The body of this volume is a transcription of two minute books for the parish of Kettering, then a market town, whose population increased from 3,011 in 1801 to 5,845 in 1861.
The extensive and well-referenced Introduction describes in detail the machinery and funding of parish government, as well as the degree to which local residents were involved in making decisions. Measures taken to relieve distress and unemployment are also addressed, a major responsibility until the advent of a new regime in the 1830s being the relief of poverty. Action taken for this included the establishment of local industries and the provision of allotments for the needy. The Kettering Union was formed in 1835, after when the Vestry focused more on various aspects of public order and policing.
The two minute books cover these periods:
- Book 1 1797-1819
- Book 2 1819-1853
Three appendices are provided together with indexes of subjects, places, persons and to the Introduction.