended; presumably they were in regular use. The passing of several vagabonds was noted; these poor creatures were hounded from village to village lest they become a charge on the parish. Regular payments were made for washing surplices and for providing bread and wine for the sacrament. The roads had to be kept passable by stone spreading. In 1710 'the Surveyor of the Highways' paid Thos Field and Jo Collins for digging a coachway, and spreading stones on the highway, also Thos King for carrying loads of stones.

        The parish poor had their rents paid. By consulting the registers, fragments of lives emerge for the reader - a husband dies and his widow becomes a charge on the parish, or at least in need of wood or faggots (bundles of brushwood). Some old 'Goody' falls sick and another 'Goody' is paid for attending her - 'Goody' is a corruption of Goodwife or Goodman. In 1703 John Nash fell on hard times. A special vestry meeting was called and twice adjourned, but a decision was finally taken...

'if John Nash shall fling himself upon the parish for necessary relief (Thomas Garrett having complained that he had been at great charge in maintaining him already and no longer able so to do) that then the said overseer may and shall make over the said goods to the said Thomas Garrett in consideration that he shall keep and maintain the said John Nash during the Terme of his Natural Life, at his, ye said Thomas Garrett's own cost and charge. And then the said overseer to pay Mr. John Twidell Three pounds for the cure he did on ye said John Nash.'

But in 1720 it was Tom Garrett's turn; he was kept and nursed by the parish at a cost of ₤10.11 s.0d. Extra money was paid on other items; some washing 1/-, 'more for beef 3/8', 'more for wood and fetching it 6/-'.

        Thomas Chapman, who was overseer in 1727, had a busy time looking after Mary Hyde, who had no qualification to settle in the parish and had to be moved on to Wallington (she probably had a settlement certificate from that parish allowing her to return if she became in need of poor relief). The overseer's exasperation comes over in the account book. First he had to journey to Dr. Biss and thence to Sir Sam Garrad to get the necessary legal papers for her removal. Then he had to pay for a horse to carry her to St. Albans where she made an oath which cost him more money, as did the clerk's fee. Then money was needed for her transport to Wallington; a grand total of ₤1.6s.1Od, and several days' work lost to settle the business. Whenever I travel to St. Albans by the country lanes I picture these past inhabitants jogging along on their sturdy country horses to sort out their problems.

        In the early 18th century two newly married couples set up home in Shephall; John and Mary Nash, and Thomas and Mary Sharp. During the next 15 years the Sharps had nine children, the Nashes seven, the additions 'to the families often arriving within a few weeks of each other. In 1727 the twin boys, Robert and Richard Nash, and Henry the latest Sharp, were christened together, the Vicar making a special note to that effect in the register. Later that year all three babies died, their burials recorded in the register, to be followed in 1728 by

'Mary Sharp died 13th May aged 40

Thomas Sharp died 28th May aged about 45

 Mary Nash died June 14th aged 45

John Nash died July 2nd aged '.

No one could say how old was John Nash. The younger Nash and Sharp children became a charge on the parish and the following entries are in the account book

It is probable that the older children kept the families together, as sums were paid for the relief of the two families and their rent. One daughter had a baseborn child and the parish paid Goody Field for nursing her and for her lodging. They also paid 11/- when she married. Ten years later the parish was still buying clothes for the younger Sharpes - 'four elles and a half of brown sprigg for Susan Sharp 3/10'and shoes and stockings.

        There were several children in parish care at this time, money being paid for fostering them and for their clothes. When the girls went into domestic service payments were made for caps, aprons and so on, while charges for indentures are shown when boys were apprenticed. Several boys were apprenticed to Richard Yielding, who held land at Codicote

'This indenture made 21st day of January in the eighth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George Second, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith etc. A.D. 1735, witnessed that Andrew Boustead, Churchwarden of the Parish of Shephall in the County of Hertford and Henry Wood, Overseer of the Poor of the said Parish, by and with the consent of His Majesty's Justice of the Peace of the said County whose names are hereunto subscribed have put and placed, and by these presents do put and place James Nash, a poor child of the said Parish apprentice to Richard Yielding of Codicott in ye said County with him to dwell ... and at the said term he (Richard Yielding) shall and will make, provide, allow and deliver the said apprentice double Apparel of all sorts, Good and New, that is to say a good New Suit for the Holy Days and another for the Working Days.'

