Sevenoaks Poor Law Union Baptisms in Sundridge Parish

The Sevenoaks Poor Law Union was formed in 1835 and comprised the parishes of Brasted,Chevening,Chiddingstone,Cowden,Edenbridge,Halstead,Hever,Kemsing,Leigh,Otford,Penshurst,Riverhead,Seal,Shoreham,Sundridge,Weald and Westerham. Prior to this several of these parishes had been part of the Penshurst Union which was shortlived  and the building of a workhouse at Bough Beeches near Chiddingstone for paupers from Chiddingstone,Cowden,Edenbridge,Hever,Leigh and Penshurst. Violent opposition to this workhouse building resulted on one occasion when the Riot Act was read and the crowd dispersed. The building completed in 1836 was sold by 1838 and these parishes became part of Sevenoaks Union.
The Sevenoaks Poor Law Guardians took the view that the Saint John's Hill premises were adequate and resisted the Poor Law Commissioners efforts have a new workhouse built. In the winter of 1840/1841 inspection of the Sevenoaks premises resulted in heavy censure of the provision and the Guardians relented and the new Workhouse bult at Sundridge to house 500 inmates at a cost of £12,000 opened on 19 September 1845. The former premises at Sevenoaks Saint John's Hill were demolished  in 1846.
Kent Archive and Library hold a register of baptisms from 1846-1932 under reference G/Se/Wlb1 and I hope to transcribe this in due course when Covid 19 restrictions are relaxed.
The Union Workhouse at Sundridge did not have a chapel although a room was used for religious services and some baptisms were carried out there. This practice was without approval of the Church of England and when the practice came to light the Archbishop of Canterbury deemed these to be illegal. In a front page of the Sundridge parish Register of Baptisms 1834-1852 the following explanation for the sharp increase in baptisms for the year 1849 is offered:-
"the great increase this year is to be partly  attributed  to Union Poor House.The Archbishop's Secretary having stated that public baptisms were illegal there as the room used for a chapel there is not licensed for baptisms".
The Sundridge  parish baptism register contains as a result the following numbers
1845 30
1846 30
1847 31
1848 46
1849 62
1850 50
1851 75
The register of baptisms from 1834-1852 is therefore unusual as the parish included the chapel at Ide Hill which was licensed for baptisms. The practice was for the churchwardens at Ide hill to ensure that a copy of baptisms there was furnished to Sundridge to incorporate into the parish register before the end of December when the Registry at Rochester required a return for Bishop's Transcripts. There is therefore a sequence of Sundridge Baptisms followed by the annual total of Ide Hill baptisms. This results in some entries being deleted and loss of some parts of pages to accommodate the Ide Hill entries.
I have encountered similar problem with the Bromley Poor Law Union chapel licensed for baptisms and the chaplain there not communicating the number of entries needed in the Farnborough parish register see Farnborough Saint Giles Baptismal Register.

Sundridge burial registers also reflect deaths at the Workhouse including a small number of  Sundridge parishioners who died at the workhouse.

My transcript of Sundridge Baptismal registers for Kent Online Parish Clerks is being prepared for publication in due course.

© Henry Mantell Downe and Farnborough Online Parish Clerk 2013-2020