160 Recent Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets, Articles, &c. 



It is noted that the King presented to the Kectory in 1391, on account 

 of the minority of Reginald Cobham, who was almost certainly the 

 person who was burnt as a heretic in 1413. " He is said to walk still on 

 Steenbrook Hill, carrj'ing his head under his arm . . . another 

 version of the legend narrates that he appears without clothes . . . 

 which probably had its origin in the fact that heretics who were burnt 

 were usually stripped of most of their clothing before being bound to the 

 stake." 



There is also the following interesting note : — " It has often been 

 enquired why Peckingell should formerly have been included in the 

 parish of Kington St. Michael. The facts are these. Peckingell was 

 originally a part of the parish and manor of Langley Burrell. But the 

 Abbot of Glastonbury, to whom Langley Fitzurse belonged, was dis- 

 satisfied with the amoun ^d quality of his pasture. In the year 1240 

 therefore he obtained IK .es of rich pasture land known as Peckingell, 

 either by gift or purchase ;om the lord of the manor of Langley Burrell, 

 and attached it to his 'n manor and to the parish of Kington St. 

 Michael. This re-arran^ rient of the parish continued in force . . . 

 until about twenty years iigo, when Peckingell reverted to Langley 

 Burrell under the Divided Parishes Act." 



The Defence of the Realme by Sir Henry Enyvett, 

 1596, now for the first time printed from an MS. 

 in the Chetham Library, Manchester, with an 

 Introduction by C. Hughes, at the Clarendon 



Press, MCMVI. Limp white Covers, 7|in. X 5in., pp. 

 xxxvi + 75., admirably printed with wide margins in old-faced type. 



Sir Henry Knyvett's title is " A brief treatis or rather a project of a 

 course to be taken for the defence of this Realme against all forraine 

 invasion & for the necessarie service of the same in all other actions of 

 warre, scribled in hast and finished the xix"- of Aprill, 1596." 



The author of this treatise was Sir Henry Knyvett, of Charlton, near 

 Malmesbury, brother of Thomas, afterwards Lord Knyvett of Escrick. 

 He was wounded at the siege of Leith, and received the Queen's special 

 commendation for his conduct there. He afterwards held a Captain's 

 command at Berwick and served on two occasions in Scotland. He 

 married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir James Stumpe, of 

 Charlton, whose father, William Stumpe, was the rich clothier who 

 bought Malmesbury Abbey and Charlton at the dissolution. Sir James 

 Stumpe married a Baynton of Bromham. 



Sir H. Knyvett's daughter Catherine married, 1st, Richard Rich, and 

 2nd, Lord Thomas Howard in 1583. Sir Henry Knyvett was High 

 Sheriff of Wilts in 1577. His wife dying in 1588 he married secondly 

 the daughter of Sir John Sydenham, and widow of John Fitz by whom 

 he had no issue. He was one of the Deputy Lieutenants for ordering 

 the County Musters of Wilts against the Armada in 1588. He died 

 June 14th, 1598, and was buried with much pomp at Charlton, where a 





