310 Notes on the History of Great Somerford. 



who afterwards married Mr. Thomas Petty, Eector of Langley 

 Burrell. William Lake, who purchased the advowson in 1702, 

 was also Vicar of Chippenham, Eector of Hardenhuish, and Canon 

 of Salisbury, but only held the living two years, as he died in 1704. 

 Isaac Eeekes, his successor, was the son of Eobert Eeekes, of Alton 

 Barnes, and was Eector for twenty-four years. His widow, Mary 

 Eeeks, presented the Church with a silver paten in 1735 and silver 

 communion cup in 1743. Thomas Seale was the first Eector ap- 

 pointed by Exeter College. Originally a Member of Pembroke 

 College, he obtained a fellowship at Exeter. He held his office at 

 Somerford for forty-three years, and during some part of the time 

 was also Eector of St. Clement's, Jersey. Mr. Demainbray, who was 

 appointed in 1799, has the honour of mention in the Dictionary of 

 National Biography. He was Chaplain in Ordinary to George III. 

 and Superintendent of Eoyal Observatory at Eichmond. His 

 assistance was of value in smoothing over many of the difficulties 

 connected with the successful arrangement of different claims under 

 the Inclosure Act. He improved the glebe property by building 

 a farmhouse, which, with the much increased glebe land, had become 

 a necessity. Later on he seems to have been impressed with 

 the advantages that his poorer parishioners might gain from the 

 allotment system, and induced the college authorities, about 1830, to 

 allow him to let some of the glebe in this manner. Their sanction 

 was not very readily obtained because the idea of allotments was 

 then a novelty. Mr. Demainbray also wrote a pamphlet, entitled 

 " The Poor Man's Best Friend," upon the subject in the hope that 

 he might persuade owners of property in other parishes to follow 

 his example. 



I must now return to two succeeding Eectors, Eichard Browne 

 and Edmund Wayte, in whom I have something of a personal 

 interest. A small monument, in the chancel, placed over the 

 south door, has this inscription : — 



" Underneath lyeth ye body of Mr. Richard Browne, late Rector of this 

 parish who died ye 24th of May, Anno Domini 1687, aged 35 years." 



A rough stone tablet, on the north wall of the tower, tells us : 



