Transcript

of

Proctor’s Money

Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VI, (January 1910 to October 1911), pp. 55-57.

by

Percival Jackson

Prepared by Michael Steer

The author provides a valuable record of disbursements from the 1635 Minute Book of a local charity for the poor of Kingsteignton. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

42. PROCTOR'S MONEY. — An old Minute Book of what is now known as the King's Teignton Feoffee Charity has its first entry dated 1635; and the entries from 1636 are engrossed year by year on one page of disbursements which commonly end with a charge " ffor ingrossing hereof." At the top of the list for a number of years we read : -

Keigstenton

Anno Domini

16 —

The disbursements of A.B. and CD. Church- wardens and E.F. and G.H. Overseers of the pish of the imployment of the fiftie pounds given to the poore of this pish for ever by a grave religious charitable and well disposed man for this yeare 16 - ut sequitur. The list which follows gives the names of the recipients and the amounts allotted to each. Occasionally at first, but more frequently as time went on, the opposite page is not left blank, but has a statement of the persons holding the capital sum and of the interest which they paid.

A printed copy of a formal document is preserved in the book stating that "William Stowell, of Herebere, Gent., of "the parish of Bickington, by the appointment of a grave, religious, charitable and well disposed Person has delivered the just sum of Fifty Pounds good and lawful money of England to be employed for the only and sole Benefit Behoof and Advantage of the honest and good poor People of the Town and Parish of Kingsteignton."

As the years pass on we find this gift referred to in the minutes as Proctor's Gift. But I have never found there any explanation of Mr. Proctor's identity, or of his title to so many adjectives  as here decorate the anonymous period of his record.

It seemed to be a problem capable of solution. The first step was to fix the data. We had to discover a person who was: -

1. Interested in the parish of King's Teignton;
2. Probably not an inhabitant;
3. More connected in some way with William Stowell, of Herebeare, in Bickington parish, than with any inhabitant of King's Teignton;
4. Though not an inhabitant himself, nor personally attached to any of its principal inhabitants, yet desirious of conferring a money gift upon the parish;
5. Anxious to be anonymous;
6. Known eventually as Proctor.

Several of these conditions pointed to a non-resident owner of land ; but they seemed even more suggestive of the owner of the Great Tithes.

The Bishop of Exeter's Registers show that in 1618 Samuel Proctor, Prebendary of the Prebend of Teignton Regis in the Cathedral Church of Salisbury, and therefore owner of the Great Tithes of King's Teignton and of the advowson of the Living, made a grant for twenty-one years of the advowson, and that acting upon that grant in 1620 the widow of Robert Ryder (the Vicar who was just dead) nominated Theophilus Gale (whom she was just about to marry!) to the succession.

Thus Prebendary Samuel Proctor was alive in 1620.

But in 1639, when Theophilus Gale's successor was appointed, the presentation was exercised by Canon Humphry Henchman as Prebendary of Teigntone.

The possibility that Proctor's gift was traceable to a Prebendary-Rector has thus become very great as a possibility : for Samuel Proctor's death and the administration of his will are to be dated somewhere between 1620 and 1639. Our date is 1635, as we have said.

Can anyone tell me whether in any public office we can trace this "Proctor's gift " to its source? It may have been a bequest ; but it may also have been a gift during Proctor's life to his trusted friend, Mr. Stowell. In the latter case would there be any public record ?

Percival Jackson.