This is an extract from Ovingham St. Mary's Vestry Book, 1793 - 1814.
This particular entry relates to payments made by Ovingham parish to the families of men serving in the Militia. The family of one man, John Aken, received £3 18 shillings and 9 pence over a 21 week period. This is equivalent to approximately £75 at today's value.
Many of the Ovingham parish records are deposited with Northumberland Archives Service. Previously they were kept at the church. For many years church records were stored in the Parish Chest. This tradition dates back to medieval times. The Chest would usually be found in the vestry and kept under lock and key. All church records would be stored there. For example, baptism registers, poor relief records and churchwardens' accounts would all be found within the Chest.
