Newton St. Cires, Deanery of Cadbury

Chanter 225A, 210-211

  1. Population and dissenters: We have in our parish about an hundred & forty Families. There is but one Family of Dissenters in our parish who call ‘emselves Presbyterians. There is no Licenced or other meeting house of Dissenters in our parish.

  2. Public or charity schools: Here is no Publick or Charity School but a private reading school & writing school where every one pays for his Children. in Both about 30 Scholars.

  3. Alms-house, hospital or charitable endowment: There is in this parish an Alms house for Lodging two or 3 poor Familys & some annuitys issuing out of several Tenements in the whole to the amount of about three pound a year to be distributed by the Heirs of the Family of the Quicks in this parish with the Consent of the minister & Churchwardens. I never Knew or heard of any fraud or abuse in the management of them.

  4. Residence upon cure: I reside personally upon my Cure & in the Vicarage house.

  5. Curate: I have no Curate.

  6. Divine service at other churches: No.

  7. Frequency of divine service: Twice every Sunday with a Sermon in the morning & afternoon & on Holydays in the morning without a Sermon.

  8. Frequency of communion: Seven or Eight Times.

  9. Number of communicants: There are about, I Believe Two hundred and Eighty of age fit to receive the Communion of these about Sixty usually receive the Communion & at the two Easter Communions about an hundred usually receive which I Beleive was near the number last Easter.

  10. Catechising of children: Every year about the middle of May I Begin to Catechize the Children Sundays in the afternoon {till the} & to Explain some part of it ev’y time till the whole is Explaind & all the Children have been call’d on which is usually about ten Sundays. The Parishioners send their Children & servants tolerably well.

  11. Chapels or chapels in ruins: Here is no Chapel with this parish wherein Divine service has been p’formed within the memory of man. About 30 year Since there were the Ruins of an old Chapel standing at Norton in this parish but it is now quite level with the ground & nomarks of it remaining.

    Nicholas Gay vicar of Newton St. Cyres.

    Newton St. Cyres V.—Nicholas Gay A:B: inst: Decr: 30. 1728.
    Presb. Sept: 19. 1725. Stephan: Exon. [Explanation]