TROUBLOUS TIMES. 275 



became farmer of the forest, began to act very 

 oppressively " by agisting and taking into the said 

 forest great multitudes of many thousands of sheepe, 

 cattle, horsebeasts, and piggs, which, besydes their 

 feeding in the said forrest, range into, eat up, devour 

 and spoyle the wasts as well of the Manor of Porlock 

 as of other wasts and commons." Slowley also 

 complained that Pearce demanded and obtained 

 from the tenants new and unaccustomed payments. 



This ill-will seems to have come to a head four 

 years afterwards, when John Pearce is alleged to 

 have conspired with John Pearce, of Withypool, 

 yeoman ; Robert Wylliams, of Exford, brother-in- 

 law or near kinsman of the said forester ; William 

 Kitner, of Exford aforesaid, labourer ; William 

 Waterhouse, of Withypool aforesaid, husbandman 

 (he was also the keeper of the forester's pound at 

 Withypool) ; Henry Sawnders and John Kingdon, 

 who met at the house of Williams, and sallied forth 

 to seek revenge on John Slowley. How they did so 

 is best told in the words of Andrew Stone, 

 husbandman, of Kytnor, i.e.^ Culbone. He says : 

 ^' Aboute fortnighte before Michaelmas last past he, 

 thii deponent, goinge into the forest of Exmore to 

 seek some cattle of John Olliver's, this deponent's 

 master, and passinge over the common of Porlock 

 towards the saide forest, he mett John Kingdon and 

 William Kitner, two of the defendants, uppon the 

 saide common of Porlock, and this deponent 

 departinge from them he saw the saide Kingdon 



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