High:bray, Deanery of Sherwill

Chanter 225B, 735-736

1. Population and dissenters: There are forty eight Families in the Parish of High=Bray No Dissenters of any Denomination No licenced or other Meeting House.

2. Public or charity schools: [No answer given]

3. Alms-house, hospital or charitable endowment: [No answer given]

4. Residence upon cure: I am constantly resident in my Parsonage House of Loxore and only occasionally in the Parsonage House of High=Bray.

5. Curate: I have no Curate at present but have pitched upon one Mr Leworthy of the adjoining Parish of Charel [i.e. Charles] who will wait on your Lordship as directed the next Publick Ordination for Deacon’s Orders.

6. Divine service at other churches: I perform Divine Service in no other church but those of High=Bray and Loxore.

7. Frequency of divine service: I perform Divine and preach once every Sunday at High=Bray and once at Loxore I likewise perform Divine Service once every Holy-day at High=Bray and once at Loxore not being let by Sickness or some other urgent cause.

8. Frequency of communion: The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is administred five times every year viz twice at Easter once at Whitsunday once at Michaelmass and once at Christmas.

9. Number of communicants: There are ninety four Communicants in the said Parish of High=Bray about thirty usually receive the Number of them who Communicated at the two Sacraments at Easter last was betwixt sixty and seventy.

10. Catechising of children: The Children are Catechized every second Sunday in the Afternoon and every Holy day when they are brought to Church.

11. Chapels or chapels in ruins: There is no Chapel or Ruins of any Chapel in the said Pa=rish of High=Bray.

    High=Bray R--- John Quick AM inst. Jun. 27 1730 Presb Jun. 5 1726. Jo. Oxon. [Explanation]

    [The following text is written on a separate sheet, bound into the volume after the return for High Bray.]

    II and III Queries. Answ. There is a Benefaction of ten Pounds given by Richard Dallen late of the Parish of High=Bray to be lent for Interest to be distributed among the unrelieved Poor labouring men of the said Parish There is a Benefaction of two Pounds a year to the unrelived Poor labouring men – three Pounds a Year to teach the Poor Children and one Pound a Year to buy them Books given by Jacob Holy late of the Parish of High=Bray in his last Will and Testament in manner and Form following.

    Item I give and bequeath unto the Poor workmen of the Parish of High=Bray aforesaid not having Relief Two Pounds to be paid unto them every year yearly out of two certain Parcells of Land called or commonly known by the Name or Names of Ovis and Juftland lying and being within the Parish of High=Bray aforesaid. Also I do give and bequeath unto all the Poor Children of the Parish of High=Bray aforesaid to bring them to Learning three Pounds every year and twenty Shillings more yearly every year buy them Books to be paid out of the said Parcells of Land of Ovis and Juftland abovenamed during the Term I have in the Estate of the said Premises.

    The Benefaction to the unrelieved poor labouring men payable by George Radley of the Parish of Goodleigh Son of George Radley late of High=Bray And Executor of Jacob Sloly out of the said Estates of Ovis and Juftland was for several years {misapplied and given} thro the Omission of naming proper Persons in the said Will to direct it misapplied and given to those that were not as well as those that were intitled to it till about half a year since the Money due 30 June 1743 was put into my Hands and distributed {among} with the Consent of the most substantial Inhabitants of the said Parish among such only as had a strict Right to it. The Benefaction to the School mistriss appointed to teach the Poor Children has been alwaies regularly paid Except one Quarter due to the late School mistress at her Death and a second due before the Appointment of the present School mistriss to whom I would have had it paid and who teaches nine Poor Children. She has been ordered to bring them to Church Holy days to be Catechized but has of late been very negilgent in that part of her Duty. As to the Benefaction for buying of Books an Accounts was brought me about a Fortnight since how it was laid out for the two Years last past but before that time from the Death of the Benefactor who was Buried 30 June 1703 perhaps not above ten Shillings a year one year with another was ever laid out.