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

More Accounts.

FURTHER 17TH CENTURY NOTES

The earliest Churchwardens’ Accounts were brought in by Anthony Stephens, Warden for the year ending April 11th, 1664. Amongst the receipts are the following:—
Received of the Hoggen’s Store £2-2-4
Received of the Head Store.. . . £13-1-2
Amongst The Payments:—
Paid for gathering the Hoggen’s Store, 3s.
Next year, Philip Rockey and William Aish are wardens and we read
Received of the Hogner Store. £1-10-6
Received of the Head Store £10-16-8
Amongst the payments are:
For gathering the Hogner Store, 3s.
For writing the Hogner Store rate, 1s.
To the Constables towards the repairing of the Bridges, 5s. l0d.
The Head Store was the Main Fund for Church Expenses raised by rate. What the Hoggen Store or Hogner Store may have been has puzzled everybody. You find entries of the sort in many parishes and I remember having a long letter from Mr. Peter, Launceston’s Centenarian, about the matter some years ago. Well, the suggestion and discussions are much too long to print here. Perhaps the balance is in favour of this word being the name of Cakes which were baked and sold at a sort of Parish Social Festival. At Clawton they used to have a Sale of anything they could catch at St. Katherine’s Festival and the Wardens of St. Katharine’s Store used to pass the money on to the Wardens at the Head or Chief Store. Only, if this was the meaning, what must we understand by a Hogner Store rate?

It is interesting to see that the Wardens’ Fund helped to keep up the Bridges.

In a history of the Diocese of Exeter, by the Rev. R. J. Boggis, it is noted that Bishop Stapledon left by his will some money for 14 Bridges in his Diocese. Ashwater Bridge was one of them. He died in 1326.

Mrs. Goodwin, late of Clawton, writes to me about “Hogner” or “Hoggen,” that an old Cornish woman once told her that in her young days she thought a Tittie Hoggen was a great treat—meaning Potato Cake—also she remembers reading about a Cornish girl who was in a situation in Plymouth, sending a message to her mother that she was longing for a Tittie Hoggen. I remember that Mr. Tom Fry of Pristacott who was interested in most things—past, present and future—used to talk of the baking of cakes at the Ashwater Revel, which cakes were sold, I believe, though for what Fund I don’t think he said—nor did he call them Hoggens—but they were very possibly a remnant of the old custom.

Another possible remnant of old times is this. The seats near the Priest’s door are called the Barton Seats. Now that end of the aisle is the old Carminow Chapel and, of course, the Carminows had the Barton as the head-quarters of their manor. So likely enough it has always been the seat of the Manor since their time.

1684-5. — “ Paid for a platter dish to keep the bread in for the Sacrament and a plate for the administration of the same, 4/-.”

1686-7. — “ Paid £2 0s. 0d. for new healing the North ile.” The South roof cost £8 10s. 0d. in 1679, and probably this means the Chapel on the North now used as a Vestry.

1699. — The Tower was struck by lightning—nothing is said about it in the Wardens’ book It was one of those things that everybody knew, so did not require to be mentioned in the accounts. However, a slate was put up with a memorandum of the disaster—unfortunately the slate itself has had a disaster, but enough remains to show what happened in 1699.

18TH CENTURY NOTES

1721 — Pennington, the Cullompton bellfounder, was paid £10 l0s. 0d.

1772 — The Bells were recast this year. Inscriptions—
Treble and Nos. 2 and 3 have “ I P & Co., 1772.”
No. 4 has “Sampson Beale c.w., I. P. & Co.”
No. 5, “I call the quick to Church the dead to grave— Thomas Melhuish, Rector.—I.P.
I. P. stands for John Pennington, C.W. for Churchwarden.

1788-1791. — During these years £80 was spent on re-seating the Church. It was, no doubt, at this time that the old oak Benches were done away with to make room for high deal panelled pews:—part of the screen may have been destroyed at the time too, as in Mr. Field’s Restoration, which I shall speak of later, some old mullions were found to have been used for props and such like under the seats and flooring.

19TH CENTURY NOTES

1807-8. — “ John Honey’s bill for altering the singing lauf and placing the organ, £34 11s. 5½d.” This organ was of a turn-a-handle sort and is still remembered.

1816-17. — For building the Chimney in the Vestry Room, £9. For two windows and a chimney-piece, £5 3s. 2d. For glazing them £5 1s. 3d.

1822-23. — “ John Honey for making the Canopy and altering the Pulpit, £5 3s. 1d.” And then the sad entry — “ Received for ould Scrin, £1 5s.0d.”