Complex sentence: When a child was abandoned for any reason in the seventeenth century colonies they were considered chargeable to the parish which meant that the child would have to be clothed, fed, and sheltered at the public's expense.
Split into simpler sentences: When a child was abandoned for any reason in the seventeenth century, the colonies were considered chargeable to the parish. This meant that the child would have to be clothed, fed, and sheltered at the public's expense.