194 



%lt fep^ndl Carfulatg. 



By the Rev. J. Silvester Davies. 



[Read at the Trowbridge Meeting of the Society, July 8th, 1901, when the 

 3fS. itself was exhibited J\ 



?HE Tropenell Cartulary " (Thomas Tropenell, builder of 

 Great Chalfield Manor House), a book known to Aubrey 

 in the latter half of the 17th century, and known since his time 

 but lost sight of for many years. Its loss is lamented in Hoare's 

 Wilts, V. II., 116; Jackson's Auhrey, pp. 2, 20, 82, &c. ; Walker's 

 Great Chalfield, p. 25, and by others. It came into my possession, 

 some few years ago. 



(1.) One word on the fortunes and disappearance of the book 

 and on its return to life. The book was commenced in 1464, and 

 was added to till towards the end of Ti'openell's life in 1488 ; and 

 it is certain that it remained with Tropenell's family till the 

 original property was divided in the middle of the 16th century 

 (about 1550), when Anne, the eldest daughter of Thomas or Giles 

 Tropenell, who married John Eyre, of Wedhampton, succeeded to 

 the Great Chalfield and Monks estates. The book then continued 

 with the Eyres of Great Chalfield, Monks, &c., till the Monks estate 

 was sold by Sir William Eyre (apparently in 1599) to the Danvers 

 family. The book then evidently, for some reason or other, passed 

 with the Monks estate to the Danvers family, and in 1695 the 

 owner of that estate, and the possessor of the book, writes in it 

 two copious notes on family matters — of which hereafter. Not 

 long after this. Monks was sold again, and a few years later passed 

 to a Mr. Dickinson, who is said to have possessed the book in 1744. 

 Certainly he did possess it ; and just inside the cover, on the verso 

 of the coloured leaf, his name occurs. It has been erased with a 

 knife, but is just distinguishable, when otherwise known : — 

 " K Dickinson, Esq., Monks, Wilts." I do not find any trace of a 



