232 Notes on the History of Mere. 
Mere Park was used chiefly as a place for the Earl’s brood mares, 
and for turning out his chargers. A.D. 1800 some of the land was 
let to tenants; as we find 1s. 6d. charged for land which did belong 
to Richard of Burton, and also 2s. 6d. for certain pieces of land 
granted to William Gomme. A fulling mill was let at 28s. 8d. 
per year, and two corn mills at £10 a year; £9 Os. 1d. was also 
paid by copyhold tenants of Mere, in lieu of manual laborious 
services which they were bound to perform for their lord, such as 
ploughing and digging his land, reaping his corn, and making his 
hay. Also 7s. was paid as the value of one ox, being the heriot of 
Roger Martin, deceased. The steward renders account of two oxen 
sold for 17s. 4d., and of £4 138s. for ninety-three crone wethers 
sold before shearing, being 1s. each; and of £3 14s. 3d. for eighty- 
one crone ewes at 1ld. each; also thirty cocks and ninety-seven 
hens, at 1d. each for the former, and 3d. for the latter. Four weys 
of cheese were sold for 28s. 8d., being 7s. a wey for some, but less 
for one parcel on account of the disease of the pockes which the 
ewe sheep had, so that part of the cheese was made from ewes’ milk. | 
Ten stone of butter were sold at 6d. per stone. The herbage sold 
this year in the meadows called East Mead, West Mead on the 
Hills, and in Conwich Mead for 26s. 7d. No grass was made into 
hay on account of the dry summer. Wheat sold for 6s. a quarter, 
and oats at 3s.a quarter. At the Court Leet Robert Jones, John 
the Tanner, and Peter Brekebut, were fined 5s. 8d. for making pits 
and heaps to the nuisance of the King’s highway. Stephen Solely 
was fined 6d. for breaking the assize of ale; Walter the Miller, 
2s. 3d. for breaking it five times; Robert the Clerk, 6d. for the 
same, and William Wyking, 3s. for seven infractions of it. 
The assize of ale, which was passed 51 Henry ITI., enacted that 
when a quarter of barley was sold for 2s. then four quarts of ale 
should be sold for a penny ; when for 2s. 6d. then seven quarts for 
twopence; when for 3s. then three quarts for one penny ; when for 
3s. 6d. then five quarts for twopence; when it was sold for 4s. then 
two quarts for one penny, and so forth. 
It may be interesting to give the names of a few of the in- 
habitants of Mere in the year 1300. John Cleimond (Clement), 
