STRAY NOTES, PREHISTORIC, SAXON, AND NORMAN. 225 



'' Aungr Hundred. The order of the gathering and yearly making of the 

 Wardstaffe of the King there, with the due course and circumstance of the yearly 

 Watch Ward and Service Royall incident to the same, i.e., First, The Bailiffe 

 of the said Libertie or Hundred shall gather and yearly make the Wardstaffe of 

 some Willow Bough growing in Abbasse Roothing Wood, the Sunday next before 

 Hock Monday,^! which shall containe in length three quarters of a yard and eight 

 inches round in compasse or thereabouts. .And hee shall convey the same 

 ymediately unto the Mannor Place of Ruckwood Hall in Abbasse Roothing 

 aforesaid where the Lord of the said Manor for the tyme being shall reverently 

 the same receive into his house, and shall rowUe itt upp in a fair lynnen cloth or 

 towell, and so lay it upon some Pillowe or Cushion on a table or cubberd stand- 

 ing in the chiefe or highest place in the Hall of the said Maner Place, there to 

 remain until the said Bailiffe shall have refreshed himself. And when the said 

 Bailiffe shall see convenient tyme to departe he shall con^■ey the same Staffe by 

 sunne shineing unto Wardhatch Lane beside Long Barnes in Roothing aforesaid, 

 when and where the said Lord of Ruckwood Hall and all and everie other ten- 

 nant and tennants, landowners, which by reason of their Tenure doe hould their 

 lands likewise by service Royall, to watch and warde the said staff there upon 

 convenient summons and warning to be given unto them yearly by the said Lord 

 of Ruckwood Hall for the time being with their full ordinarie number of able 

 men well harnished with sufficient weapon shall attend. Where uppon the Lord 

 of Ruckwood Hall shall then and there yearly, at his proper costs and charges, 

 have ready prepared a great Rope called a Barr, with a Bell hanging on the end 

 of the same — which he shall cause to be extended overthwart the said Lane as the 

 custom hath beene to stay and arrest such people as would pass by. .\tt the 

 end of which said Barr, not far from the said Bell, shall be laid down reverently 

 the said Staffe upon a Pillowe or Cushion on the grounde, which done forthwith 

 the said Bailiffe shall call the names of all the aforesaid tenants, landowners who 

 shall present their said ordinarie number of men accordingly. Then shall the 

 said Bailiffe in the King our soveraigne Lord's name, straightlie charge and 

 command them and everie of them to watch and keep the Ward in due silence, 

 soe that the King be harmless and the Countree scapeless until the sunne arising, 

 when good houre shall be for the said Lord of Ruckwood Hall to repaire unto 

 the said Staffe, who in the presence of the whole Watch shall take the same 

 Staffe into his hand, and' shall make uppon the u])per rind of the same with a 

 knife a score or notch as a mark or token declaring their loyall service done lor 

 that year in this behalfe. And soe shall deliver the said Staffe unto the Bailiffe, 

 sending it unto the Lord or Land Owner of the Mannor of Fiffield, or unto the 

 Tennant resiant, saying this notable narracion of the Wardstaffe, hereafter written 

 in the Sa.xon tongue, which done they may hale up the said Barr and depart at 

 their pleasure. 



THE TALE, TALLYING OR CUTTING OF THE \VARDSTAF FE. 

 The Bailiff'e of the Liberty 



Iche athied '^ the staffe byleve 

 Thanne staffe iche toke byleve 

 Byleve iche will tellen '^ 

 Now the staffe have Iche got 



11 2nd Sun. after Easter. 



12 cut. 



13 tally or score. 