At that time James Nash must have been eleven years old! Thus did the parish care for its orphans; though another child was not so lucky. In 1751 William Edwards of Broadwater opened his door one day to find a baby in a basket left in his porch. It was christened George Broadwater and recorded as the child of parents unknown; but three years later the overseer entered in the account book 'For gitting George Broadwater into the Worckhouse ₤12.12.0'- a lot of money in those days; but the child had no claim on the village so they could not be expected to go on maintaining him for several years.

        A longer story which emerges from the registers and the parish account book, consulted together, is that of Jane Dellow. She arrived in the village in 1755 with her two children, having come on a pass from Bristol where her husband was in the army. She was weary from the long journey and it was near time for the birth of another child. She was allowed to settle in the parish, so she must have had some claim of residence, although neither she nor her husband seem to have been born there. The entries concerning Jane continue for fifty years after her arrival! It all begins in 1755 with

She must have been found a cottage ...

On 20th June 1760 Jane had to take an oath before the officers of the village:

'That about thirteen years ago she was married to Thomas Dellow, a soldier at Glasgow in Scotland by the chaplain of the Regiment and has three children by him, now living and residing with her in the parish of Shephall.'

The baptism register gives another child with her husband as father in 1761, but she was still being cared for by the parish; they paid for them idwife and for washing and food. Another child was baptised in 1766, this time Elizabeth, illegitimate daughter of John Grant and Jane Dellow. Now the village has to pay for taking Jane to the

Jane Dellow's oath - very mouse-eaten!

'seshons' and for her dinner and for getting money from the father. In 1770 John, son of John Mardel and Jane Dellow was baptised; again the overseer was kept busy

The Revd. John Jones summoned Jane to church and later wrote up in his daybook:

'JANE DELLOW appeared in church accused

"Do you here or your own free will accord and acknowledge with SHAME and SORROW in the presence of this congregation that you highly offended Almighty God and Good Christians and greatly injured your own soul by the crime of FORNICATION. And do you resolve by the Grace of God to avoid such crime for the time to come, praying for pardon for what is past and earnestly endeavouring to perform your resolution and act better hereafter which may God enable you to do."

Offender appeared in church of own will.'

John Mardel and Jane did have another son in 1773; perhaps they had some kind of stable relationship. After payments when she had smallpox she only appears in the parish book as 'waiting on 'other people's illnesses. The final entries occur in 1807

'Paid for sitting up for Widow Dellor

Paid for coffin for Widow Dellor.'

The last quarter of the 18th century brought more illness to the village. Smallpox was always waiting, ready to surface

(By the 1790s Shephall was using the facilities of the pesthouse at Stevenage.)

        And then as the century drew to its close there was harvest failure and the increase in bread prices. In 1767 Hanway, the author of 'Letters on the Importance of the Rising Generation wrote

'Food of the poor (at Stevenage) is Good Bread, cheese, pease and turnips in winter with a little pork or other meat when they can afford it; but from the high price of meat it has not lately been within their reach. As to milk they have hardly sufficient for their needs.'

In 1795 the Liberty of St. Albans made an order prohibiting the baking of any sort of bread other than standard wheaten bread, a measure taken as a result of the 'present scarcity of bread corn and the unexpected dearness thereof'. The Court of Justices recommended the magistrates and gentlemen within the Liberty to render every assistance to the 'labouring poor in the present hour of their distress and till the price of bread is reduced to such a reasonable sum as will enable them to purchase the same from the profits of their labour.'

The last quarter of the century brought more charges for roadmending: