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A 1673 CHALLACOMBE MEMORANDUM

From the Challacombe Parish Register

Transcribed by John Fisher

This Register Book, being much injuried by the damp was re-bound by order of the Revd. William Henry Carwithen M.A. Rector August AD 1840

Baptisms from September 21st A.D. 1676 to
November 26th A.D. 1797
Marriages from October 16th A.D. 1677 to
January 1st A.D. 1799
Burials from January 28th A.D. 1676 to
June 2nd A.D. 1798

N.B. Entry on the side entered after states from April 1673 on page 28, 2off

Memorandum 
Relative to the Parish of Challacombe 
      
1.Since the year 1767 there had been no resident
2.Incumbent in this Parish, until the year 1839 when
3.the Revd. William Henry Caewithen was inducted to
4.the living on the presentation of the Earl Fortescue
5.On Mr: Carwithen having come into residence he
6.found the Parsonage Home inhabitited by the small
7.farmer who rented the Glebe lands at an annual
8.rental of £23.00. The former incumbent having
9.died insolvent Mr: Carwithen received nothing for
10.dilapidations, and at first he merely made such tem:
11.:porary alterations as were absolutely neccessary
12.at this time there was no road to the house but
13.only a rough track over two of the Glebe fields,(numbered
14.on the map 680 -681) to Lee Bale, and round by the Glebe
15.boundary fences towards the West. It was almost
16.impassible for a carriage of any description to get here
17.and the whole aspect of the place was dreary and cheerless.
      
      
1840 - 41 
      
1.During this winter Mr: Carwithen planted the
2.greater part of the strawberries and trees round the house.
      
      
1842 
      
1.In the Spring of this year the triangular Plantation
2.opposite the Glebe was made by Lord Fortescue
3.This is the first and only Plantation in the Parish
4.In the Autumn Mr: Carwithen, by means of a
5.voluntary subscription fitted up a large room
6.over the Church Home as a Parish School room.
7.It may here be wise to observe that the investment
8.of £41.7s. 11p deposited in the Devon and Exeter Savings
9.Bank (No 36404) is appreciated on behalf of the
10.labouring men and widows of Challacombe who are not
11.in the receipt of Parliment relief and for the
12.schooling of our children
13.In November a Parochial Lending Library was
14.established by Revd. Will. Carwithen.
      
      
1845 
      
1.March 21st The new line of the road through the
2.Glebe towards Bratton was opened on this day and
3.the old way stopped. The parishoners with
4.Lord Fortescue viewed the above, and agreed
5.to the alterations.
6.In the Autumn of this year Mr: Carwithen com:
7.:menced the alterations in the Glebe House which
8.was almost re.build at an expense of nearly
9.Five hundred pounds / £265 only being [ ? ]
10.from the Governors of [ ? ] on this
11.Morgage on this living
      
      
1844 
      
1.September. The new bridge built over the
2.stream at Lyn ford ( Lea FFarm Ford!) ) was fin;
3.:nished this month and the road up Kipscombe
4.Hill widened and repaired. There is now a
5.passible road for wheels at Wallover Farm
6.the Parsonage House as before the building
7.of Challacombe Bridge it was impossible during
8.a flood to ford the stream and parishioners were
9.not infrequently prevented from going to market
10.or on other business
      
      
1845 
      
1.During the Autumn of this year Mr: Carwithen
2.drained "The Little Meadow", the lower part being
3.previously a shaking bog, and fenced the Church
4.path which before passed through the farm court
5.and "Great Meadow"
      
1846     
      
1.During this Summer the Church Tower which
2.had fallen into a most dilapidated condition,
3.was restored and partially re-built. The small
4.Western window was given by the Rector.
      
1847-48 
      
1.During the Winter a new road from North
2.Linn Gate was made and a communication
3.thus opened with Mr: Knights road over
4.Exmoor. There is now a tolerable thoroughfare
5.from Bratton to Exford and through Challacombe
6.and Simonsbath. This road was made at the
7.joint expense of Mr: Knight and the rate payers
8.of Challacombe for the continual accommodation
9.of both parties; subject to certain conditions spe:
10.:cified in the Vestry Book.
11.The following is a copy of the Conditions of agree:
12.:ment, prepared by the Revd. Will. Carwithen at the request
13.of the parties concerned.
      
1.Memorandum of Articules of Agreement be:
2.:tween Frederick W. Knight of Simonsbath, Esquire
3.of the one part, and the parishoners of Challacombe
4.of the other part
5.Whereas the Rate pyers of the Parish of
6.Challacombe, at a public Vestry Meeting
7.holden on Monday the 25th May 1846 unanimously
8.passed the following resolution,
9."That the Parish of Challacombe shall forthwith
10.properly form and make a certain line of
11.road from North-lane to Break - neck hole
12.and that Mr: Knight shall in like manner
13.properly make and form the continuation of
14.the same road therefrom to Edgerly - stone, and
15.also build an Arch over the hollow at Break -
16.- neck hole forthwith and keep the portion
17.of the aforesaid line from Break - neck hole
18.to the aforesaid Edgerly - stone in good repair
19.for five years, and this Parish shall keep
20.the whole of the aforesaid line of road
21.in repair forever therafter. The
22.above named line of road to be made
23.as a voluntary [pact ?] for the mutual accom:
24.:modation of the Parish of Challacombe and
25.Mr: Knight"
26.We whose names are hereunder
27.written do agree to abide by the aforesaid
28.resolution, Witness over hands this seventh
29.day of July in the year One thousand eight
30.hundred and forty six
      
PW Knight 
  
WH Carwithen}Surveyors of the Highways
Thos. Sallyn}for the Parish of Challacombe
      
      
      
      
      
 The Gift of
1.Thomas Palmer Acland, of Little - Bray
2.Devon, Esquire, who died March 21st 1844 and
3.by his Will vested in Trustees the sum of
4.£1000, with directions, that they should apply
5.the Interests thereof, in the purchase of
6.Bibles, Testaments, and Common Prayer Books
7.to be distributed gratuatously from year to
8.year for ever, to such poor persons of the
9.County of Devon, as his trustees should
10.in their discretion think proper to [select e:
11.:ach ?] and with a particular request and direction
12.that the poor belonging to the several Parishes
13.in the said County wherein he should die
14.possessed of any properly should in the first
15.place be preferred.
16.Mr: Acland at the time of his death was
17.possessed of a small Estate in the Parish of
18.Challacombe called ["Hammerlands" ?] and also a
19.small Tenements or two in the hamlet called
20."Challacombe Town" in the same Parish
21.The Recd. William Henry Carwithen immediately
22.applied to the Trustees of the late Mr: Acland
23.and in January 1847 he received the following
24.grant of Books which he was requested to
25.distibute at his discretion, viz:
      
 25 small Bibles
 1 large testament
 25 small testaments
 1 large common prayer book
 50 small common prayer book
 1 common prayer book with testament
 1 smaller common prayer book
      
WH Carwithen M.A. 
Rector of Challacombe. 
      
      
1.In the year 1848 - The Rev. J.C. Carwithen
2.was inducted to the living of Challacombe.
3.The house was in a ver dirty state
4.Mr: Carwithen received no dilapidations
5.from his Brother, because the Rev W.H. Carwithen
6.received none from the farmer Incumbent
7.who died insolvent - The House
8.which was re-built under the Gilbert
9.Act was most inefficiently done.
10.The roof was put up badly covered with
11.states of very inferior quality procured
12.from a quarry in the Parish. It was so
13.dilapitated that the Rev: J.C. Carwithen
14.has found it necessary to re - slate
15.nearly the whole of it - The Barn
16.and Stable were entirely re - built
17.by him, and the present Cow house
18.erected - The Church was in such
19.a disgracefully inauspicious state
20.as to be totally unfit for the
21.performance of Divine Service so that
22.the Rev: J.C. Carwithen determined to
23.re - build it with the exception of the
24.Tower - The Parish contributed by
25.rates £44.12s. towards it Himself £60
26.and The Earl Fortescue with his other
27.pounds and the aid of the Societies for
28.Building Churches made up the
29.remaining part - The Church was built
30.for the sum of £360 and all the
31.sittings were made free - The
32.glebe was rented at £33 per annum
33.when the Rev. J.C. Carwithen was
34.inducted to the Living of Challacombe
35.The tenant Mr: Dallyn thinking this
36.too high a rent and refusing to continue
37.that su, the Rev. J.C. Carwithen
38.farmed the land himself, making Mr:
39.Dallyn a compensation for his interest
40.in the glebe which did not expire
41.for one year after his induction to the
42.living - £100 was borrowed on the
43.living for the purpose of draining the
44.glebe, but the work done by the South
45.Devon Company came to £160 - the Rev
46.J.C. Carwithen paying the difference out
47.of his own pocket - £80 also was
48.borrowed for putting up fences on the
49.glebe - but £135 has been expended
50.upon the same by the Rev. J.C. Carwithen
51.   Poless
52.viz - Double walled and planted161at 8
53.        Walled 1 sided and planted1871/2 at 4
54.        Fence made and planted335at 2
55.In the year 1861 A bridge was built
56.at Challacombe Town by public subscription
57.at an expense of £23. 8s Earl Fortescue
58.giving £4, Lord Ebrington £1, J.C. Carwithen
59.£2. 2s and the Farmers making up the
60.remaining part
61.J.C. Carwithen Rector of Challacombe
62.In the year 1874 -5 A further sum of
63.£369. was expended on the Church and tower
64.Besides W: Mr: W. Crang the late Churchwarden
65.re - hung the bells - the cracked bell being recast
66.and entirely new cradle provided
      
Memoranda (continued) 
1.In the year 1908 a stone bridge was
2.erected at Rooks Foot to replace
3.the delapidated foot bridge which
4.in flood time, or even after very heavy
5.rain was rendered almost un -
6.passable for children coming to school
7.the cost of £14 of which the
8.Barnstaple District Council paid
9.£7 the deficit was met by the following
10.subscription Ld. Ebrington £1, Rector £1-2-6
11.WB Crang £1, Mrs: Basset £1, J Dallyn J Houlsbury
12.and O Prouse 10/- each A Leworthy - Paul
13.Alderman - S Conner - Mrs: Huxtable, WH Ridd
14.RC Ridd 5/- each and J Potterdell 2/6
  
J. M. Eustace (Rector) 
1.In the year 1904 a miniature Rifle
2.club was formed - The Rector obtained
3.from the National Rifle Association the
4.sum of £10 (Astor Fund) and two Enfield
5.Service Rifles. The Range (50 yards)
6.was given by Lord Ebrington and was
7.situated in the Meadow closest the
8.school. The Club existed for several
9.years and eventually died of inaction
10.oweing partly to the opposition of the
11.dissenters and partially to the disposition
12.of the people generally to do nothing
13.except which they thought "would pay"
14.The range was opened by Ld. Ebrington
15.on the Harvest festival 1904
16.J.M. Eustace Rector.
      
1.In the year 1904 an attempt was
2.made by the Rector to introduce
3.the Telegraph to the Parish. It
4.was found that £15. 10 would be
5.the annual amount of guaranty
6.to be raised. After much difficulty
7.this was eventually done and the
8.office was opened for telegraph
9.business on July 26th 1905
10.the following is a list of the original
11.Guarantors:
12.  £sd
13.Ilfracombe UDC3  
14.The rector 1  
15.Messr.W B Crang1  
16. J W Conner1  
17. R C Ridd1  
18. H Ridd1  
19. J H Huxtable1  
20. J Dallyn
   (Shoulsbury)
1  
21. H Turner1  
22. W H Ridd1  
23. Jas Huxtable1  
24. W H Conner 10 
25. A Leworthy 10 
26.  £sd
27. J Potterdell 10 
28. T Graham 10 
29. Mrs: O'Brian 10 
30.  ____________
31.  £1510 
      
J M Eustace Rector 
      
1.The stone bridge connecting the
2.school premises with the meadow
3.was built in the year 1914
4.The government surveyor and
5.valuer gave the following figures
6.(which he said were unofficial)
7.as the result of his visit to
8.the rectory, glebe, and church
9.   £ 
10. Glebe and House2240 
11.   £ 
12. Church2250 
13.   £ 
14. School350 
15.The above figures refer to total
16.or market value
      
      
1.The old Harmonium was re-
2.placed by a Positive organ in
3.the year 1907 at a cost of nearly
4.£100 raised by subscription
5.the instrument was dedicated
6.on Augst. 27th in that year by the
7.Rev. A. E. Seymour Archdeacon
8.of Barnstaple.