FOURTEENTH CENTURY LIFE IN BRIDPORT. 10 1 



the black cape to it " and her green robe stuffed with feathers. 

 A hood with silver gilt knobs must have been a great piece of 

 vanity, not to mention " my girdle edged with silver gilt," whilst 

 "my gown furred with blue fur" and " my gown of violet furred 

 with rabbit skin " recall to mind the Act of Parliament of 1362^ 

 which very minutely described what kinds of fur might be worn 

 by the nobleman, the esquire, and the merchant. No man 

 having less than ^40 a year income dared presume to wear 

 " any fur of martins, letuse, pure grey, or pure miniver." 



I must not forget an interesting item relating to the military 

 clothing of those days. John Proteys in 1390 bequeathed to the 

 fabric fund of St. Mary's, Bridport, " All my armour, namely one 

 helmet together with the vizor, one breastplate worth ten 

 shillings or else ten shillings in money, one' cuirbouilli' (i.e., 

 boiled leather) buckler, one spear, one sword, and one pike." 

 He also gave to his uncle at Wareham a sword and a dagger. 

 Doubtless he had been a warrior bold, and may have represented 

 Dorset on the field of Poictiers. Whether he intended his 

 helmet to be hung up over his tomb according to the ancient 

 custom, or whether the whole of his armour was to be sold for 

 the good of the Church, I leave to those more expert in these 

 matters to decide. I rather think that, if such helmets were not 

 out of date and unsaleable, the Church gladly parted with them 

 for a price ; otherwise they were hung above the donor's tomb, 

 and so remained. 



I pass on to the second section of my subject, and glance at 

 some of the side lights which are thrown by these wills on the 

 municipal and mercantile life of the Borough. And here, there 

 is a wide field of material, not only for the townsman, but also 

 for the student of county and national history. Bridport 

 appears as a flourishing mediaeval town. The King was lord 

 of the manor, so the burgesses had the privileges of a royal 

 borough, and their reeves or provosts held the manor at a rent of 

 16 per annum to the King as early as the Charter of 1252, 

 which provided that two bailiffs be elected annually to be 

 responsible for this payment. As every one knows, Bridport was 



