Potterne in the Sixteenth Century. 267 



at the stake, the first three at Salisbury and the last at The Devizes, 

 for their refusing' to accept the teachings of Rome, the fires of per- 

 secution did not reach Potterne. Almost about the same time, in 

 fact, they seem to have found means to effect some repairs in this 

 church, for there is the date 1528 still to be seen beneath the belfry 

 floor. 



Some years later John Beare, Rector of Devizes from 1566-1570, 

 seems to have been deprived of his living for some cause or other, 

 but his contemporary at Potterne, John Bower, was undisturbed 

 in his less ambitious and certainly more peaceful post. 



Still there were at times occasional disturbances at Potterne. Thus 

 in a Longleat MS., among the Protector Somerset's accounts kept 

 by a steward we have this entry : " 1542. Paid to William Hunt 

 the 4th June with letters to London to my Lord concerning the 

 Rising and Uproar at Potterne in Wiltshire the space of three days, 

 four shillings." We have no clue to the cause of this excitement. 



One fact may be noticed in connection with this period, viz., that 

 the manor seems henceforth to have been regularly leased to a lord 

 farmer (as people used to call him) — the Finnarius, as he is styled 

 in old deeds, or person who held the estate adjinnam, or on farm. 

 At times the Lessee made appointments to the living. Thus in 1558 

 John Bower was nominated to the vicarage by one bearing the same 

 name, his father possibly, who held the manor under the bishop. 



The Valor Ecclesiasticus returns the net value of the manor in 

 1540 at £139 45. lO^J., and of the prebendal estate at £26. The 

 vicarage was estimated at £20 6«. 8f/. Val. Eccl. ii., 145. 



In 1553 (Edward VI.) the Commissioners appointed for the survey 

 of church goods, who for Wilts were Sir A. Hungerford, Sir W. 

 Sherrington, and Sir W. Wroughton, made due enquiry at Potterne. 

 They returned " four bells and a sanctus bell,'' but make no entry 

 of communion plate at all. (Wilts Mag., xii., 365.) Did the good 

 folks at Potterne borrow a hint from their neighbours at Cannings 

 (for to them I believe the tale about the moon-rakers and their 

 feigned simpleness is generally attributed) and hide the plate from 

 the too curious eyes of the commissioners in some pond or elsewhei*e, 

 to be duly produced again when Sir Anthony and his friends were 



