By John Watson-Taylor. 83 



and the corruptness of his judges at home, and that Erlestoke was 

 not exempt from the consequences is shown by the record of several 

 cases of outrage that were heard before the justices in eyre in the 

 King's court at Wilton. The first referred to the murder of Roger 

 Baldwyn, of Erlestoke, wlio had been found killed outside the vill 

 of Bishops Lavington, for whicli three men and five women had 

 been brought to trial. As no evidence of " Englishry " was forth- 

 coming the victim was presumed to be a Erenchman, as were all 

 persons found killed under similar circumstances, and the hundred 

 was therefore held responsible. The jury was made up of repre- 

 sentatives of the hundreds of Rowborough and Swan borough and 

 of the neighbouring vills, and their report acquitted all the women 

 but found the three men guilty, and these were hanged and their 

 goods forfeited to the crown, while Simon de Littlecote, the coroner, 

 was reprimanded for not having attached the first finder and four 

 neighbours who, however, had appeared of their own initiative and 

 had gone free of suspicion. The second case referred to the murder 

 of a woman at Hilperton, and Erlestoke was fined for not having 

 sent representatives to the coroner's inquest ; and the last case 

 was that of a peculiarly brutal outrage committed on an inhabitant 

 of Erlestoke. The offender was a certain knight of unknown name 

 who came to Erlestoke from Devizes attended by two squires and, 

 after lodging there for the night, hired one Richard During to 

 guide them on their way to Shaftesbury {Schestone), and when he 

 had led them a league from the vill and asked for his pay the 

 knight caused his right ear to be cut off. The court ordered an 

 enquiry to be made, but evidently obtained no further information, 

 for later on, when Richard During appeared and was seen in court 

 with his ear missing, he received no other satisfaction than the 

 advice that he might take the case to the county court if he thought 

 it was worth his while.^ 



The next document of importance in connection with the manor 

 is the report of the jury summoned in 3 303 under a writ of 



' Ansize Roll, No. 1006, 17 Edw. I., m.m. 41, 4t>. 



G 2 



