Doddiscombsleigh, Deanery of Dunsford.

Chanter 225A, 184-185

1. Population and dissenters: The number of Families in our Parish is about sixty; of these I know not one Dissenter of any Sort or Denomination.

2. Public or charity schools: We have {twenty} thirty shillings per annum, to continue for twenty years (from ye Death of ye late Incumbent Mr Comyns ye donor who dy’d about two years since) for ye Schooling & buying Books for so many poor Children as yt sume shall be sufficient for. The number of Children taught is about four; & care is taken to instruct ym in ye Principles of ye Xtn Religion, according to ye Doctrine of ye Church of England, & they are brought duly to Church as ye canon requires.

3. Alms-house, hospital or charitable endowment: We have an Alms-house in our Parish Supported & maintain’d at our own Expence.– We have four Pounds a year to be divided among such Poor people as have no relief from ye Parish ye gift of one Mr Grigg of ye City of London payable quarterly out of two Houses in Smithen-Street in ye City of Exeter; which Houses being at Present untenanted, ye Annuity fails.– We have likewise twenty Shillings per Annum (ye Gift of Mr Babb Gentleman late of our Parish) Payable at Xtmas, out of ye Barton of Doddiscombsleigh, which is constantly & regularly paid. – We had likewise ten Pounds left for ye use of our Poor (ye gift of Mr Bailey, late of our Parish, which being put out at Interest in bad hands, is lost.

4. Residence upon cure: I reside personally upon my Cure, & in my Parsonage-House.

5. Curate: I have no Curate, but Serve my Cure myself.

6. Divine service at other churches: No; unless occasionally to assist my neighbours.

7. Frequency of divine service: Divine service is perform’d in one Church on all occasional & Saint’s-Days; twice every Lord’s-day, with a sermon both in ye Morning, & After-noon. – I constantly likewise read Prayers every Wednesday & Friday during ye season of Lent, & every Day in Passion-Week.

8. Frequency of communion: The Holy Sacrament of ye Lord’s Supper is constantly administred at ye following Seasons; viz. on ye nativity of our Lord, on Easter Day, & Low-Sunday, on Whitsunday, & about ye feast of St Michael; and last year I administred it at these intermediate seasons; viz. on ye first Sunday in Lent, about ye Beginning of August, & at ye Feast of All-Saints; which I intend to continue if I find Encouragement.

9. Number of communicants: I believe we may have a hundred & fifty, or upwards of age to communicate. We have generally about forty at ye Sacrament, & sometimes more, in particular, at Easter last, when ye number, as nearly as I can remember, was between seventy & eighty.

10. Catechising of children: The Children are catechiz’d in our Church {abt} on ye seven or eight first Sundays after Trinity; & {on} ye Parishioners send their Children & Servants regularly (for we call ym by Families) for yt Purpose.

11. Chapels or chapels in ruins: I know of no Chapel belonging to, or within, our Parish save one, said to have been Roman-Catholick; but as ye Family who supported it (Roman Catholicks) are all dead, it has, for a long time, been apply’d to common uses, as I’m informed.

    Thos: Ley Rectr of Doddiscombsleigh.

    Doddiscombsleigh R.--- Thomas Ley, A.M.
    inst. June 3, 1742, Presb. April 18 1736.
    Stephen Exon [Explanation]