68 Brlestoke and its Manor Lords. 



county of Devon, the castle of Exeter, the city of Winchester, and 

 the following manors in various counties : — Powerstock (Dorset), 

 Banstead (Surrey), Langford (Wilts), Eastwood and Ne\vland 

 (Essex), and Geytiayton (Northants). It was also covenanted that 

 the dower lands of Matthew's mother were to revert to him at her 

 death with remainder to the King, as also certain lands in Haxton 

 (Wilts) and Tweleghe (Gloucester), which Joan, the wife of Walter 

 Becke, presumably a sister of Matthew Fitz-John, held by his gift 

 in free marriage.^ 



The castle and park of Devizes and the two forests were handed 

 over to Matthew Fitz-John by Ralph de Sandwich on May 31st, 

 1287, and in the following July an inquisition was held by the 

 King's order that he might be certified as to the condition in which 

 they had been received by the new governor. The report of the 

 jurors stated that eveiything was in proper condition and contained 

 a list of articles in the castle that Matthew had received, among 

 which was a pair of " manicles " called " grym." - The records 

 contain several notices of what his duties as governor were : in 

 1290 he had to let the Bishop of Salisbury have ten bucks from 

 the park; in 1291 Hugh le Despenser was to be allowed to fell 

 and carry away ten oaks, and later, thirteen more from the forests 

 of Chippenham and Pcuesham ; in 1294 John de Tregoz being in 

 Gascony in the King's service, his wife and family were allowed 

 to reside at the castle, and Matthew had to provide fuel for their 

 fires, and to give them ten bucks from Melksham and Chippenham 

 forests ; and in the same year he received an order to release 

 William Moriz, who was undergoing imprisonment for trespass,^ 

 and at one time Matthew himself got into trouble through some 

 transgression against the laws of vert and venison, and was 

 threatened with forfeiture of his office, but was allowed to redeem 



^Feet of Fines, divers counties, 13 to 17 Edward I., No. 184; Cal. Close 

 Rolls, An. 1287, p. 480; Pat. Boll (105), 15 Edw. I., m. 2 ; Close Roll { Hi) 

 3 Edw. II., m. 20d. At the death of Joan Becke Haxton did not revert to 

 Matthew, as arranged, but was granted to John de Flemenge [Escheat or s 

 In<i., 23 Edw. I., Ser. I., File 8, No. 15 ; Ahh. Plac, p. 219) 



- Inq.p. m., 15 Edw. L, No. 39, ed. Wilts Arch. Soc. 

 ■' Cal. Close Rolls, passim. 



