The Beginnings of the Property of East Worlington Rectory
There are no documented rrecords of the date and definitive iuse of the property when it was initially constructucted. The earliest record of what is now (2025) known as East Worlington House (formerly Rectory) is a series of ‘Glebe Terriers’ dated 1605(?), 1613, 1679 and 1727.
A ‘glebe terrier’ is an account of church land and holdings. The two earlier documents refer only to the land, but the documents of 1679 and 1727 include descriptions of the house and curtilage. This implies that the land on which the property was constructed was owned by the church as documented in the Glebe Terriers of 1605 and 1613 but no property was recorded at this time, whereas the Glebe Terriers of 1679 and of 1727 did refer to the property, indicated that the parsonage house and its curtilage were established after 1613 and before 1679.
The property that is now (2025) East Worlington House and was originally East Worlington Rectory has more building than the house. Within the curtilage of the house were several buildings associate partly with the income for the incumbent, which was mainly through the Glebe, and in the rural location of East Worlington this was predominantltly agriculural, and partly with the context of the ways of life at the time, for example the use of horses for transport. The seperate buildings associated with the property are listed in the Glebe Terriers of 1679 and 1727.
The Glebe Terrier of 1679 lists the rooms of the house, and buildings within its curtilage
‘The house is built with mud walls unless it be the front of the house and that is some part stone.
A hall paved with stone with a chimney and a chamber over it
A studio
A kitchen with a chamber over it
A cellar
Dairy with a chamber over it
Malt house with a chamber over it
A drift (?) for drying of malt
A barn built with mud walls
A shiping and stable’
The Glebe Terrier of 1727.
The Parsonage House situate forty paces south of the Churchyard contains eight under rooms viz. parlour, hall, kitchen, little parlour, cellar, bottle house, dairy and woodhouse having all common flooring except the parlours which are floored with oak board and hall whose floor is of lime ashes. No room is either wainscotted or hanged with any hangings. Over the eight under rooms are seven chambers all floored with oak board. All the walls are of mud except the great parlour which is built of stone. The house is all covered with thatch. The outhouses are a barn consisting of five bays, a sheeping of three bays and a stable of two bays all having mud walls and thatch covering. On the north of
the said house is a court or yard enclosed with a mud wall which hath thatch covering. On the west is another ditto. On the south is a yard or garden built and covered ditto⦒
Extract from the Parochial Magazine for the Deanery of Chulmleigh May 1919
ââThe meeting in the âOld Tithe barnâ to consider what steps should be taken by the parish to provide a suitable War Memorial was well attended. â¦â¦â¦â¦.it was decided that a public memorial of some description should record the names of those who had fallen in the war, â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦. The idea which seemed to find most favour among the audience was the provision of a Memorial Hall, which should be the absolute property of the parish, and in which all kinds of entertainment and meetings could be held.
The Rector then explained that in all probability the Old Tithe Barn would be put up for auction in the near future, or failing a purchaser would be demolished. It now rests with the Committee to decide whether or not they shall purchase the old building and renovate it. There is no doubt that the expenditure of, say, £100 or £150 would provide a very fine room as a Memorial Hall, at a fraction of the cost of erecting an entirely new building. Amid much enthusiasm Mr Stucley announced that he would start the ball olling with a donation of £50.ââ
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