AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. 25 



The County Court of Devonshire, holden at Kingsbridge, 

 was opened in the year 184-7, William Mackworth Praed, 

 Esq., Judge, who died in or about the year 1857; when 

 Matthew Fortescue, Esq., the present Judge, was appointed. 



Thomas Harris was Registrar to the time of his decease ; 

 when the present Registrar, John Henry Square, was 

 appointed. 



The Court is held once in two months, on Saturdays. 

 Until the present year it was held once a month, on Fridays. 



Formerly, that old instrument of punishment, the pillory, 

 stood about the centre of Fore Street ; but it was removed in 

 the eighteenth century. 



From Hawkins' account of the inns in Kingsbridge, we 

 extract the following :— " The chief inn, prior to the year 

 1 775, was the * Prince George,' in Fore Street, close to the 

 north style, or gate, of the church, and north end of the 

 butchery, * * * conspicuous in the ancient view 

 engraved to accompany these pages, where the site is marked 

 ' George French's land,' and clearly shows the foundation to 

 have been before the year 1586. In consequence, however, 

 of legal disputes, 'The Old Tavern,' as it was familiarly 

 termed, remained some years untenanted ; another inn was 

 opened in opposition, in Fore Street, a little below Duncombe 

 Street, and the ' George Inn ' was put up for a sign. This 

 continued open for many years, but at length was disposed 

 of, and became a private residence. After this, a dwelling- 

 house and shop were fitted up and opened as the 'King's 

 Arms' Inn, by Mr. Richard Stear, in 1775, on the opposite 

 side of the way to the Old Tavern, or Prince George, and this 

 has from that period been the principal house of entertain- 

 ment. Mr. Stear resigned in 1787, and Mr. Andrew Winsor 

 succeeded him." It is now kept by Mr. Robert Foale. The 



