Ilfordcombe, Deanery of Sherwill

Chanter 225B, 705-706

  1. Population and dissenters: There are two hundred families, thirty of which are Presbyterians. I have seen a License for a Meeting-house; but none for the meeting they hold in the house of their Teacher Mr Josiah Follett.
    Have not room under the Queries about benefactions to inform your Lordship of all of them, I here insert this intended one. – About the year 1732 Mrs Gertrude Pincombe left by will £200 towards augmenting Ilfordcombe. Since that there has been a rule made by the Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty not to augment any livings that are above the clear yearly value of £35 now Combe being £47 or £49 the Trustees without any good reason, as I apprehend, think us not entituled to Mrs Pyncombe’s £200, tho’ she left it absolutely without any restriction, & to facilitate the obtaining the Queen’s bounty. We fear we shall lose it unless your Lordship will be pleas’d to use your good offices with the Trustees who are John Bamfield & Tho. Carew Esqr both living near Taunton.

  2. Public or charity schools: There is a charity school, for the teaching of twelve boys & fourteen girls, endow’d very lately by Mrs Gertrude Pyncombe. There is six pounds a year allow’d the Master, & four pounds the Mistress. There is due care taken to instruct them in the Christian Religion as our Church directs.

  3. Alms-house, hospital or charitable endowment: We have no alms-house, or Hospital, but have four Pensions, left to two poor men & two poor women, of forty shillings each, payable yearly; left by the above Mrs Pyncombe. We have a house in the Parish of Pilton left for the repair of the Church. The rent, three pounds a year, is receiv’d by the Churchwardens. There is left by John Toogood ten Shillings for a Sermon yearly on Midsummer day & one pound fifteen shillings to the poor yearly.

  4. Residence upon cure: I reside; & live in the Parsonage house.

  5. Curate: I have no Curate.

  6. Divine service at other churches: I serve no other Church but my own.

  7. Frequency of divine service: I preach twice every Sunday, & read Prayers every Wednesday, & Friday, & all holydays, & fasting days.

  8. Frequency of communion: I administer the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper eight times in a year, twice at Easter, Whitsuntide, Michaelmas, & Christmas.

  9. Number of communicants: I can’t be particular as to the number of Communicants. About fourscore usually receive. Near a hundred Communicated last Easter.

  10. Catechising of children: I catechize on the Wednesdays & Fridays between Easter & Whitsuntide yearly, at which <time> the Children are sent to be instructed.

  11. Chapels or chapels in ruins: We have three Chapels, but no Divine service performed in them. One of them has, time out of mind, been used as a Lighthouse, the other belongs to the Barton house of the late Mrs Pyncombe, & is put to no use; the third has been inhabited but is not now. The first is a mile, the 2d more, the 3d two miles distant from the Parish Church.

    Ilfordcombe alias Ilfordcombe V.. Thomas Stinton, A.B.
    Inst. Apr. 18. 1728. Presb. Decem. 20. 1724 Jo: Wigorn: