The transcribed records will be collated onto a searchable database on the Museum's website, accessible to the public.

At that time of these Parish Chest records, Poulton with Fearnhead this was a separate village, which has since been incorporated into Warrington, and covers some of the area which is now Padgate.  The Poor Relief Books  gave the names of the Overseer of the Poor and the Constable, the names of the recipients of Outdoor Poor Relief, the amounts given and the reason for, or purpose of, the payments.  The Poor Rate Books detailed the names of those paying Poor Rate on their lands and the amounts paid, sometimes giving the name of the house or location of the land. The Cloth Books covered a new aspect of Poor Relief for most of us, as they related to a scheme whereby the poor were given varying amounts of cloth, possibly mainly in order that they could make themselves decent for Church, and so the women could cover their heads. The books contained details of the people given cloth and the amounts received, the people from whom the cloth was bought, and the public meetings at which the accounts were approved.  The public meetings at which the accounts of the Constable and of the Surveyor of the Highways  were covered too, and then all were followed by the signatories of the inhabitants witnessing and approving the accounts. The final two batches of documents from the Parish Chest are Bastardy Bonds and Apprenticeship Indentures, and we are currently (June 2026) starting work on the former. When these are complete, the collated public database will provide a very thorough picture of life in an eighteenth century village, and  a very useful resource for those researching their family history.