Shebbeare, Deanery of Torrington

Chanter 225B, 786-787

  1. Population and dissenters: I have in my Parish one hundred and nine families. There are no Dissenters in it.

  2. Public or charity schools: There is no publick or charity School in my Parish.

  3. Alms-house, hospital or charitable endowment: There are lands given for the reparation and maintainance of ye Church, ye Parish house (as it is called) which is a publick house or ale house, and ye Alms-houses. Ye direction of this benefaction is vested in Feoffees, who are chosen out of ye Freeholders of ye Parish. When there are small reparations about ye Church Parish house, and Alms-houses, what remains is applied to pay ye Clarks sallary, to provide bread & wine &c:

  4. Residence upon cure: I do reside in my Vicarage house.

  5. Curate: I serve my Cure myself.

  6. Divine service at other churches: I serve Shipwash a daughter Church to Shebbear.

  7. Frequency of divine service: On ye fifth of November, ye thirtieth of January, on Ash-wednesday Good Fryday &c:. I do officiate at Shipwash when there are no prayers or preaching at Shebbear.

  8. Frequency of communion: Four times, to wit at Christmas, Easter, Whitsunday, and the first Sunday after Michaelmas.

  9. Number of communicants: I cannot tell how many communicants there are in my Parish: It requiring a great deal of time in this large Parish <to make out an exact list of them> But of this I can inform your Lordship yt ye receiving of ye Communion is too much neglected in ye Parish of Shebbear <and> by <some> {those} who ought to give a good example to their inferiors. Ye number of those who usually receive is between twenty and thirty and very often less than twenty. Ye number of those who communicated at Easter last past was between fifty and sixty.

  10. Catechising of children: I catechize ye children every Sunday in <ye> morning after ye second lesson in the Summer. Some send their children and servants, but many do not.

  11. Chapels or chapels in ruins: I have no Chapels in my Parish.

    Wm Hicks Vicr: of Shebbear.

    Shebbear V.--- William Hicks A.M. inst: Sept 20th. 1714
    Presb: Sept: 19. 1714 Ofsp: Exon. [Explanation]