136 DORSET AND KING JOHN. 



is stated to be for many years. Some of the Mirabeau prisoners 

 had, therefore, disappeared by that time, and, so far as record 

 evidence goes, there is no further allusion to them ; they disappear 

 from Corfe and leave no trace. There is no mention of any of 

 them in later letters which mention Corfe prisoners. 



Mr. Bond in his history of Corfe Castle points out that a close 

 letter sent to the constable of Corfe suggests that John had sinister 

 designs in collecting and sending these prisoners to Corfe. 

 " Constab' de Corf scHjif p litt'as clausas q' faciat id q'd Thomas 

 Cl'icus de cam'a 't Hug' de N"eviir ei dicent ex p'te R' dc p'isonibus 

 qui ei lib'abunt'r " what was to be done Avith them was evidently 

 something which it was not advisable to put on paper. 



The Erettons were given to making encroachments on the King's 

 salt pits. In 1 John it was William de Bretton who was fined for 

 encroaching on them ; now it is Walter de Bretton who has to pay 

 5s. lOd. for the same offence. 



The payment of the ransom of Richard was not complete even 

 in this fourth year of John ; 121s. 9d. was paid of the hidage levied 

 in Dorset and Somerset for this purpose. 



Hugh de Wells owes 3 palfreys for the grant of a charter from tha 

 King for having liberties in the town of Wells with fairs and markets. 



The chattels of fugitives from justice, men who were charged 

 with some crime, but who would not stand trial, Avere forfeited to 

 the King, and Peter de Schidimor accounts for 10s. 6d., the value 

 of the chattels of Peter, and 2s. that of John ; but Avhat Peter de 

 Schidimor, who was Sheriff in the first year of John's reign, had to 

 do with it in the fourth year is not clear. 



On the list of fines on Knights' fees of the third scutage is the 

 Abbot of Glastonbury and the Abbot of Shaftesbury, who pays on 

 7 Knights' fees, the Abbot of Cerne on 2, of Abbotsbury on 1, and 

 Sherborne Abbey on 2J. There are a large number of names on 

 this list. 



William de IMarcuilJ, Robert AVells, Elena Ostiarius, William de 

 St. Clare, and Thomas de Windsor make fine for serjcanty, tlie 

 first-named for passage and relief also. 



