242 Notes on the History of Mere. 
Queen Elizabeth granted to Sir Walter Raleigh and Carew 
Raleigh for their lives the office of keeper of Her Highness’s park 
of Mere, and thereby made them keepers of the said park, with all 
fees, profits, etc., to the office belonging. 
1586, Sir Walter and Carew Raleigh grant the said office to 
Francis Souch or Zouch. 
1591, Francis Souch assigns unto William Ley and Thomas South 
the herbage and pannage of the said park, and the keeping of it. 
1592, William Ley, Thomas South, and Francis Souch grant to 
Jasper Moore the office of keeper of the said park, who also has the 
herbage and pannage granted to him. The office of keeper he 
assigns the same year to Henry Willoughby and John Budden. 
This arrangement did not last long, for in April, 1594, Henry 
Willoughby releases unto the said John Budden all his nghts to 
the herbage and pannage, and in the keeperage of the said park 
lodge, game of deer, etc., which in October is again assigned to 
Edward Wood and John Rowie for thirty-one years. 
1595, Meere Park was sold in fee subject to the above leases, to 
Matthew Ewens, one of the Barons of the Exchequer, and John 
Strowd, Esq., by Robert, Earl of Essex, Lylly Merrick, and Henry 
Lydney, Esquires; but the same year, in September, it was con- 
veyed by the above Matthew Ewens and John Strowd unto Sir 
Matthew Arundell, Knight, and his heirs for ever. 
1603, on the accession of James I. to the throne he disputed the 
grants made by Queen Elizabeth, and recovered the property which 
had been alienated from the crown, and by the result of this trial, 
which is recorded in Coke’s Reports, the Manor of Mere was re- 
annexed to the crown. Coke says :— 
“In this case divers things were observed. 
“J. hat the eldest son of every king after the creation was Duke of Cornwall. 
“2. That Richard of Bourdeaux who was son of the Black Prince was not 
Duke of Cornwall, although after the death of his father he was heir apparent 
to the crown, yet because he was not the first begotten son of any king of 
England (for his father died in the lifetime of King Edward III), the said 
Richard was not withiu the limitation of 2nd Edward III., and therefore he 
was created Duke of Cornwall by a special charter. Nor Elizabeth the eldest 
daughter of King Edward IV. was not Duchess of Cornwall, for she was the 
first begotten daughter of the king, and the limitation is to the first begotten 
