This week it’s all about words and phrases found in genealogy, family and house history research beginning with the letter P.
PACK RAG DAY – Old May Day
PACK WAY – Narrow way along wich goods could only be transported by pask horse
PADDINGTON FAIR – A public execution at Tyburn in the parish of Paddington
PAID SITTING – payment made for the right to sit in a pew a church aka pew rates
pain – a rule/regulation of the manor
PALATINATE – Territory under the governance of a count palatine, usually an Earl or a Bishop, who enjoyed royal privileges and exclusive jurisdiction by way of Palatine Courts e.g. Durham
PANNAGE – payment made by tenants to the Lord of the Manor for the right to pasture pigs in the Lord’s woods
paterfamilias – the male head of the family or household
pater – father
PECULIAR – Ecclesiastical district exempt from jurisdiction on the bishop of the diocese
pena/ae – pain/penalty
PER DIEM – for each day
per homagium – by the homage
per virgam – by the rod
pertinentia/ae – appurtenance(s)
perquisitum/i – profit(s)
peto/ere – to claim
petivit admitti tenens – he petitioned to be admitted tenant
PETTY SESSIONS – Lowest court developed in the 18th century to remove some of the workload from the Quarter Sessons; types of cases inc. larceny, drunkeness, bastardy etc
PINDER – kept the manorial pound/pinfold
PIPE ROLLS – the record of the annual audit of the Accounts of Sheriffs and other debtors of the Crown “The Great Roll of the Exchequer”
Piscaries – fishing rights.
PIT MONEY – Customary fee for burial within the church
post meridiem – afternoon (pm)
postridie – on the day after
post ultimam curiam et ante hanc curiam – since the last court and before this court
post conquestum – after the conquest (1066)
POTWALLOPER – prior to 1832 a man entitled to vote by viture of having a fireplace of his own thus being classed as a householder
Pratum/prati -meadow
precept – order issued to the bailiff of the manor for the holding of a court
predictus – aforesaid
premissa predicta – premises aforesaid
prepositus/i – reeve(s)
presentatio/onis – presentment(s)
presentment – a statement by the jury of matters to be dealt with by the manorial court
prius – formerly
probatum – something proved
probatum fuit huiusmodi testametum apud – this will was proved at
PROVOST – Constable
proxima post festum sancti – next after the feast of st
puer – boy
puella – girl
PURGATORY – Receptacle for ashes beneath or in front of a fire
PUTRID FEVER – an Old name for a groupd diseases which included typhus and smallpox
I would love to hear what obscure words and phrases you have found in your research – sarah@spfhhistory.co.uk