By the Rev. F. H. Manley. 303 
title to the estate; that it originally belonged to Agnes Bailey, 
holder under the Dutchie of Lancaster, but, she being suspected of 
practising witchcraft, departed out of the country and never after 
returned, nor any person of her heirs claimed the premises, but the 
same escheated to Queen Elizabeth or King James. To this the 
-feoffees, in their answer, stated that Agnes Bailey was not at any 
time seized of the cottage or had any estate in the same, but was 
permitted in charity to dwell in the tenement at a small rent, 
which was paid for the use of the Church. And further, that the 
estate had been granted by Queen Elizabeth, and that John Mayo, 
the grandfather of John Mayo, one of the defendant feoffees, was 
seized in fee in trust for the reparation of the Church of Broad 
Somerford or other charitable uses. A copy of the original 
pleadings in this suit are in the hands of the trustees, but several 
pages have now been lost. The plaintiff's case could hardly have 
been a strong one, and was, no doubt, only pressed owing to the 
disturbances of the time. The defendants, however, had some 
difficulty in producing legal documents to establish their position, 
ecause they pleaded “that they are not bound by the rules of the 
courte to sette forth their particular title to the tenement and 
ings in question, whereby the plaintiff may picke a hole in the 
see ventie years together, and the possession gone accordingly in 
the defendants and those under whom they clayme and their lesees, 
and they say they have knowne certaine writings concerning the 
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a 
a windowe of the church was broke open and the boxe carryed 
away by means wherof the defendants, as they conceive, are much 
lisabled to sett forth their title to the premises in case they are 
compelled so to doe.” Despite their doubts and difficulties, the 
is wife Sarah’s, and son John’s lives, for £32, and reserved rent 
XXXIL—NO. XCV. Y 
