guardians of the poor of the said union, to apply to the poor law board for their consent to the sale of the undermentioned premises, belonging to the said parish, and for their directions as to such sale, and for the application of the produce thereof to the permanent advantage of the said parish. [Here describe the premises, accurately, but concisely, stating whether the tenure is freehold, customary freehold, copyhold or leasehold, and whether subject to the payment of any quit or other rent. If any buildings are proposed to be sold, and it is considered desirable that the materials should be sold separately from the site, the circumstances should be stated. State also, when and how the parish became possessed of the property, and the trusts, if any exist, which affect the same. If the property has been built upon waste land, state whether it was so built with the consent of the lord of the manor, and the date of such consent.]

The said premises cannot conveniently be used for the purposes of the said union, and we are of opinion that the sale thereof will be of permanent advantage to the said parish, for the following reasons. [Here describe their condition, whether in a state of good repair or dilapidated; also in whose occupation, whether in that of paupers or not, or empty; and any other circumstances that may enable the guardians to judge of the desirableness of selling the property.]

The said premises are estimated to be of the value of · and yield an annual rent of We are also of opinion that it will be advisable to apply the proceeds of the sale, after deducting the expenses thereof, in the following manner, to the permanent advantage of the parish. [Say whether as contribution to the union workhouse, or to what other purpose; if to pay a debt, say when it was contracted, by whom, for what purpose, and how such debt is secured; if to discharge a mortgage, state by whom and when created, the name of the mortgagee, and to what objects the money was applied.]

Request to the Poor Law Board to consent to Sale.

The guardians of the poor of the union, being fully satisfied that the sale of the premises described in the annexed application will be of permanent advantage to the parish of do hereby request the poor law board to consent that the said guardians may sell the said premises, under the provisions of an Act passed in the sixth year of the reign of His late Majesty King William IV., intituled "An Act to facilitate the conveyance of Workhouses and other Property of Parishes and of Incorporations or Unions of Parishes in England and Wales," and that the said poor-law board will issue such rules, orders, or regulations touching such sale, and the conveyance of the said premises, and the application of the produce thereof for the permanent advantage of the said parish, as they may see fit in that behalf.

In testimony whereof the said guardians have hereunto affixed their common seal, this· day of —, 185—.

Witness,

Union
Seal.

Clerk to the board of guardians.

Declaratory of Possessory Title.*

Parish.

Union.

I,

County.
of

[insert the christian and surname, and place of abode, and quality of the declarant at full length: if the declarant believe that he was born at that place, state the

This is to be altered according to the state of facts to which the declarant can speak.-It should be carefully read over by or to the declarant, who should not be an illiterate person or a marksman.-Two or more persons may join in the declaration, each speaking to the facts within his knowledge. If there be any exception of qualification to any of the facts declared, it should be stated in the same paragraph as the fact which it affects.

fact], do solemnly and sincerely declare that I am
of age, and that I have resided at
past.

for

years

years last

That I well know the property proposed to be sold by the guardians of the poor of the · union, with the approbation of the poor law board, consisting of [describe the property in the terms used in the former papers, and if there be not here space enough, annex a schedule], in the parish of

That for the whole period of

years last past [the period of possession must not be less than twenty years last], during which I have known the same, the said premises have been in the possession of the churchwardens and overseers of the poor of the said parish of —

That the said buildings have been from time to time repaired out of the poor rates of the said parish of · [If the declarant have held the office of overseer, and disbursed money in repairs, state the fact. In some cases the annexation of extracts from the parish accounts and books may conduce to establish this and the following fact.]

That the churchwardens and overseers of the said parish have from time to time let the said premises, and placed therein such of the paupers of the said parish as they, or the parochial vestry thought fit; and that [if rents were received by the overseers, state the fact].

That I do not know, and have never known or heard of the said premises being subject to any charitable or other trust, or incumbrance.

