The church and the tower of this parish are small, but distinguished
for their simple and neat appearance. They are situated with the
church town in a valley opening to the sea. In the church is a plain
memorial of Mr. Henry Davies, great-uncle to the editor, who died in
1737. Two of his relations, Mr. Davies father and son, were successive
rectors of this parish, through the bounty of the Trevelyan family.
And it may be a matter of some curiosity to insert the oath
administered a century ago to clergymen taking on themselves the
office of Dean Rural, or Decanus Episcopus. The oath is now omitted,
but the office itself has been uniformly preserved throughout the
Diocese of Exeter, and this useful institution is revived in various
parts of the kingdom.
The copy was found by the editor at Tredrea, his place in Cornwall,
among other old papers.