Protestation Returns of 1641–1642

I have just learned about a potential new database that may become available in the future - the Protestation Returns of 1641–1642.


According to the UK Parliament website
"By order of the House of Commons, all adult men were asked to swear an oath of allegiance to the Protestant religion in 1642. Their names were duly inscribed in a list in each parish, and the list sent back to Parliament. In a few areas such as Cornwall, people wrote their own names, but usually a local official wrote out all the names. The Protestation Returns survive for about a third of English counties"

I went to see if there would be one for all of Cheshire and it was not listed.  The only part of Cheshire listed was Chester.  This is a disappointment.  Imagine how great it could be to find a list of our Palin ancestors from 1641 in a new database!

According to Wikipedia it states

All males above 18 were asked to sign the declaration by order of the House of Commons, all adult men were asked to swear the oath to the Protestant religion. In each parish, their names were inscribed in a list and sent back to parliament. Typically a local official wrote out all the names, although in some areas the signees wrote their own names.

The declaration, or Protestation, read:

I, __ do, in the presence of Almighty God, promise, vow, and protest to maintain, and defend as far as lawfully I may, with my Life, Power and Estate, the true Reformed Protestant religion, expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England, against all Popery and Popish Innovations, within this Realm, contrary to the same Doctrine, and according to the duty of my Allegiance, His Majesties Royal Person, Honour and Estate, as also the Power and Privileges of Parliament, the lawful Rights and Liberties of the Subjects, and any person that maketh this Protestation, in whatsoever he shall do in the lawful Pursuance of the same: and to my power, and as far as lawfully I may, I will appose and by all good Ways and Means endeavour to bring to condign Punishment all such as shall, either by Force, Practice, Councels, Plots, Conspiracies, or otherwise, doe any thing to the contrary of any thing in this present Protestation contained: and further, that I shall, in all just and honourable ways, endeavour to preserve the Union and Peace betwixt the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland: and neither for Hope, Fear, nor other Respect, shell relinquish this Promise, Vow and Protestation.

New databases and resources are being added online all the time.  The answer to that missing link or that brick wall maybe revealed this year or next year or perhaps even 10 years from now.  So we keep calm and carry on and hope we don't have to wait for too long!