THE CERNE CARTULARY. 87 



Henry, King of England, Robert, the humble minister of the 

 Church of Cerne [sends] greeting and faithful service. We 

 notify to your Highness what are the knights' fees of our church 

 of the time of Henry your grandfather, and what knights hold 

 them. Robert de Vere holds one knight's fee and, beside this, a 

 hide and a half for which he ought to pay tax. William of the 

 Monastery, one knight's fees : Alured of Nichole, one knight's 

 fee ; and the fee which Jordan unjustly holds is one knight's fee : 

 Robert of Mountsorel and Jordan of Wootton and Osbert 

 Kyggelnot and Humphry Makerel, one knight's fee. The fee 

 which Ralph of Redpole held is one knight's fee. Hugh of 

 Bush, half a knight's fee. Robert Russel holds unjustly one 

 knight's fee, less one rod, against the will of the convent because 

 neither his grandfather nor his father ever held it, nor ought he 

 to hold it. In the demesne of the church are three knights' fees 

 with the tenure of freemen in the town of Cerne. Moreover 

 each of them is bound to keep the guard at your bidding at 

 Corfe Castle one month yearly, or if it shall please you to have 

 from them soldiery for your army, meantime waiving the guard, Folio 5b. 

 they shall find two knights for your service." 



The aforesaid Abbot Robert obtained from the said King for 

 himself and his free tenants and their servants a certain charter 

 in these words. 



Henry, King of England and Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine 

 and Count of Anjou, to his sheriffs and officers in all England 

 Greeting. Know that I have granted to the Abbey of Cerne the 

 right of wreck on all their lands by the sea and of battle and 

 pola and a court in the town of Cerne and all its liberties, for 

 their knights and free tenants and their serfs on condition that 

 they perform for me the service of two knights for scutage and 

 one knight on foreign service. Witnesses Richard Bishop of 

 Winchester and William Earl of Arundel and Richard Earl of 

 Cornwall at Woodstock. 



Be it remembered that from the time of the said King Henry 

 the Second to the fifty-fourth year of King Henry the Third, the 

 son of King John, a summons was issued by the Exchequer of 



