Ashburton Court Leet, Portreeve, Ale Tasters and Bread Weighers

Ashburton's court leet is a manor court that once dealt with disputes and nuisances, and it is still held, in St Lawrence Chapel. A steward chooses a jury from a list of freeholders, and the jury appoints the portreeve. Until 1822 the courts of the two lords of the manor were held separately in alternate years, and in that year they were joined. From 1894 the court lost its administrative power and became largely social and ceremonial.

The portreeve is Ashburton's chief magistrate, chosen each year, and acts as the returning officer at parliamentary elections. The portreeve's chain of office has 55 silver gilt links, each inscribed with the name and dates of a portreeve from 1831 to 1932. A bailiff is also chosen every year, and the court appoints ale tasters and bread weighers, two of each in 1950. The portreeve, bailiff and court leet were not affected by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. Ashburton is one of only a few towns that still appoint a portreeve, the others named being Laugharne, Beccles, Callington and Yeovil.

Ashburton was also one of Devon's stannary towns, a centre for administering tin mining, and it is the largest town in Dartmoor National Park.