82 Brlestohe and its Manor Lords. 



has to be remembered that there was another mill at Erlestoke, 

 belonging to Montacute Priory, which had all the profits coming 

 from the grinding of the tenants' corn. Lastly, the receipts from 

 pleas and perquisites of the courts were small because of the limited 

 nature of their jurisdiction, for in royal manors the local court 

 could take cognizance of personal and manorial actions only, while 

 in all other matters the inhabitants obtained justice through the 

 medium of the King's courts. 



Certain assize rolls, that have already been referred to for 

 details of suits illustrating the powers of the free-tenants in 

 dealing with their lands, contain also the records of some 

 murder cases connected witli Erlestoke, and may be referred 

 to again at this point for an illustration of the methods by 

 which justice was administered in such cases. It is in 1268 

 that Erlestoke is found for the first time in the calendar 

 of crime when the Hundred of Melksham attended at the county 

 court at Wilton and reported that William Fitz-Eichard and 

 Aldicha, his wife, had been found killed in the house of the latter 

 at Erlestoke. The first finder and four neighbours appeared in 

 court according to the requirements of the law, but went free of 

 suspicion, for it was shown that two men had already been hanged 

 for the deaths l:)efore the justices at the gaol, as a result, no doubt, 

 of the inquest held by the coroner, who could pass judgment on 

 felons caught in the act. It was also reported that four men had 

 fled the hundred under suspicion of robbery and were suspect, 

 whereupon they were proclaimed and condemned to outlawry, and 

 the tithing of Erlestoke was fined in respect of two of them who 

 had their domicile therein, while the goods of one of them to the 

 value of 3s. 4r/. were forfeited to the sheriff. At the same court 

 the tithing of Erlestoke suffered further fine for not having sent a 

 representative to join the jury of the hundred.^ 



In 1289 a wave of lawlessness was passing over the country as 

 a result of the prolonged absence of Edward I. in Aquitaine 



Assize Roll, No. 998, 52 Hen. III., m. 8ld. 



