—— 
Leland’’s Journey through Wiltshire. 195 
The other 3 be north also, but without the parke.! The Lorde 
Stourton giveth these 6 fountaynes in his Armes. 
The name of the Stowrtons be very aunciente in those parties. 
Ther be 4 campes that servid menne of warre about Stourton : 
one towarde the north weste part within the park, double dichid. 
I conjecte that here stode a maner place or castelle. My Lord 
Stourton sayith nay. 
Ther is another campe a mile dim. of Stowreton, doble dichid, in 
the toppe of an high hill. This is called communely Whiteshete 
Hill. 
The other 2 campes be abrode in the lordshipe. 
There i is on an hill a litle without Stowrton a grove, and in it is 
a very praty place called Bonhomes,? builded of late by my Lorde 
Stourton. Bonhome of Wileshire, of the auncienter house of the 
Bonehomes there, is lorde of it. 
MERE. [vitt. 100.] 
The diches and the plotte where the castle of Mere? stood, appere 
not far from the chirche of Mere the market toune. 
1 This spot is still called ‘‘ The Six Wells,” but they are not all now above 
ground, some of those without the old park wall having been stopped up. Three 
were in Wilts, and three in Somerset. The park paling or wall that divided 
them was pulled down by Sir R. C. Hoare. A rough delineation of the six 
fountains, also by Aubrey’s pen, represents them exactly as described by 
Leland. ' 
2 This place is still known as the tything of Bonham, south of Stourton. By 
Leland’s account a house had been built here by Lord Stourton before 1540, 
but Sir R. C. Hoare quotes an indenture according to which the property was 
sold to the Stourtons by Walter Bonham, of Great Wishford (between Deptford 
and Salisbury) in the year 1665, [Mere 90.] A younger branch of the Bonhams 
has already been mentioned as of Haselbury near Corsham. [See p. 144]. 
% Mere Castle was built a.p, 1253, by Richard Karl of Cornwall, brother to 
King Henry LI. 
20% 
