Revd. G.D. Melhuish - Notes on the History of Ashwater Parish and Church

List of Rectors.

I am now giving a list of the Rectors as far as they are known. The first Episcopal Registers we have are those of Bishop Bronescombe and begin in A.D. 1257. So there is no record of Rectors previous to that date.

Note that the title “Sir” when given to a priest has no connection with that title when given to knights. The title “Master” is rather higher; the difference being more or less represented by B.A. and M.A. which difference, however, now-a-days is only a matter of Fees and means practically nothing.

Sir William de Esse. instituted 25th February 1271. Walter of Dunheved the lord of the Manor, let his right of patronage lapse so the Rector was presented by the Bishop.

Nicholas de Gatecumbe. sub-deacon, instituted 29th June, 1280. He had licences to go and study at Oxford (for four years altogether) having to make arrangements for the care of the parish in his absence.

Sir William de Westbury. He probably was instituted in Bishop Bytton’s time whose Register has perished. His name appears as Rector in Bishop Stapledon’s Register. He had a dispensation for non-residence in 1309.

Adam de Wellia. Acolyte, was collated 8th September, 1310, by the Bishop, who had obtained the patronage.

Sir William de Westbury. instituted 13th October, 1310, presented by Sir Richard Stapledon the Bishop's brother.

I do not know the explanation of these three entries. William de Westbury died in September, 1332. He got himself into difficulties through non-residence and his living was sequestrated at one time. After this a certain Henry Cole was presented, but the Bishop appointed a commision of inquiry as he had had complaints about him, and the result was that he was not instituted.

Master Richard Gyfford. collated 2nd February, 1333, the patronage having lapsed. This was evidently an able man; be was for a long time Commissary General to the Bishop and acted on many commissions of inquiry. He is spoken of as skilled inlaw.” He became a Canon and Prebendary of St.Crantock, 6th March, 1359.

William Todeworth. 1366. There seems to be a gap after Richard Gyfford which we cannot fill owing to the Episcopal Registers having been lost or destroyed. Gyfford died before March 24th, 1362 and Will: Todeworth, the next Rector, was only ordained Subdeacon on February 28th, 1366, at St. Paul’s, in London, and Priest on May 30th of that year.

Master Thomas Gary. Instituted by proxy October 29th, 1370. Mandate for Induction was addressed to the Archdeacon of Totnes— name of Patron omitted.
A Mr. Thomas Cary was ordained priest by the Bishop of London, 8th June, 1370.
A Mr. Thomas Cary was instituted as Rector of Kilkhampton, 8th September, 1382. He was severely reproved for non-residence at Kilkharnpton, 1385.
A Mr. Thomas Cary, Prebendary of Exeter and of Crediton, died before 23rd April, 1392.
Probably all this refers to the same man. He was, according to the late Rev. J. R. Powell, a son of Sir Roger de Cary, of Cary in St. Giles in the Heath, who was M.P. for Devon and died 1372. Thomas Cary, Parson of Essewater,” is named in some of the Cary deeds.

Sir Robert Palmer. Instituted 23rd December, 1382, on the resignation of Cary Patrons, the Prior and Convent of Frithelstock.

Master John Lugans. Rector of Petrockstowe, exchanged with Robert Palmer, 19th September, 1386. He was a Prebendary of Exeter and Chancellor of the Diocese.

John Tone. Clerk, 24th April, 1404. On the death of Lugans. -

Edward Dauntesey. 25th August, 1406, on the death of Tone. Archdeacon of Cornwall. He exchanged Ashwater for Roborough in 1413 and was almost immediately made Bishop of Meath.

John Jebard or Gerbert. 23rd March, 1413, from Roborough. He obtained leave of non residence to study at Oxford on three occasions amounting to about two years.

Sir Richard Aryscote. 29th July, 1433. On the resignation of Gerbard. Thomas Carminow being Patron “for this turn.” The Prior and Convent of Frithelstock had been Patrons for the five previous presentations, how they became possessed and how dispossessed of this right I do not know.

A Commission was held February; 1439, about a vacancy at Tetcott before the Archdeacon of Totnes. The enquiry was made by the following :— Sir W. Ayshcote, of Milton; Sir R. Bere, of Thornbury; Sir T.Alvecote, of Bradford ; Sir J. White, of Black Torrington; Sir R. Arscote, of Ashwater; N. Pawley, of Holacombe; H. May, of Lufflncott; and J. Martin, of Bridgerule. Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, Lord of the Manor of Tetcott, was found to be ‘true Patron of Tetcott.

