SHAFTESBURY. 49 



the commonalty had grown in influence, and tlie granting of 

 King James's Charter seems to have been the signal for open 

 war. There had been one passage of arms already, 31st 

 March, 1590, over 22 " shop as carnificales, anglice voc. flesh 

 shambles," but the first serious legal engagement Avas on informa- 

 tion laid in the Exchequer Court, 3 Feb., 1607, that the mayor 

 and burgesses had set up weights and balances in the corn 

 market, at which they required all merchandise to be weighed, 

 and had taken rent and profits of stalls and shambles there. This 

 was followed in 1608 by an English bill in the Exchequer Court 

 complaining that the defendants had set up a common beam or 

 balance for weighing wool, yarn, and other merchandise every 

 market day, and had taken a penny for every " way " of 301b., 

 and had intruded on the King's soil and the shambles and stalls 

 there. Three years after another suit was entered on much the 

 same matters, and the mayor and burgesses were thrown on all 

 points, except that they were found to be seized of the stalls and 

 shambles, " in dominio suo ut de foedo sibi et succ. suis." This 

 was a leading decision and is repeatedly referred to in the course 

 of subsequent legal proceedings. The moving spirit in these suits 

 was one Nicholas Gower, who was lessee under the lord of the 

 manor, and who was determined to push his rights to the furthest 

 possible extremity. It would be tedious to enumerate the many 

 and lengthened proceedings which occurred on these and similar 

 matters. It will be enough to say that the papers relating to some 

 22 suits are now in the municipal chest. When litigation had 

 lasted some 30 years the mayor and burgesses, casting about for 

 assistance from their powerful neighbours, addressed a humble 

 petition for the mediation of Thomas, Lord Arundell, in which they 

 state that the " Towne hath been continually vexed with suits in 

 law for and concerning the bouchers shamloles, ffyshe cross, and 

 sheep pens for the space of 30 yeere at leaste by Gower the father 

 and Gower the sonne (the infoimers) to the utter impoverishing 

 of the said towne. The towne by reason of those vexations is 

 growne about 200 li. in debte, there are above 300 begging people 



