1641-2 Protestation Returns

In 1641, every male over the age of 18 was required to sign an oath that declared their belief in the Protestant religion and allegiance to the King. Anyone who refused to sign was assumed to be a Papist. Since there were no reputed Papists in Bratton Clovelly at this time, this list of names should be a largely complete record of all adult males in the parish. Generally, the local officials who oversaw the declarations wrote out the names of those taking the oath. In the following list, the local officials are identified by their roles.