This petition was given to the Legislative Assembly of Justices and Vestrymen. Stoke Newington Vestry consisted of 60 vestrymen, elected from five wards. The legislation creating the parish in 1685 provided for a select vestry of 34 vestrymen. Important and influential men attended The Falls Church and served as its vestrymen. The first vestrymen for Bruton Parish, named at its creation in 1674, were Col. The procession included many Philadelphia clergy and vestrymen. And Falls Church vestrymen George Mason, John West and Charles Broadwater were deeply involved. For electoral purposes, the parish was divided into four wards and had 120 elected vestrymen. Shippen joined the vestrymen who founded the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia in 1742. In 1815, 40% of vestrymen had titles and in 1845 it was half that. In the early years of the island, such vestrymen were powerful establishment figures. The parish elected twenty-four vestrymen to the Strand District Board of Works. Vestrymen presented the Queen with a symbolic "back rent" of 279 peppercorns. As such, vestrymen were required to take all relevant oaths of allegiance for public office.