By the Rev. Canon J. EB. Jackson, F.8.A. 37 
part of that parish, and the nuns of the convent of Romsey in 
Hampshire had all Steeple Ashton, a comparatively small part of 
Westbury fell into ecclesiastical hands—what is called the Parsonage 
Manor was bestowed by King Henry IJ. upon Sarum for the 
maintenance of the Precentor. A manor that had belonged to 
Bishop Waltham, of Salisbury (1888-1395), and afterwards to the 
alien priory of Steventon, in Berkshire, being confiscated (as the 
lands of alien priories often were), was given by Richard II. to the 
Abbot and Convent of Westminster, to whose successors, the Dean 
and Chapter there, it now belongs. Monkton Farleigh Priory, near 
Bath, had the part still called Leigh Priors. Edington Monastery 
had land at Bratton and Bremridge—the rest, as I have said, was 
granted or sold to persons of influence, and in this way the one 
original great manor got cut up into a number of estates. The 
history becomes then very complicated, and not interesting to a 
general audience. Instead of passing on in the simple way from 
father to son, the properties had soon to be divided between co- 
heiresses—each of whom carried away her moiety into another 
family. In a generation or two more co-heiresses appeared, and 
then there was a fresh sub-division of the first moiety, and so on; 
so that what with moieties, semi-moieties, and demi-semi-moieties, 
_ Westbury territorial history is somewhat of a labyrinth, abounding, 
however, in old aristocratic names, such as St. Maur, Mauduit, 
Stafford, Arundell, which, I believe, still survive as the names of 
different portions of land about the parish. In course of years 
many of these sub-divisions became re-united by successive pur- 
chases, centreing chiefly in the Phipps family, of which a large part 
has recently passed into the hands of Mr. Laverton. All the pre- 
vious changes are given in detail in Sir Richard Hoare’s history. 
For the present purpose it will be enough to select one or two of 
_ the most important: before doing which I have a note or two about 
_ the town itself. 
ParuiIAMENTARY Notices. 
The earliest mention we have of Westbury as a borough returning 
members to Parliament is in the year 1446-7 (27th of Henry VL). 
