Notices in Domesday Book. 253 



part of the record, as will be seen from the extracts given in the 

 foot-note on the preceding page, we have this holding again referred 

 to, and the name of the tenant holding under Ernulf de Hesding 

 was one Robert. Now it so happens that the immediately adjoining 

 estate of Lavington (West) was held by Robertus Flavus, that is 

 (as the Normans would say) Robert \q Blond (=the/a«>). This 

 name became afterwards in plain English, " Robert Blount^ Entries 

 can be produced from various records shewing how for many centuries 

 the " Blount " family were connected with Potterne, Etchilhampton, 

 and Lavington.' I congratulate my friend Mr. Stancomb on 

 shewing himself so appreciative an archaeologist, in perpetuating in 

 his newly-built mansion the name Blouxt's Court, which connects 

 it so closely with an old holder who lived in this neighbourhood 

 5ome 800 years ago. 



One word more about the Domesday entry — there were on this 

 manor some twenty -nine villani (or villans) , that is what we should 

 now call " yeomen or copyholders,^^ each with (say) some 30 or 40 

 acres of arable land, to which was annexed in every instance a cer- 

 tain quantity of pasture, meadow, and wood. Altogether it was a 

 well-tilled estate, and if a rough guess might be made of probable 

 population one might say, that as there are some ninety persons 

 mentioned as tenants or dependents, and these may represent heads 

 of families, there was a population here in these early days of be- 

 tween four hundred and five hundred persons. 



But we must pass on now to the days when Bishop Osmund be- 

 came in virtue of his office the owner of the manor of Potteme. 

 Indeed, the early history of this manor derives much of its interest 

 from being, so to speak, intertwined with that of its Bishops. 



Before however we speak of Bishop Osmund, a passing notice 

 must be made of a memorial of these early days, which still remains. 



'Thns in Testa de Nevil we have at pp. 141, 153, the record of one Knight's 

 fee held at " Lavinton " by Roger Gernon " de Willtlmo Blundo." The fee 

 was still as at the time of Domesday held by William Blount of the King as 

 chief lord. In the Inquis. Nonar. (1340) we have " Galfridus le Blount " 

 among the jurors in the account of the prebends of Potteme and Lavington 

 Episcopi. — Jones' " Domesday for Wilts," p, 126. 



