{Revd the Minister of Paignton}
To the Right Revd John Lord Bishop of Exeter

Chanter 232A, 294

  1. Residence, curate and lecturer: I do reside personally Upon my Cure, and in the Vicarage house of Paington to which is Annexed the Chapple of Marldon. On which I have a resident Curate, duly Licenced Salary forty pounds a year and Perquisites <very Considerable> no Lecturer.

  2. Other benefices: I have Another Benefice, Called Exbourn. About five miles from Okehampton in the Archdeaconry of Totnes on which there is a Licenced Curate, at £45 a year Salary.

  3. Divine service at other churches: No.

  4. Frequency of divine service: Twice every Lord's day, with a Sermon Morning and Evening, and Prayers all Holydays.

  5. Frequency of communion: Four times a year Viz. Easter, Whitesunday, Michaelmas and Christmas. Generally between 120 & 140 Communicants.

  6. Catechising of children: Very Seldom. My reason is Paignton is one of the Largest Churches in your Lordships Diocese and there are 3 or 400 people at Church in the Afternoon. And as I Cannot do both I thought a Sermon would do more good than hearing Children say their Catechism who yet I know are taught it there being two very large Schools here.

  7. Church fabric: It is and we have all things decent.

  8. Glebe terrier: There is Nothing belongs to this Vicarage but the House and Garden and the Grass of the Churchyard but a Terrier for Exbourn should be deliver'd.

  9. Number of families: It is a very Large Parish, and very Populous but I realy Cant tell how many families are in it.

  10. Chapels: No.

  11. Papists, dissenters and meeting houses: There are two poor families that are Papists but no Dissenters of any Sort no. not one.

  12. School, alms-houses, hospital and charitable endowments: There is a Charity School for teaching 20 poor Children to Read And Land to the value of £20 a year managd by feofees which is fairly distributed to Such poor as have no pay.

  13. Charity: Answerd in the above.

    Priest's orders and institution: I was ordained Decon by Bishop Weston 24th day of Septr 1732 and Priest by Edmund Bishop of London the 28th day February 1732/3 and was Instituted and Inducted to the Vicarage of Paington the 23d day of March 1732/3 and to Exbourn the 2d day of Augst. 1777

    Samuel Belfield Vicar of Paington near Totnes Devon.