This tablet from 1713 commemorates Christopher Lethbridge of Westaway, Pilton. It is located on the north wall of the Vestry of St Mary's Church. The text is as follows:
IN MEMORY OF CHRISTOPHER LETHBRIDGE ESQR OF THIS PARISH: ANNO DOMINI 1713
Gave unto ye Church wardens and Overseers of ye poore of Pilton And Their Successors: one Annuity of Twenty six shillings per Annum to be distributed in bread by Twelve Pence weekly from ye feast of All Saints, to the Third day of May, called Redmas day, to Those poore People that Constantly frequent Divine Service in the Parish Church of Pilton - £01:06s:0d
And five Shillings a year for Cleansing and Repaireing his Monnument there Erected. -------- £00:05s:00d
And five shillings, a year for Repaireing the Roofe of the Church, over the Same. Issueing out of Cubilittibone.
Alias Welshes Tenement, to be Levied by distress on any part of ye Tenement Temples Close Excepted -------- £00:05s:05d
And Also, Gave Twenty Pound In a Gilt Bowll and Salver, To the Churchwardens Successively For Ever, to be Used by the Communicants On Sacrament Days: -- £20:00s:00d
Thanks to St Mary's Church for permission to include this in the archive. An explanation of "Issueing out of Cubilittibone. Alias Welshes Tenement" can be found by following this link: http://vimp.thepiltonstory.org/document/DESCENT-OF-WELSHE%25E2%2580%2599...
According to the http://www.medicalgentlemen.co.uk website, in 1713 Christopher Lethbridge of Pilton also gave an annuity of 26s to be contributed as 12d (one shilling) of bread weekly between All Saints and 3rd May or Rudemas-day to poor people that attend Bow Church. In 1824 the combined income from the bequests of Christopher Lethbridge of Pilton and that of his uncle Christopher Lethbridge of Exeter (by his will of 17 Nov 1669) was being used to pay a baker to supply bread worth 3s 1d per week in the winter and 2s 1d in the summer to the poor of the Parish of Bow. Bread was still being distributed every Sunday after morning service in 1910, although the trustees were looking to change the terms so that aid in the form of coal or blankets could be distributed instead. At Christmas 1917, 10 blankets to a value of £6 19s 6d were distributed. Descendants of the Pilton branch of the Lethbridge family later owned much of the land in and around Bow.