To the Revd the Minister of Ipplepen

Chanter 232B, 592

  1. Residence, curate and lecturer: I am a Windsor Curate & do Personally reside in the same vicarage house yt all my Predecessors have, time Immemorial. Tradition proves this, to be originally built at ye Parishioners expence for ye Minister's use on Glebe=lands.
    It fronts towards ye South with three upper & lower rooms with several conveniences backward. Annexed to it is an orchard upwards of half an acre, well treed, surrounded with stone wall & bounded on ye North with a Stable. Belonging hereto is a garden plot, not far from ye Western Church Gate (called nine=acres) fenced on ye left hand with an hedge of thorns: and all ye aforesaid Premises are kept in so good repair as a poor Curate, (Aged eighty Two with a Family & a 50 pound Salary will permit. The remainder of ye distant Glebe can best be known from ye Impropriatrix Mrs Drake, who hath ye Great Tythes & lives in ye Parsonage house & to my knowledge is very well repaired.

  2. Other benefices: No, nor yt neither; unless a Curacy may be called So. I am presented indeed to ye Vicarage of Ipplepen with ye Chappel of Woodland, without a farthing profit therefrom.

  3. Divine service at other churches: No.

  4. Frequency of divine service: Twice & with 2 Sermons constantly.

  5. Frequency of communion: 4 times upwards of fifty.

  6. Catechising of children: I begin a little after Easter.

  7. Church fabric: Our church & chancel at present is in very good repair, our church <yard> tolerably well kept & we have all things decent for Divine Service.

  8. Glebe terrier: Touching ye distant Glebe Lands I am a perfect Stranger; and therefore beg leave Dutifully to refer your Lordship to ye Impropriatrix: who, as she hath had ye whole Tythes of Ipplepen & Woodland for more than Sixty years past; so she must of course be best acquainted with every Individual thing relating thereto.

  9. Number of families: About Sixty small families.

  10. Chapels: No. But we have a chappel called Woodland 3 miles distant from Ipplepen, belonging to us, Served (& for ought I know) well served by Mr Smerdon of Ashburton. It is supported by a Portion of our Tythes paid annually to it by our Impropriatrix. And ye Principal inhabitants of it claim a Right to nominate thereto by virtue of a charter, which I never saw & I wish your Lordship would.

  11. Papists, dissenters and meeting houses: No. No.

  12. School, alms-houses, hospital and charitable endowments: We have no Publick School in our parish but a private one, where ye children are taught to read & learn their catechism by a poor Widow. We have no Hospital endowed (yt I know of) but we have an Alms=house where ye poor are placed in yt receive weekly pay from ye parish. We have no Parochial Library.

  13. Charity: Our Churchwarden being by me examined, Why we have Lands (called Parish Lands), tells me they bear yt name from their having been purchased by ye Parishioners. I can prove nothing to ye contrary, as ye Ancient writings are locked up in their own Custody. The cloth annually given (about Easter) to our Poor, (if it hath not already been given) shall soon be distributed among them according to ye Design of ye Donor.

    Priest's orders and institution: My Institution bears Date November ye 16 1723
    My Priest's orders are dated July ye 7th 1723
    Having answered your Lordship's Queries to ye best of my ability - with my hearty prayers for your Lordship's long & happy Continuance among us.

    I remain,
    My Lord
    Your Lordship's most Dutiful son & obedient Servant
    [Signed, page damaged and name missing]
    Your Lordship's letter (If occasion requires) will find me at Ipplepen four miles distant from Totnes