294 Customs of Wishford and Barford in Grovely Forest. 



(v.) p. 23. 1603. Sum ' of the ancient Custom 



belonging to 



Wishford and Barford 



out of the 



Forest of Groveley. 



Here foUoweth a true recital of the some ' of old ancient and laudable 

 customs belonging and in right appertaining to the Manners of Great 

 Wishford and Barford Saint Martin in the Countie of Wilts. 



IMPRIMIS. The Lords and Freeholders of Wishford Magna^ by ancient 

 Custom have ever had, and by right may and ought to have for 

 themselves and all their Tenants, common of Pasture for all manner 

 of Beasts and Cattle, throughout all Grovely at all times of the year,-'' 

 except for Cattle of two-teeth * and Goats, and Pigs above one year old in 

 the Fence Month only.^ 



And no other person whatsoever besides them have any common there, or 

 may in Right put in any Beast or Cattle whatsoever, save only the Lord, 

 Freeholders, and Tenants of Barford Saint Martin, who may common in all 

 places of the Forest on the South Side of Grimes Dike commonly called the 

 Trench, and have Chace and Rechace' over the Trench, but may not Stall. 

 And the Ranger for the time being hath Common there for one Nag and 

 two Calves only, but for no more nor any other thing. 

 Only the Occupier of St. Johannes Hospital in Ditchampton'' near Wilton, 



^"Sum," — "the some," i.e., summary. It is printed in So&re' a Modern 

 Wilts, Dunworth, pp. 187—8 {" H."), where the spelling of the early 

 Jacobean original is more closely followed than it is in our copy from the 

 Rector of Wishford's Notebook. For some account of the still earlier docu- 

 ment, an 18th century transcript of the Pembroke Terrier, in the Blackmore 

 Museum (" B ") see below, and the footnotes to our text. 

 ' Wishford and Barford : B. 



3 << For all the year " : B. The common-herdsman used to collect the cattle 

 under an old tree, known as the "Penning Tree." (W. L. in Salisbury 

 Journal, March, 1885.) 



* " Except cattle of two tooth " : B. Latin, hidentes. 



* " In the fence month only." This appears to be the true reading also 

 in MS. B. — The Fence Month: "mensis vetitus," "mensis prohibitionis," 

 "positus in defense," the thirty days, consisting of fifteen before and fourteen 

 after Midsummer Day with St. John Baptist's Day itself included (June 9th 

 to July 8th). See T. Blount, Late Dictionari/ , 1671, &c. (Dr. Straton 

 appears to have read " the foure months." See p. 283 above). 



* i.e., a droveway to and from pasture. 



' St. John's in Ditchampton, in Burcombe parish, now known as St. John's 

 Hospital, Wilton, founded by Bishop Herbert in 1189. 



