DORSET AND KING JOHN. 121 



Sturniinster. 1214, Dec. 3-4. 



1216, June 15-16. 

 Waiehaiu. 1209, July 1. 



1212, Dec. 16. 



1215, Aug. 9-13, 20-22. 



1216, June 18-22, July 7-9. 



King John was crowned at "Westminster on Ascen.sion Day, 

 May 27tli, a,d. 1199. For a month, or nearly so, he remained in 

 England, visiting Northampton, Canterhury, and Shoreham. lie 

 then crossed to Xormandy and returned circa Feb. 26, 1200, 

 landing at Portsmouth and visiting various places in England to 

 May 1st, when he re-crossed to France and remained there till 

 about Oct. 4, when lie returned again to England, remaining here 

 to tlie middle of May, 1201. It was during his stay in England 

 at this time that he paid his first visit to Dorsetshire. He got as 

 far as Cranborne on Dec. 10-11, a.d. 1200. From Cranborne he 

 went on to Canford on the 12th, Christchurch on the 1.3th. He 

 was back in Cranborne on April 15, 1201, and from thence he 

 paid his first visit to Dorchester on the 18th, and on the 20th he 

 went on to Bridport, thence to Exeter. 



Cranborne, Corfe, Dorchester, Bere, Canford, and Gillingham 

 were his favourite residences in Dorset. 



1 JOHN, A.D. 1199-1200. 

 Peter de Schidimor was Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset in the 

 first year of John's reign, and the firm of the counties was Dorset, 

 £120 ; Somerset, £360 ; e(|uivalent, perhaps, to £2,000 and £G,000 

 respectively. Of tlie £480 due from the two counties the sheriiF 

 had paid £139 2s. Id. blank, and he accounts for the residue. The 

 late King Eichard had made certain grants from the lands belong- 

 ing to the Royal demesnes in the counties to certain persons by 

 way of alms, as to the Carthusian friars, of Witham, to whom he 

 assigned 100s. in Witham, and the same in lands in Bridport ; to 

 others he assigned rent charges on lands, or grants of the lands 

 themselves, as rewards for services rendered to the Crown, or in 

 acknowledgment of them, and to relatives or friends of the King. 



