Ixxii. ST. ^LDHELM'S HEAD. 



and maternal grandfather had done before him. But he does not seem even to 

 have stood for churchwarden, sidesman, or overseer. I have no doubt that the 

 Chancery suit of May 21st, 1683, describes him correctly when it says : ' Robert's 

 father had directed him, in default of any issue of his own, to leave Scoles to his 

 brother Bruen ; but Robert, being a weake man, was prevailed upon to make 

 some conveyance of the lands to his sister Mary, who had married Thomas 

 Morton, gent.' "Who then was the builder of this early Jacobean house which 

 to-day commands our attention ': The answer is that Robert's father was its 

 projector. Edward Dackombe, Esq., was indeed a man of action and resource. 

 A diligent and popular magistrate, a member for Corfe Castle in nearly all the 

 Parliaments of the first two Stuart Sovereigns, Mayor of his native borough at 

 least four times, this Purbeck worthy deserves to be credited with the authorship 

 of this really fine piece of domestic architecture. In 1628 died Thomas Bondfield, 

 'marbler,' of Corfe Castle. Some time before that date Edward Dackombe 

 purchased from Bondfield the quarry ' next to his farm of Scoles.' I have no 

 doubt that a little investigation by the geologists of this Club will determine the 

 locality from which the ashlar with which Scoles House was built was quarried. 

 I feel sure that Edward Dackombe, as a practical man, wished to save himself the 

 expenses of lengthy hill haulage and vexatious royalties, so he purchased the 

 nearest quarry to the spot he had chosen for his house. The quarry he specially 

 mentions in his will dated November 23rd, 1635, bequeathing it to his son 

 Robert. I do not say that Edward did not build Scoles purposely for his son 

 Robert to live in. That this was the case is strengthened by the fact that on 

 October 4th, 1631, the latter was married at Turnworth to Barbara, daughter of 

 George Twynihoe, Esq. May we not picture him then as a handsome bridegroom 

 of 23 summers transporting his happy bride on a pillion behind him, clinging to 

 his belt buckle as he rides up the shady avenue and lifts her across the threshold 

 of this their future home, still fresh and white from the hammers and chisels of 

 the Purbeck marbler masons." 



Mr. Bartelot had added to his paper the full inventory, dated May 12th, 1G63, 

 "taken of all the goods and chatties, moveable and unmoveable, of the late 

 deceased Robert Dackombe, Gent., of Scoles, m the parishe of Corfe Castle," in 

 the hall, the hell-chamber, the parlor chamber, and the buttery chamber. Space 

 will admit of our mentioning only a few of the articles of furniture, to wit : In 

 the hall, "one table board and frame and forme, one livery cupbord with a 

 cushion and cubercloth, 1 ; one pair of andires, a pair of iron dogges, and a pot 

 hungrell, 8s. ; one muskett furnished and a pocket pistoll, 1. In the parlor 

 chamber were, among other things, one standing bedsteed, a trucklebedsteed, 

 curtaynes, and valens, 2 5s. " That Robert was not a teetotaler we gather from 

 the fact that in the buttery chamber were "five beere barrells and a tunning 

 dish." That he was a devout man is equally to be inferred from the presence in 

 the hell chamber of " three Bibles and one common praier booke," besides 13 old 

 books (whether of theology or not is not said), the lot valued at a pound sterling. 

 The total value of all the "goods and chatties " was 35 15s. Id. 



