WEST DORSET. XXXIX. 



FIRST SUMMER MEETING : WEST DORSET. 

 Thursday, June 8th, 1911. 



The President, the Hon. Secretary, the Hon. Treasurer, 

 the Hon. Editor, and the Assistant Secretary were present 

 with about 100 Members at Bridport Station for the start at 

 11.27 a.m. 



MELPLASH COURT. 



Alighting from the vehicles, the party walked across the 

 fields to the picturesque Tudor mansion, which possesses so 

 many features of interest, hitherto seen by few of the party. 

 The Club were received courteously by Mr. Frederick Gillham, 

 the present tenant of the House and estate of some 400 

 acres. 



The ASSISTANT SECRETARY, having been introduced 

 briefly by the President, said a few words about Melplash 

 Court and its former owners. 



That place was the ancient seat of the Melplash family, and came 

 to the Mores by the marriage of the heiress with Walter More, second 

 son of Robert More, of Marnhull. He related the amusing story of 

 how in 1533 Sir Thomas More, of Melplash Court, then sheriff of 

 Dorset and Somerset, got himself into serious trouble by visiting the 

 county prison at Dorchester one day, throwing open the doors, and 

 letting all the prisoners loose. Whether he had imbibed too freely 

 excellent cider such as Mr. Gillham now had at Melplash he did 

 not know ; but certainly this frolicsome freak might have cost him 

 dear but for the intervention of William, Lord Paulet, afterwards 

 Marquis of Winchester, who obtained his pardon from the choleric 

 King. But he feared that Lord Paulet's good offices were not entirely 

 disinterested, for it appeared that Sir Thomas had no son and heir, 

 only daughters, and Lord Paulet astutely negotiated a marriage of 

 convenience between his second son, Lord Thomas Paulet, and one of 

 Sir Thomas More's daughters and co-heiresses. It was in this way 

 that Melplash Court and other parts of the More estates came into the 



