Recorder of Barnstaple Recorder of Barnstaple The Recorder of Barnstaple was a recorder, a form of senior judicial officer, usually an experienced barrister, within the jurisdiction of the Borough of Barnstaple in Devon. He was usually a member of the local North Devonshire gentry. The position of recorder of any borough carried a great deal of prestige and power of patronage. The recorder of a borough was often entrusted by the mayor and corporation to nominate its Members of Parliament, as was the case with Sir Hugh I Pollard (fl. 1536, 1545), Recorder of Barnstaple, who in 1545 nominated the two MP's to
Guildhall, Barnstaple 1749; and an 18 inch long oar c1780 signifying an Admiralty warrant for the Mayor in his capacity as Water Bailiff for the Port of Barnstaple. It is inscribed "John Morse Esq., Mayor" on one side, and "Barnstaple Water Bailiff" on the other. The smaller oar signifies the Admiralty warrant of Harbourmaster and would have been worn by Barnstaple's Harbourmaster like a piece of jewellery. Also displayed in this room is a small collection of ship models made by French prisoners-of-war from the Napoleonic Wars. The Mayor's Parlour was created in 1922 out of the former charge-room and cell and