PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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PLYMSTOCK Plymstock was for centuries governed by the Vicar, Churchwardens, Petty Constable, Overseer of the Poor and Surveyor of Highways, with the practical support of the Parish Clerk. Because it was usual for these officers to meet in the Church vestry, they became known as Vestries. To be chosen to be a Churchwarden was thus a very important occasion for any man. After hundreds of years of rule by these handful of people, it all changed on March 5th 1894, with the coming into force of the Local Government Act 1894. This not only set up the Plympton St Mary Rural District Council but also required any parishes with more than 300 inhabitants to form a Parish Council. Thus, the Plymstock Parish Council was elected on December 4th 1894 and took over responsibility for most of the matters previously dealt with by the Vestry. Unlike the Vestries, this form of local government lasted less than a hundred years as from April 1st 1967 the Parish Council was dissolved when Plymstock was amalgamated in to the City of Plymouth.
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