290 Ancient Statutes of Heyteshury Almshouse. 



hospital, a code of rules is referred to : but Sir R. C. Hoare had 

 never seen it. He says [Heytesbury, p. 134, note'], "The Ancient 

 Statutes are not now in existence, being replaced by new ones 

 compiled 12 Charles I." These new ones were dated 19th September, 

 1633, 9 [not 12] Charles I : but they have been in their turn super- 

 seded by a still newer scheme of the year 1856. 



I met, many years ago, with the original statutes, in a fine 

 Chartulary of the Hungerford family in the possession of the late 

 Right Hon. Henry Hobhouse, of Hadspen, co. Somerset. They 

 are very curious, and the more so from being written in the 

 English language : official documents of that period having 

 generally been in Latin : but for the purpose of being occasionally 

 studied by the inmates of the almshouse, the vulgar tongue was in 

 this case necessary. The detail and stringency of the rules are 

 also remarkable. The " Code of Laws " for the twelve poor old 

 men and one woman could hardly have been more minute and 

 elaborate had it been prepared for the establishments of 

 Greenwich or Chelsea. 



J. E. J. 



Here follow the laudable Ordinances and Statutes of the 

 Almes House of "Walter Hungerford and Robert Hungerford 

 HIS son, late Lords of Hungerford and of Heithesbury, made 



AND ORDAINED BY THE VeNERABLE LaDY MarGARET LaDY HunGER- 

 FORD AND BoTREAUX, LATE WIFE OF THE SAID RoBERT. 



To all y" childerne of our moder the holy Church to whom thise 

 present letters shall come, Margarete yat was y" wiff of Robard 

 sumtyme Lord Hungerford, Knyght, John Cheyne of Pynne, and 

 John Mervyn, Equyers, Greting in our Lorde everlasting. 



Sen we, bi y^ Kyngis letters, wherof y^ date is y' xx"' day of 

 Feverer y' yere of y^ raigne of Kyng Edward y" Fourth after y° 

 Conquest y" xi'\ of y^ licence graunte and auctorite ofy'saide 

 Kyng, have reised, made, founded, create, and stablisshed an 

 Almeshous of oone Chapeleyn, xii pouermen and a woman perpetuat: 

 wherof y^ same Chapeleyn of y^ same hous shalbe keper and war- 

 deyn at Haytesbury in y'' Counte of Wilteshire, for to do and say 



