Nelson & His World

Here is a curious document certifying that 'Edward Collingwood had received the Sacrament according to the usages of the Church of England.'

It was, according to the dealer who is selling the document, obligatory for anyone entering naval or military service to produce such a document. I was aware that officers had to take the Oath of Allegiance required by the Test Acts; it appears that evidence of having recently received Communion was also necessary.

One of the signatories is a Cuthbert Collingwood Esq. Collingwood was a common Northumbrian name - not 'our' Collingwood, I think.

http://www.personalia.co.uk/manuscripts/collingwood.htm

Thanks Anna, that is most interesting. I have come across this requirement in my research, but haven't actually seen a certificate before. It applied not just to those in military serice, but to all holders of a public office, which included my 5 x great grandfather Samuel Mansfield as master caulker at Plymouth Dockyard from 1758 to 1780. Not only did they have to obtain a certificate of partaking "the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper", but they had to present one yearly to an appropriate Court of Quarter Sessions. You will see that Edward Collingwood's certificate refers to a Court. I think the requirement continued until the beginnings of Catholic emancipation in 1828.