Vestry and levied a local tax on produce known as a tithe. The decline of the feudal system and, following the Reformation in the 16th century, the power of the Church, led to a new form of township or parish meeting, which dealt with both civil and ecclesiastical affairs. This new meeting was supervised by the parish priest, probably the best educated of the inhabitants, and it evolved to become the vestry meeting. As the complexity of rural society increased, the vestry meetings pragmatically acquired greater responsibilities, and were given the power to grant or deny payments from parish funds. Although
Vestry House Museum Vestry House Museum Vestry House Museum is a history museum in Walthamstow, focusing on the heritage of the local area. The collection includes various artifacts dating from the Victorian Era to the 20th Century including numerous archived documents and photographs. Vestry House was originally built as a workhouse and was later used as a police station and also as private housing (amongst the exhibits is a replica police cell demonstrating one of the building's previous uses). The building became a museum in 1931. On permanent display in the museum is the Bremer Car, the first British motor car with an