John Waldron (died 1579)

His name is sometimes confused with "Walrond" a prominent and ancient gentry family long seated at Bradfield House in the parish of Uffculme, Devon, about 6 miles east of Tiverton.

Waldron was one of the overseers of the will, by which he was granted discretion to purchase land annuities or yearly rents "for the maintenance and relief of some of the poor people of the town and parish of Tiverton.

Waldron executed a deed poll dated 18 September 1575 by which he gave, granted and confirmed to John Waldron, junior, and Thomas Boutey, guardians of Tiverton Church, and to their successors and to ten other persons an annuity or yearly rent of £10 and 13 shillings to be issuing out of certain messuages and lands in Tiverton, to hold the same annuity unto the said guardians and their successors, and to the said trustees and their heirs for ever.

And he appointed, that the said church gnardians and their successors should collect and receive the said rent of £10 13 shillings out of the said lands, and dispose of the same weekly among six of the most needy, poor, impotent and indigent persons of the said town and parish, by them to be nominated and chosen; that is to say, eight pence a week, to each, making in the whole £10 8 shillings, the churchwardens, or as many of them as should execute the trusts, retaining the remaining five shillings between them for their pains; such payments to be made weekly to the poor persons so appointed, and to continue for their lives, unless they should he guilty of some notorions crime, or be of dissolute lives, in which case some others should be appointed in their rooms; and it was directed, that when the trustees should he reduced to three, the survivors should convey the annuity to eight other trustees, together with the churchwardens".

The porch is surmounted by a stone parapet, profusely decorated with relief sculpture, including ships and elephants, indicating Waldron's membership of the Guinea Company and his involvement in the Ivory trade.

[15] On the exterior wall of the Chapel is a small black tablet inscribed: The bell measuring about 18 inches in diameter, was made in 1539 by Aelbert Hackman in the Duchy of Cleves in the Holy Roman Empire.

His landholdings included the following: He died on 18 July 1579, as is recorded on the sculpted inscription on his almshouses, and his will, in which he calls himself "John Waldron, Gentleman, of Tiverton", was proved on 14 August 1579.