Welsh Journals

The Vestry Book of Caron Lower. By S. M. Powell, M.A., County School, Tregaron. This book (some times erroneously referred to as The White Book of Caron) contains the minutes of the parish vestries held between 1786 and 1846. From an economic standpoint this appears to be the most important period in modern history. Before this period the minutes of a vestry would be mainly confined to matters pertaining to the edifice of the church and the churchyard. Its other duties would be few and vague, the relief of the poor being the most important. From 1846 onward the vestry was again almost confined in its activities to levying a church rate and repairs between 1786 and 1846 the vestry of a parish was compelled to cope with a social revolution and to attempt a task which was afterwards divided up among Road Trusts, the British School and National School Societies, and, in particular, the Poor Law Com- missioners. That is what lends importance to this particular vestry book and to all vestry books of the period. Indeed this paper is published not entirely for its own local value, but as a suggested method for a survey of such other vestry books as belong to approximately the same period. Fortunately the National Library of Wales is now compiling a list of vestry books and other local records. In a brief survey there will be no room for many quotations from the vestry book, although these are sometimes interesting and even laughable. It will serve a better purpose to combine the facts in the minutes with some local information culled from other sources and so attempt a coherent account of conditions during those hard times. An occasional minute refers to the semi-ecclesiastical function of looking after the church buildings. The cost of digging a grave seems to have been a burning question. In 1786 the sexton was to receive 1/6 (" if buried in a coffin ") but the price was not considered adequate,-a reminder of rising prices. In 1793 the vestry voted £ 1 2 0 to refugee French clergy, fleeing from the Revolution in France. In 1813 a very substantial set of stocks was ordered they are defined exactly and the price was jE3 3 0. In 1793 the old Church Bible was sold and it is interesting to find that the purchaser was William Jones, Nantylles. Years before this Nantylles had been the home of the first Methodist Society in the district. There is one order in 1787 for benches for the Church a dozen scattered references to repairs of the church tower