On this day in Wembury — 5 February 1848

The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette reported that the Reverend Richard Lane had been licensed to the Perpetual Curacy of Wembury, following the resignation of the Reverend George Mallett Scott. The appointment was made on the nomination of Charles Biggs Calmady, Esq., of Langdon Hall, the principal landowner and patron of the living.

This marked a significant change in Wembury’s ecclesiastical leadership during a period of religious and social transition. The Calmady family had long exercised influence over church appointments, reflecting the intertwined authority of land, parish, and faith in 19th-century Devon. The post of Perpetual Curate was effectively that of the resident minister, responsible for the day-to-day spiritual care of the parish, often under the financial patronage of the local squire.

Reverend Lane’s arrival continued Wembury’s tradition of educated clergymen serving small but active rural congregations along the South Devon coast, maintaining the close relationship between Langdon Hall and St Werburgh’s Church that shaped parish life for much of the Victorian era.

Source: Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 5 February 1848.