ANTIQUITIES OF SELBORNE. 353 



he was the king's bailiff, with others, for the town of Alton. 

 Now, from 1232 to 1295 is a space of sixty-three years; a long 

 period for one man to be employed in active life ! Should any 

 one doubt whether all these particulars can relate to one and the 

 same person, I should wish him to attend to the following reasons 

 why they might. In the first place, the documents from the 

 priory mention but one Sir Adam Gurdon, who had no son 

 lawfully begotten : and in the next, we are to recollect that he 

 must have probably been a man of uncommon vigour both of 

 mind and body ; since no one, unsupported by such accomplish- 

 ments, could have engaged in such adventures, or could have 

 borne up against the difficulties which he sometimes must have 

 encountered : and, moreover, we have modern instances of per- 

 sons that have maintained their abilities for near that period. 



Were we to suppose Gurdon to be only twenty y^ars of age in 

 1232, in 1295 he would be eighty-three; after which advanced 

 period it could not be expected that he should live long. From 

 the silence, therefore, of my evidences it seems probable that this 

 extraordinary person finished his life in peace, not long after, at 

 his mansion of Temple. Gurdon's seal had for its device a man, 

 with a helmet on his head, drawing a cross-bow; the legend, 

 " Sigillum Ade de Gurdon ;" his arms were, " Goulis, iii floures 

 argent issant de testes de leopards."* 



If the stout and unsubmitting spirit of Gurdon could be so 

 much influenced by the belief and superstition of the times, much 

 more might the hearts of his ladies and daughter. And accord- 

 ingly we find that Ameria, by the consent and advice of her sons, 

 though said to be all under age, makes a grant for ever of some 

 lands down by the stream at Durton ; and also of her right of 

 the common of Durton itself, f Johanna, the daughter and heiress 

 of Sir Adam, was married, I find, to Richard Achard ; she also 

 grants to the prior and convent lands and tenements in the village 

 of Selborne, which her father obtained from Thomas Makerel ; 

 and also all her goods and chattels in Selborne for the considera- 

 tion of two hundred pounds sterling. This last business was 

 transacted in the first year of Edward II. viz. 1307. It has been 

 observed before that Gurdon had a natural son.: this person was 

 called by the name of John Dastard, alias VVastard, but more 

 probably Bastard ; since bastardy in those days was not deemed 



* From the collection of Thomas Martin, Esq. in the Antiquarian Repertory, p. 109, No. XXXI. 

 t Durton, now called Dorton, is still a common for the copyholders of Selborne niauor. 



2 /, 