My list of Rectors becomes rather balder as the Diocesan Registers of the dates we are now reaching have not yet been published, so we lose details. However it gets some information from Valor Ecclesiasticus.

Sir Robert Martyn. Chaplain, 2nd August, l469.

Master Halnath Arscote. L.L.B., 12th January, 1505.

Sir Robert Strangways. Chaplain, 8th May, 1519.

Master George Carewe. Clerk, 26th March, 1521.

Sir Nicholas Weston. Chaplain. 10th November, 1528.

Sir John Harris, Priest. 12th April, 1547. He compounded for first fruits 30th April, 1547. He was Rector of Combeinteignhead, 1541-48.

Thomas Williams, M.A., 30th November, 1571 he compounded for first fruits 16th January, 1572. Also compounded as Rector of Lifton, 20th June, 1559 ; as Rector of Cheriton Fitzpaine, 10th February, 1560; as Rector of Holy Trinity, Exeter, 26th September, 1562, and as Prebendary of Exeter, 16th November, 1566.

From 1570 to 1580, a certain John Noris, lived here ; he signs the register as “ Cler.” Three daughters and two sons were baptised at Ashwater. Probably he was acting as Priest-in-charge.

There is an eleven years gap in the Ashwater Registers from 1580, April 24th, to May 9th, 1591. William Slader, the next Rector, and the Churchwardens sign a note to that effect.

Robert Lawe, B.A., 27th January, 1581. He compounded for first fruits as Archdeacon of Bodmin, 4th April, 1583; as Prebendary of Exeter, 31st October, 1584, as Treasurer of Exeter Cathedral, 23rd October, 1585; as Vicar of Ashburton, 14th November, 1589, and was instituted Rector of Rewe, 19th August, 1597. These last three he held till his death in 1629.

The late Rev. J. R. Powell, of Buckland Filleigh, quotes the Cockington Cary documents to the effect that Thomas Waymouth was instituted September 25th, 1581, but the Exeter Register does not seem to mention this.

William Slader, 1591, exact date not recorded in the Exeter Register. The Ashwater Registers give the marriage of his daughter Johan and the burial of Sible, his wife, and his own burial, 27th March, 1519.

John Slader, B.A., 30th April, 1620, presented by Ed. Cary, he was buried at Ashwater, 8th April, 1632.

John Hore, M.A., 22nd May, 1632. He was presented by John Short by right of a grant from Sir Ed. Cary. His wife was buried 13th November, 1643, and he was buried 23rd June, 1655, both at Ashwater. He had in 1652, been turned out of the living by the Presbyterians (see Walker’s sufferings of the Clergy, edited by Hingston Randolph). He was also Rector of Ashbury. In his will dated 19th December, 1654, he speaks of himself as “John Hore, of Aishwater, aged and weak of Bodie.” The Parliamentary Committee appointed Benedict Morse—who is called Rector in the Registers. Curiously enough, John Hore and B. Morse are both spoken of as Rector in entries made in the Ashwater Registers, June, 1555. Hore appears to have continued to live at Ashwater after his expulsion from the living.

Nicholas Beckett. He had been intruded into the living in 1658 as a nonformist, but he conformed at the Restoration and appeared as Rector at a Visitation in 1662. He was Rector of Stowford, 1672-75. He died at Clawton, 1694. “ Nicholas Beckett, Minister was buried March 5th,” says the register I believe that another Nicholas Beckett was Rector of Holsworthy, 1591-1603.

John Beckett, instituted 23rd January,1673. Presented by his father, Nicholas, to whom the right of patronage for that turn had been granted by John Short, who had the lease of the Barton, and perhaps, of the whole manor, at that time.

John Beckett’s tombstone is in Ashwater Church under the organ. He was buried 17th December, 1690, aged 43.

John Sweeting, instituted 13th March, 1691. Presented by Ed. Cary, Lord of the Manor. His name does not appear in the Ashwater Registers. He was also the nonresident Vicar of Fremington and “Perpetual Curate” of Kennerleigh. His will speaks of him as John Sweeting, senior, of Crediton, clerk, it is dated 13th September, 1715, and was proved 1st December, 1725.

