Parish Councils
Elected Parish Councils were first established in the Local Government Act 1894 to reinvigorate local communities and give them a voice. Previously meetings would have been held in the vestry of the local church.
For a variety of reasons, including a general movement towards greater ‘democracy’ as Bill was promoted to create Parish Councils. After a difficult passage through parliament and many amendments, this Bill became an Actin 1894. Its effect was to transfer all non-religious functions from the church to the elected Parish Councils.
Since then Parish Councils have seen extra discretionary functions added but remain largely unchanged, they have escaped many of the changes imposed by Westminster on other layers of local government. Today there are some 9,500 Parish Councils in England. It is not unusual for seats on Parish Councils to be uncontested, and for members to be co-opted where the number of candidates is fewer than the number of seats available.
Origins of the Parish Council
The origins of Parish Councils date back to the Tudor period (between 1485 and 1603). With the decline of the feudal institutions and the dissolution of the monasteries, England needed new organisations to carry out local functions, such as looking after the poor and keeping the local roads in good condition.
England was divided into individual parishes and all people had to regularly attend their local church. They were run by people who could read, write and keep accounts. The church already collected by levying tithes, (a tenth of the produce of land and stock, usually in-kind) and a rate (property tax) to pay for the church buildings. The structure of these parishes meant they were seen as a suitable replacement.
Parliament imposed duties on the parishes. It made them responsible for collecting voluntary monies to look after the poor in 1536; registering baptisms, marriages and burials in 1538 and for maintaining the highways within their boundaries in 1555. In 1601, after several acts about the poor, Parliament made each parish fully responsible for looking after the poor of their parish and allowed parishes to levy a rate to fund this. These duties would remain largely unchanged until the nineteenth century and the Local Government Act in 1894.
The Formation of Ruckinge Parish Council
Minutes of Ruckinge Parish Meeting held according to law on December 4th 1894 to Elect Parish Councillors.
This meeting was held in the schoolrooms Ruckinge at 6 o’clock p.m. subsequent to proper notices having been posted by the Overseers convening the meeting. Mr J Bingham one of the overseers opened the meeting by reading a few paragraphs relating to the Elections under the Act and called on the meeting to elect a Chairman. It was proposed by Mr D S Chittenden and seconded by Mr E Lord Snr that Mr J E Jarvis be elected Chairman of the meeting. This motion was put to the meeting and carried unanimously.
The Chairman took the Chair at 6-20 and requested that all nomination papers should be handed in to him. This being done he then proceeded to number the nomination papers and stated to the meeting the names of the candidates, their occupation, qualification and abode together with the names of their proposers and seconders as follows:-
Bingham
Bingham Thomas, Farmer, New House Farm, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector.
Name of proposer Lord Edward Jr, Langdon, Ruckinge, Farmer, Parochial Elector
Name of seconder Reeves William Inkerman, Woodreve Farm, Ruckinge, Farmer, Parochial Elector.
Chittenden
Chittenden Daniel Stephen, Herne House, Ruckinge, Farmer, Parochial Elector
Name of proposer Lord Edward Jnr, Langdon, Ruckinge, Farmer, Parochial Elector
Name of seconder Bingham Thomas, New House Farm, Ruckinge, Farmer, Parochial Elector
Filmer
Filmer Richard, Labourer, Ruckinge By Residence
Name of proposer Hart Thomas, Labourer, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector
Name of seconder Palmer Charles, Downs Hill, Ruckinge, Labourer, Parochial Elector
Knowlden
Knowlden Charles, Labourer, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector
Name of proposer Lord Edward Jnr, Langdon, Ruckinge, Farmer, Parochial Elector
Name of seconder Chittenden Daniel Stephen, Herne House, Ruckinge, Farmer, Parochial Elector
Lord
Lord Edward Jnr, Farmer, Langdon, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector
Name of proposer Bingham Thomas, Farmer, New House Farm, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector
Name of seconder Chittenden Daniel Stephen, Farmer, Herne House, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector
Reeves
Reeves William Inkerman, Farmer, Woodrow Farm, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector
Name of proposer Lord Edward Jnr, Farmer, Langdon, Ruckinge, Parochial Elector
Name of seconder Chittenden Daniel Stephen, Farmer, Herne House Farm, Ruckinge Parochial Elector
Fifteen minutes having been given for other nomination papers to be handed in and no more
being forthcoming the Chairman put the name of each candidate to the meeting to be voted
upon. The assistant Overseer and the Chairman acting as “Tellers” with the following result:-
Bingham 14 votes
Chittenden 15 votes
Filmer 8 votes
Knowlden 17 votes
Lord 13 votes
Reeves 14 votes
The Chairman then declared that the five candidates which were accorded the most votes to be elected Parish Councillors unless a poll was demanded, and was not withdrawn, and asked if a poll was demanded. After a lapse of 10 minutes and a poll not being demanded the Chairman declared that messrs Bingham, Chittenden, Knowlden, Lord, & Reeves were elected Parish Councillors and vacated the Chair. The meeting then closed.
This document has been transcribed from the minute book of Ruckinge Parish Council.
The First Meeting of the Parish Council of the Parish of Ruckinge was convened by the Chairman of the Parish Meeting and held in the National Schools on Wednesday the 19th day of December 1894 at 7.30 o’clock p.m.
The full Council were present viz:
Messrs E Lord Jnr
Mr D S Chittenden
Messrs J Bingham
Mr W J Reeves
Mr C Knowlden
Mr J E Jarvis Chairman of the Parish Meeting was also present.
The minutes of the Parish Meeting being read and signed, the members of the Council proceeded to sign Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
It was proposed by Mr E Lord Jnr Seconded by Mr W J Reeves and carried unanimously that Mr J E Jarvis be elected Chairman of the Council. It was proposed by Mr W J Reeves seconded by Mr D S Chittenden and carried unanimously that Mr E Lord Jnr be elected Vice-Chairman of the Council.
It was proposed by Mr E Lord Jnr seconded by Mr W J Reeves and carried unanimously that Mr J G Chittenden be appointed Clerk to the Council at a salary to be fixed at the first annual meeting of the Council.
It was proposed by Mr E Lord Jnr Seconded by Mr W J Reeves and carried unanimously that Mr W J B Jemmett of the Ashford Bank be appointed Treasurer of the Council.
It was proposed by Mr E Lord Jnr seconded by Mr W J Reeves and unanimously resolved that Parochial Electors be admitted to the meetings of the Council provided proper order is kept.
The questions as to obtaining necessary funds, for the expenses of the Council in respect to repairs of footbridges, were debated upon and the Clerk was instructed to enquire into the matters and report at the next meeting of the Council.
This document has been transcribed from the Minute book of Ruckinge Parish Council