Stoodleigh Vestrymen - 4

Provided by Chris Whitehead

A list of vestrymen taken from the Stoodleigh Overseers accounts Vol. 4 (1809-1830). 

(Devon Record Office  - 2985A/PO4 STOODLEIGH)

The vestry consisted of the tenant farmers, plus the land owners (if they were resident). They met at Easter each year and appointed the various parish officials- waywarden, constable, churchwarden, & overseers of the poor. Some years the appointments had to be approved by a JP; the vestry would nominate three or four men, and the JP choose two. So "actual" are the ones chosen & those "nominated" were not.  For 1812 to 1815 two overseers were appointed as usual, but Thomas Hatswell was paid to carry out their duties.

The entries marked "vestry" are the men who signed off the accounts and signed their attendance at the vestry meeting.

The appointments for 1830-1831 are the last account entries in the book, and no further books are extant, so it is not possible to determine which of the four nominated carried out the duties that year.