Samuel Strode, instituted 13th March, 1696.

William Bedford, instituted 24th May, 1706, on Strode’s death. He had been Vicar of Tregony in Cornwall, where he made his will in the year of his death, 1727. Between his Rectorship of Ashwater and his return to Tregony, he was Rector of Gidleigh.

Christopher Michell, instituted 6th November. 1712. During his incumbency there was a severe epidemic which caused 49 deaths in the year 1725. Mary Michell, the Rector’s wife, was buried on November 10th, and his daughter, Mary. on November 13th. He died himself in 1737 and was buried at Ashwater on April 12th.

Here there rises a puzzle. The Diocesan Register records no institution of a Rector for Ashwater till 1751. A gap of 14 years. Meauwhile William Sympson’s name appears in the Ashwater Register. He can hardly have been Rector as there seems to have been no institution. Sir 0. A. R. Murray suggests that there may have been some dispute as to the right of presentation which was settled by leaving William Sympson, the Curate in Charge, in possession for his life. There is a tablet in Germansweek Church in memory of Anna Maria, only daugnter of Rev. W. Sympson, Rector of Ashwater, wife of Roger Seccombe, died 2nd November, 1800, aged 77. So he is called Rector. But that was 50 years afterwards, besides which people use words loosely and inaccurately sometimes. So it all remains uncertain.

Peter Sherwin, instituted 7th January, 1751. Tradition says that he lived at Lower Pristacott, where Mr. H. Walters lives now. He was buried at Ashwater, 19th April, 1770. I have several of the books he owned, bought, I suppose, at his sale.

Oxford University presented Peter Sherwin to the Rectory because George Cary, the patron, was a Romanist: that being the law in such cases.

Thomas Melhuish, instituted 27th July, 1770. On presentation of his father who had bought the advowson of “Ashwater otherwise Essewater,” from the Trustees of George Cary of Torr Abbey in 1758. He resigned 1811. Buried at Ashwater 1829.

Thomas Melhuish, the younger, instituted 19th November, 1811. Buried at Ashwater,1861.

Samuel Feild, instituted 12th February, 1862.

James Meybrick Feild, instituted 27th July, 1864. Buried at Ashwater 1897.

George Douglas Melhuish, instituted 28th June, 1897.

So ends this list for the time and I must turn to other matters.

Revd: Melhuish was at Ashwater until 1934 and appears to have achieved many things, amongst which publishing this history was no small accomplishment. (see Building to Date for more)

Revd: Newhouse, .

Revd. Newhouse was the first Rector that I can recall, being a little aquainted with his sons, Robert and Hughie, who was asthmatic and had to carry a spherical oxygen cylinder with him at pretty well all times. They didn't have neat puffers then. The Rector still lived at the Old Rectory in the 1950's— an impressive place as I recall it with a large reception hall and the small bell tower on the roof. Then there was the lawn, surrounded by the dense laurel bushes and the garden by the side with a small summer house, or maybe two, I can't quite recall. There was a quaint path to the church through Barnpark with swing gateways at the ends.

Coronation day for Ashwater, as probably every village in England, was a big day. There were gatherings in the Rectory grounds, cream teas in the old parish hall beside the rectory, sports in the evening and all manner of activities.

Around this time we used to attend Sunday School which was held in the church at 11a.m. on Sunday mornings.This was normally conducted in the little chapel on the left. We would normally be taught by Miss Ruby, from Langaford, or Bert Moon, who at that time ran the Post Office—with his wife and daughter, Monica, who married Denzil Neale—and the Ashmill store with his brothers, Percy and Jack.

Revd: Folland, .

The next rector I recall was Revd. Folland who resided at the new Rectory, partway down Ashmill hill. He had a daughter, Sarah, who strangely enough spoke more “ Devonshire” than most of us, perhaps she accompanied her father on his rounds of the parishioners.

He persuaded several of us to join the choir at that time. One of our occasional duties was to pump the air for the organ, and between hymns I would study the old Carminow window, the significance of which meant nothing to me at that time.

The Old Rectory was sold to Jack Moon who for many years kept chickens there, which seemed a terrible thing to us at that time, but it was probably not practical to keep it on as a Rectory.

It was nice to see it restored a few years ago by Brenda Cheshire, now Darling nee White, and Andy Darling, among others.