228 Notes on the History of Mere. 
Saxon ReEmarns. 
Of Saxon remains there are none, if we except a portion of the 
east wall of the tower of the Parish Church, which was discovered 
in 1895 hidden behind the plaster, and described by Mr. Ponting 
in his paper on Mere Church, Wilts Arch. Mag., xxix., 22. 
Domespay Boox. 
The earliest authentic details of the parish are to be found in 
Domesday Book, and it is remarkable that in the case of so large a 
parish as Mere such a scanty report is given, unless we assume that 
it was in consequence of its being a royal manor, which manors, 
we are told, “ never paid geld, neither were assessed in hides.”” In 
the Exchequer Domesday there are three entries under the 
heading of Mere, and these represent very small occupations, so 
the probability is that the remainder of the manor was in demesne. 
There are two entries relating to Seles, and one to Chedelwich. 
“Godric the huntsman holds 1 virgate of land which pays geld in Mura. 
The land is a half carucate. He has there 1 coscet and a half acre of meadow. 
It is worth 5 shillings.” 
“QUluric holds Mera. Allic held it in the time of King Edward and it paid 
geld for 1 virgate and a half of land. The land is a half carucate which is there 
with 4 bordars and half an acre of meadow and 1 acre of pasture. It is worth 
7 shillings and sixpence.”’ 
“QUlnod holds 1 hide in Merz and it paid geld for so much in the time of 
King Edward. The land is 1 carucate, which is there with 6 cottars and 4 acres 
of meadow and 1 acre of pasture. It is worth 20 shillings.” 
So that probably these three holdings, about 200 acres, contained 
at that time all the assessable land in the parish, excluding Zeals 
and Chadenwyche, the remainder being in the hands of the King. 
Tur Manor. 
The manor has from time immemorial been attached to the 
crown, and although there are some documents relating to the 
Church of Mere of an earlier date in the muniment room of 
Salisbury Cathedral, which will be noticed hereafter, the earliest 
mention of the manor I have seen is in Kennet’s Parochial 
Antiquities :— 
