THOMAS GERARD OF TRENT. 67 



(I-) 



As the manuscript of the " Description " has no title page 

 nor introductory matter, the author and date have to be 

 determined by internal evidence. The date can be found at 

 once. Under Queen Camel " a sixth bell was added in the 

 yeare of grace 1633 by William Perry a parishioner," p. 197. 

 Under lie Brewers, " now the seat of Mr. Walrond, at this 

 present Sheriff e of the county." William Walrond filled that 

 office in 1632-3. So the Description was being written out 

 in 1633. 



The author reveals himself in his account of Trent, p. 176. 

 " The place which now gives me habitation." One of the 

 four daughters of John Storke was married unto " William 

 Gerard, my greate grandfather, from whom, though shee 

 were the youngest sister, the principall house of them is 

 descended to myself." " In my hall are the arms of Test- 

 wood and many others," the former owners of Trent. In 

 1633 Thomas Gerard, the great grandson of William Gerard, 

 had been living there for thirty years, having succeeded his 

 father at the age of eleven. The author's Christian name 

 comes out in his account of Odcombe, p. 104. Referring to 

 the arms assigned to King Brute, he observes : "I am a 

 Thomas, and therefore hard of belief." It may therefore be 

 considered proven that Thomas Gerard was the author. 

 There is no difficulty in supposing that a gentleman of 

 independent means from his youth upward could have 

 made a survey of two adjacent counties by his fortieth 

 year. 



The account of Somerset is not complete, as the second 

 volume of the manuscript has disappeared ; but there are 

 sufficient references to show that the author had been through 

 the length and breadth of the land. Gerard's wife died on 

 25th June, 1633, and the bereaved husband may have 

 been stopped for a while, and have been unable to write 

 out his notes before his own death in the autumn of 

 1634. 



