72 NOTES ON A DORCHESTER MINUTE BOOK. 



Reynaldo ; of women, Ibbert, "Windfrint, Thomasyn, Ursula, 

 Charitie, and Christian. These two last occur among names of 

 scolds, by the bye. 



2. Mention of trades and handicrafts, tending to show the 

 greater distribution of them over the land, and their being shared 

 by more people in any one given place then than now in a word 

 proving that centralisation had begun but little, if at all, in the 

 17th century. It seems noteworthy that there was a bookseller 

 here as early as 1630, a bookbinder in 1637, and a plumber in 

 1633. About the same time there seem to have been here no less 

 than 18 " maulters." Here are callings, either for the most part of 

 Dorchester people, or of people coming here intending to work : 

 Broadweaver, inkleweaver, tucker, clothier, woolstreaker, feltmaker, 

 lacemaker, quishion (cushion) maker, seevier (sieve maker), parch- 

 ment maker, trussmaker, gunner, gunpowder maker, card maker, 

 tobacco pipe maker, pewterer, " glasscman," the last from Pottern. 



3. Connected with the last section we may note the rules as to 

 change of abode 200 years ago. Firstly, no man might move into 

 a town without a certificate granted at his last abode, or without 

 evident means of support or a guarantee from a burgess of the town 

 he comes to that the incomer shall not lie a burden to the same. 

 Secondly, the new comer must become a freeman of the borough 

 or he cannot do commercial business there. A bargain where both 

 parties were non-freemen is worse than void. If I am of Weymouth, 

 come to Dorchester, and there buy goods of a Sherborne man, those 

 goods are "foreign bought and sold," and are forfeited to the 

 freemen of Dorchester. At fairs and markets, however, I suppose 

 that non-freemen might pay toll for a standing and then sell to all 

 comers during fair or market time. I give a few extracts showing 

 the jealousy against intruders, On April 26th, 1630, Jarvas Piper, 

 feltmaker, was sent to prison for 21 days for coming to Dorchester 

 without a " testimoniall." On May 17th, 1631, it is minuted that 

 Christopher Baker, twelve years a scholar of Trinity College, 

 Oxford, has wandered about for years getting aid from scholars and 

 ministers. Here " he went to the schoolmaster of the towne and 



