By the Rev. Canon J. E. Jackson, F.S.A. 45 



account of the possessions of Malmesbury Abbey in the reign of 

 Edward I. (A.D. 1283), six hundred years ago, copied from an 

 original document, was published some time back by the late Mr. 

 Akerman. It gives the names of all who at that time held under 

 the abbot in each parish, and it is curious to notice how much 

 greater a number o£ very small — not peasant proprietors — but oc- 

 cupiers, there were then than there are now. Taking the parish of 

 Norton above mentioned, there were in it, at that time twenty-six 

 petty tenants paying various small sums, from 2s. Qd. down to even 

 one farthing a year. The money of those days was of course of 

 different value from our's : one farthing then might be equal, say to 

 twenty farthings now, i.e., fivepence. We should not call fivepence a 

 very exorbitant rent for house or land. Yet at Norton six hundred 

 years ago, there were twenty-six r(>nt-payers, whilst at present there 

 are only fourteen. At Colepark near here, there were then 

 twenty-seven small occupiers, the highest paying twenty pence. I 

 doubt if there is any thing like that number now. At Sutton Ben- 

 ger there were seventy-one tenants, from 65. 8d. down to one farthing 

 a year. At Fosham near Bremhill, twenty- nine occupiers with the 

 same sort of petty rents. It would almost seem that the population, 

 of these little places must have been, six hundred years ago, at least 

 quite as numerous as now. Of the number of small holdings in 

 ancient times, one sees a sort of evidence in the very small size of en- 

 closed fields still remaining.of sometimes not more than one acre or two. 

 A great deal of arable land in this part of Wilts used formerly to be 

 unenclosed, and the way was for the people of a parish to have each 

 a certain bit of pasture or meadow enclosed ; with so much right, or 

 allotment, of arable land, in what was called, the " common fields." 



I have said enough to prove that the monks were unexceptionable, 

 as landlords. The tenants, when the change took place, very soon 

 discovered that the change had not done them much good : for 

 rents were raised and new burdens fell upon them. 



To consider now, in what respect they were useful to the public ? 



1. In the first place they always had money ready when the Crown 

 wanted it, which was often enough. What they were asked for, 

 passed under the polite name of a Benevolence : but it was in reality 