That I do not know, and have never known or heard of any adverse claim having been made by any person, to any part of the said premises, and that I believe the same to be the exclusive and indisputable property of the churchwardens and overseers of the said parish.

That I verily believe that no deeds or writings relating to the said premises are in the possession, power, or procurement of the parish officers, or do exist.

That I verily believe that the said premises are not of leasehold nor of copyhold tenure.

And I make this solemn declaration, conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the provision of an Act passed in the 5th and 6th years of the reign of King William the Fourth, intituled "An Act to repeal an "Act of the present session of parliament, intituled An Act "for the more effectual abolition of oaths and affirmations ""taken or made in various departments of the state, and "to substitute declarations in lieu thereof, and for the

"more entire suppression of voluntary and extra-judicial "oaths and affidavits,' and to make provisions for the "abolition of unnecessary oaths."

The parish clerk is appointed by the parson, vicar, or other minister (Can. 91); or otherwise, by custom. Jermyn's case, Cro. Jac. 670. He has his office for life (Townsend v. Thorpe, 2 L. Raym. 1507; 2 Str. 776); but he may be removed by the parson, &c., for sufficient cause (R. v. Warren, Cowp. 370), or by the archdeacon or other ordinary. 7 & 8 Vict. c. 59, s. 5. After being appointed, he is usually licensed by the ordinary. 3 Burn, Ecc. Law. 67.

By stat. 7 & 8 Vict. c. 59, s. 2, a person in holy orders, (deacon's or priest's orders,) may be elected church clerk, parish clerk, or chapel clerk.

SEXTON.

The sexton is an officer appointed by the parishioners, or, by custom, by the minister. His duties are, to sweep the church and keep it clean; to dig the graves, deposit the coffins therein, and make good the surface soil; and to perform such other duties as the churchwardens may assign to him. He is paid by the churchwardens. He holds his office for life or otherwise, according to the custom in that respect.

VESTRIES.

This subject will be considered under the following heads:1. Parish Vestries, p. 401.

2. Vestries appointed under stat. 1 & 2 W. 4, c. 60, p. 418. 3. Select Vestries, p. 430.

1. Parish Vestries.

Statutes relating to Parish Vestries, p. 402.
Vestry Meetings, p. 402.

Their Power and Duties in respect of Highways, p. 406.
Their Power and Duties in other respects, p. 410.

A parish vestry is an assembly of the inhabitants of a parish, met together for the despatch of the affairs and business of the parish. 4 Burn, Ecc. Law, 8. The like assemblies may be holden of the inhabitants of a township, hamlet, or vill, separately maintaining its own poor; and although such an assembly cannot of course be termed a parish vestry, yet it has all the same power and authority with respect to the district for which it is holden, that a parish vestry possesses with respect to the parish, and is regulated in the same way. By stat. 58 G. 3, c. 69, which regulates parish vestries, it is provided by sect. 7, that all provisions, authorities, and directions in this Act contained, in relation to parishes, shall extend and be construed to extend to all townships, vills, and places having separate overseers of the poor, and maintaining their poor separately;-and that all the directions and regulations herein contained in regard to vestries, shall extend and be applied to all meetings which may by law be holden of the inhabitants of any parish, township, vill, or place for any of the purposes in this Act expressed ;—and that the notices by this Act required to be given of every vestry may, in places in which there is or shall be no parish church or chapel, or where there shall not be divine service in such church or chapel, be given and published in such manner as notices of the like nature shall have been there usually given and published, or as shall be most effectual for communicating the same to the inhabitants of every such parish, township, vill, or place respectively. 58 G.3, c. 69, s. 7. This Act only extends to England and Wales (Id. s. 11); it does not extend to any parish in the city of London or borough of Southwark (Id. ss. 9, 10); and it must not be understood as at all affecting or altering the time of holding any vestry, parish, or town meeting, or the time of holding any vestry, parish, or town meeting, which is by the authority of any Act required to be holden on any certain day, or within