144 Hungerford. 



" which they had seen and heard read." That they had at all times of 

 the year "free ingress, egress, and regress upon the banks of the 

 river," and in the exercise of that right had met with only one inter- 

 ruption which was resisted, and they were never afterwards troubled 

 nor stoned for the same. That there were bye- laws relating to the 

 fishery, and that persons had been punished by amercement, and 

 by having their nets burnt for offending against these laws, and 

 " that the poor Inhabitants would be starved " if the fishery were 

 taken from them. 



But an end has at length come to the vicissitudes of the manor 

 of Hungerford. In the year 1613, a covenant was entered into 

 between the Crown and the inhabitants of Hungerford by which 

 the manor " was for ever granted, sold, bargained, and confirmed 

 to the heirs and assigns of the latter." ^ The deed conveying this 

 settlement lies on the table. And here I will mention one 

 circumstance illustrative of the perfect nature of this transfer. 

 In the j'^ear 1675, one John Boon, an inhabitant of Hungerford, 

 was convicted of felony, and his lands were in consequence forfeited 

 to the town. Is not this a fact of special significance with respect 

 to the mode in which the Manorial Rights are held ? From the 

 perusal of this chequered history of the manor, we learn that 

 although the inhabitants of Hungerford have from early times 

 possessed certain privileges, they have not been allowed uninter- 

 ruptedly to enjo}' them. Their cup of rejoicing has been mingled 

 with occasional drops of bitterness. Their "great heaven of blue " 

 has from time to time been obscured by clouds, which big with the 

 wrath of powerful noblemen, threatened to overwhelm them with 

 a deluge, fatal to all their rights and liberties. Although they 

 uniformly basked in the sunshine of the King's favor, his glory 

 was sometimes suddenly extinguished, and the people of Hunger- 

 ford who had shared his popularity, shared also his defeat and his 

 shame. The manorial rights include the privileges of the Hock- 

 tide, &c., the privileges of the common, and the appointment of 

 manorial officers, such as bailiffs, hay ward, &c., and are held by virtue 



1 The nominees of the Crown were Eldred and Wbitmore. Those of the 

 Town, Lucas, Field, Carpenter, and Mackerell. 



