In 1808 Richard assumed what were to be the first of a long line of public duties: he became the Chiddingly Headborough and also the Assessor and Collector of Government Taxes. Unfortunately the pre-1823 Minute books for the Chiddingly Vestry no longer exist so it is not possible to discover the stages by which Richard Lower came to be nominated for these posts. As the schoolmaster and a man who owned a substantial house, he must have counted as one of the “principal inhabitants of the parish” who made up the Vestry. He also had abilities that could not be ignored, because they were rarely available to the administration of a rural parish: he was an educated man familiar with keeping accounts and able to write clear, accurate English. Nevertheless, as far as Chiddingly was concerned, the Lowers were still something of “outlanders” and its Vestry did not nominate Richard to a post that involved handling parish money as such until he had lived among them for seventeen years.

As an Assessor and Tax Collector he handled Government money. He had to calculate what each man liable had to pay at the current declared rate, collect it and hand it over to the Receiver General when that official visited the area. Probably he received a small commission on the cash he handled, which would have been a welcome addition to his income.

His precise duties as the Chiddingly Headborough are not know. This post was a very ancient office, possibly dating back to Saxon times, but by 1808 its duties varied considerably from parish to parish. In 1784 in Tooting, Surrey, the Headborough also acted as the Beadle and the Bellman and wore a gold-laced hat, coat and collar like Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist. In Brighton in 1800 the “Beadle and Cryer” appointed by the Churchwardens and the Overseers of the Poor was responsible for keeping the accounts and minutes for parish affairs generally and for poor relief, church matters and highway repairs. He had also “to go round the town with the officers to make the militia list and likewise to officiate as Headborough in the town but not elsewhere and to be sworn for that purpose.” In Mitcham in 1801, he was a part of the Vestry, which in all parishes then was a cross between a modern District Council and the local office of the Department of Health and Social Security.

In general, then, the Headborough was a petty constable, nominated by the parish but responsible directly to the County Justices for local law enforcement such as serving summonses and executing warrants. He handled little parish money but probably received a small fee for his services. If he were confronted with a situation where force were needed, he would have to refer the matter back to the Justices for them to take further action.

~