132 DORSET AND KING JOHN. 



of Sidelis (woiild that be Sydling'?). Perhaps Brian had a 

 daughter Avhom he hoped to marry at some future time to the heir 

 of Sydling. If Brian de Insula was the Earl Insula mentioned 

 a few paragraphs further on, one of his daughters was married 

 about this time to Robert the Chamberlain who paid 60 marks for 

 the King's consent to the marriage. 



There was little sentiment about those times, and justice, which 

 was of a rough and ready kind, was certainly not tinged by it. 

 Alice, wife of Robert de Waterleia, had been charged with felony. 

 Of this she was convicted and sentenced to be burnt, which 

 sentence was carried out (un' convicta fuit et combusta). By the 

 law her lands and chattels were forfeited to the King ; the King, 

 however, relinquished his right to the Archdeacon of Wells, who, 

 on payment of a fine of 20 marks, succeeded to the property of the 

 unfortunate woman. 



The Patent Rolls which commence with this year contain 

 nothing in this year which relate specially to Dorset. There are 

 some letters, however, of general interest, which throw an indirect 

 light on the customs of Dorset., Such were the licences to monks 

 and others to import corn or sell it (Memb. 6, 7, etc.), licences to 

 Henry de Puteac, a crusader, allowing him to mortgage his lands for 

 two years from the day of his departure for Jerusalem (Memb. 7, 

 see also 6). Similar letters patent to others to the same purpose 

 show how the crusaders raised funds for their expeditions ; the 

 mortgages are generally for a term of two or three years. 



There was also a common fund from which aid was supplied, and 

 the last entry on Membr. 6 regulates the application of the funds. 



Lampreys were held in much estimation on the Continent as 

 well as in England, and the Countess Bleis' applied through an 

 agent and obtained permission to purchase them for her use. In 3 

 John, Memb. 3, is an order from the King to the burgessess of 

 Gloucester and others that lampreys were not to be sold for more 

 than 2s. each up to February and at a less price after. The word- 

 ing of the letter seems to imply that there tvas a close time for 

 lampreys " a te'p'e q"' lampree p'imo capiunt'r i' anno." 



