Throwleigh, Deanery of Dunsford.

Chanter 225A, 202-203

[Note: in the preamble to the queries the words, ‘at my approaching Primary Visitation, and may be deliver’d either to the Register, or to my Secretary’ are crossed through, and in the margin has been written, ‘by the common post under a cover directed to myself at Westminster’. Date altered to: March 22. 1745/6 ]

1. Population and dissenters: The number of Families in my Parish is about fifty, none of which are Dissenters.

2. Public or charity schools: No.

3. Alms-house, hospital or charitable endowment: There is a Church or Parish House, adjoining to the Church-yard in which several of the Poor live. There is a House in Chagford, of the yearly Rent of two Pounds and ten Shillings, left for the Repair of the Church by an unknown Benefactor. The Church-warden has the Direction of it. There is also ten Shillings paid yearly, out of an Estate call’d Higher Murchington, now in the Possession of Richard Dunning, one Moiety to the poor, the other to the Repair of the Church. I know not of any Abuses in the Management of these Benefactions.

4. Residence upon cure: I do; except when I am at Fulford, as I mention’d to your Lordship.

5. Curate: I have no Curate.

6. Divine service at other churches: No; except it be to assist a Brother in sickness &c.

7. Frequency of divine service: Twice every Lord’s Day, and on Holidays in general. From Easter to October or November I preach twice a Day, the rest of the year but once.

8. Frequency of communion: Four times, at the three great Festivals, and at Michaelmas.

9. Number of communicants: The Number of those that receive is very small in Comparison of the number of Communicants; which I impute in some measure to the Church’s having been in the Possession of Ministers for upwards of ten years past that have resided very little. I shall use my best Endeavours to increase them. At Easter last past they scarcely amounted to twenty.

10. Catechising of children: Since I have been in the Parish I have Catechiz’d the Children yearly, beginning at Trinity. But this Duty having been very uncertainly perform’d for many years, the Parishioners are at present backward in sending their Children.

11. Chapels or chapels in ruins: There are some small Remains of a Chapel, now desecrated and in Ruins, at a place call’d Wallond-Hill upon the Borders of Chagford, which, as far as I can learn, has had no Divine Service perform’d <in> it in the Memory of man.