74 NOTES ON A DORCHESTER MINUTE 



a week, being unfit then to be stocked and since was stocked." 

 The fine for drunkenness was 5s. Swearing was a crime strictly 

 punished. On January 12th, 1630-1, " J. Cobb, for swering and 

 corsing, is adjudged to pay 4s. or set by the hilles " (heels) four 

 hours. On May 29th, 1632, for two oaths, a man was "set in 

 stock ii seudall tymes iii hours at a tyme." Suchlike entries are 

 countless and the nature of the oath is almost always given. Only 

 once is it in the phrase which has earned us an ugly nickname 

 abroad. On January 9th, 1632-3, " W. Hardy, gentleman, dwelling 

 ewy where (so he said)" called the constables "a company of 



dampnd creaturs " The next class of offence is not 



indictable now. It woidd almost seem that so recently as the 17th 

 century the curfew conveyed a rule about " early to bed," not 

 lightly to be disregarded. On Xovember 28th, 1632, W. Sims, 

 found between eleven and twelve at night at Robert George's, 

 where he had supped and then " dranke two pipes of tobacco and 

 dranke some beere y t was left at supper" was committed to Sessions 

 to answer for his night walking. 



Before passing on to another class or two of offences I give a 

 few bits just to show the kind of crimes recorded, and that 

 punishments, severe or lenient, promptly followed. On April 24th, 

 1634, Edith White, of Fordington, begged in Dorchester. Better 

 not. She was " whipped and sent to Fordington with a passe.'' 

 On June 24th, 1634, three men were charged with making "a bonne 

 fire on Mdsomer Eve in a very dangrouse maner betweene the 2 

 dye houses and the furse rikcs at Glippath Bridge." On August 

 1st, 1634, Charity Robinson and another for stealing field beans 

 " were adjudged to be whipt and yt was doen accordingly." On 

 December 20th, 1634, a man was fined 6s. for drunkenness and 

 swearing, "but being very sorufill and submisse Mr. Maior Avas 

 pleased to give him back 3s." Witchcraft crops up. On January 

 27th, 1633-4, Richard Shory was summoned " for saying that John 

 Merefield was a witch and he having a moate in his hand and said 

 he had fetched it from the witches howse, and he put it into the 

 fire .... and said he would see if the witch would come, 



