WALKS AND AVENUES OF DOECHESTEE. 25 



result of a lengthy research among the town records of 

 Dorchester, the Court rolls of the Manor of Fordington, old 

 maps and plans, and other documents bearing on the subject, 

 to clear this question up to the satisfaction of the members 

 of the club and others. 



Taking the " Walks " in the order in which they were 

 planted, we come first to the " Bowling Alley " Walk, which, 

 together with the West and the North or Colliton Walk, 

 was planted between the years 1702 and 1723. 



At a Court Baron of the Manor of Fordington holden in 

 June, 1723, the following presentment was made by the 

 Homage : " We present that the Corporation of Dorchester 

 have made several encroachments on the lands belonging to 

 this Manor, particularly by planting on and inclosing two 

 several pieces of land on the North side of the Town of 

 Dorchester and on the West side of the said town opposite 

 to a close of pasture called Miller's Close, containing three 

 acres (be the same more or less), and also by making another 

 encroachment on the lands of this Manor by inclosing a 

 par cell of land on the West side of the trees in " Bowling 

 Alley " containing half an acre more or less, and also by 

 makeing another encroachment by inclosing and planting 

 on half an acre of land belonging to the tenement of Mary 

 Winsow, Widdow, lyeing at the South side of the said town 

 and lyeing on the North side of the lands of Thomas Cooper, 

 and also for another encroachment of a piece of land parcell 

 of a copyhold tenement of this Manor in the possession of 

 Mr. Edward Churchill which lyes at the West end of the town 

 of Dorchester called, of late, Alders Sawpitt Ordered that 

 the several persons to be proceeded against as the law directs." 



From this presentment it may be gathered that the laying 

 out and planting the Bowling Alley Walk and the West 

 and North Walks was completed previous to June, 1723. 

 Hutchins, the Dorset Historian, in the first edition of 

 his work published in 1774, says these walks were made 

 between the years 1700 and 1712 and planted with rows of 

 limes and sycamore trees, as are the avenues on the South, 



