Becent Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets, and Articles. 353 



William Forrester, died suddenly, October 26th, 1902, aged 69. 

 Buried at Lea. Born in London, educated at Rochester, articled to 

 Messrs. Willis and Burridge, solicitors, Shaftesbury, admitted a solicitor 

 1855. Came to Malmesbury in 1858, and set up the partnership of 

 Jones & Forrester, solicitors. Married, first. Miss Burridge, by whom 

 he had two sons, Prank and Hugh. Married, secondly, a daughter of 

 Col. Sweeny, who, with four sons and two daughters, survives him. He 

 was vice-chairman of the old Commissioners of Malmesbury for many 

 years, and when the new Corporation was founded, in 1886, he became 

 one of the aldermen, and remained so until his death. He was mayor 

 from 1896 to 1898. He took a leading part in promoting technical 

 education, and in other public business in Malmesbury, and was much 

 respected and esteemed. 



Long obit, notice, Devizes Gazette, October 30th, 1902. 



The Records of Quarter Sessions in the County of 



"Wilts. In the report of the Historical Manuscripts Commission 

 issued in 1901, " Report on Manuscripts in various collections. Vol. I.," 

 the Records of Quarter Sessions in the County of Wilts occupy pp. 

 65 — 176. It appears that Devonshire alone possesses quarter session 

 records older than those of Wiltshire. These are now preserved in the 

 County Record Room at Devizes, where, also, are the enclosure awards 

 of which a list is printed here. The records commence in the year 

 1574/5, and have been examined by the Commissioner down to 1700. 

 They consist of registers with abstracts of the orders and decisions of 

 the justices, and files in bundles, containing the original papers on which 

 the proceedings were taken. The matters dealt with are naturally of 

 very varied nature and interest. 



In 1603 there was a disturbance in the Church and churchyard before 

 morning prayer on Easter Day — a weaver and a ploughman denying in 

 the church the book of common prayer and the homilies, and saying 

 that the unpreaching minister could not rightly and had not power to 

 administer the sacraments, and tumultuously beset John Cohen, Vicar 

 of Box, in the churchyard. 



