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 VESTRY APPOINTMENTS and other events in the parish.

The Vestry Minutes book had three terms of usage.
Firstly to record Vestry appointments between 1862 and 1894.
Then with the introduction of a Parish Council, the was a pause of 23 years, before the book was again used to record
the annual accounts of the Church, and thirdly the annual reports of the Parochial Church Council. These later two uses of the book are
transcribed on a separate section of the website.                                         (Click for PCC page)

The Vestry was a committee of parishioners elected to administer the parish.Meetings were called by a Public Notice, and were held at
The Bowl Inn until the early 20^th century, when the meeting were held in a building called The Institute  or Parish Room or Mission Room,
though The Bowl Inn continued to be used occasionally.

          Some definitions of terms used:

Constable: an unpaid parish officer assisting in the maintenance of law and order, local administration and the collection of duties and taxes.

Waywarden: In an 1856 ordinance from Canterbury, decreed the creation of Parish post of ?Waywarden?. The duties involved making a list of people and property liable to pay rates, and also the electors list of people qualified to vote.

Show Boundaries: was probably what is known as ?beating the boundaries? and involved walking the perimeter of the Parish and making sure boundary marks, posts and signs were in good order.

Overseers: collected the Poor Rate within the parish, and saw that they were distributed to those most deserving of Poor relief. He also had the duty to remove undesirable visitors/settlers from the Parish by way of arranging removal orders.

Guardians: appointed to care for the relief and welfare of the poor in the parish.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                        (Click to go to Parish Council Page following the 1894 Local Government Act.)