36 NOTES ON A BOOK CALLED DOMESDAY. 



be laid in the town, but that directly after death " extra portas 

 ville mittentur." Of course "cadavera" here means dead beasts only, 

 for all three churchyards were in use until less than 50 years ago. 

 The next bye-law calling for notice is No. 9, relating to the book of 

 which we are speaking. " Fiat eciam cone Registru ad certificand 

 de tenementis in Burgo nro venditis heant balli certu Sigillu officii 



in medio sigilli erit leopardus coronatus et erit 



scptu in circuitu sigillu bailor Dorcestrie. . . ." Mr. Symonds, 

 the Town Clerk, tells me that this seal does not exist now. The 

 fee for each entry in the register was to be 6d. to the Bailiffs 

 for sealing. " Dabit ecia clico pr scptura in Domesday tres denar." 

 This regulation is rather puzzling, because it would seem that this 

 Domesday was made and brought into use first and ordered to be 

 made afterwards, as will appear presently. Again I don't see why 

 the Bailiffs, in connection with Domesday, were feed for sealing. 

 For no signs of seals appear. It may be meant, although not 

 expressed, that the Bailiffs' seal should be used for the original 

 deed before its being copied into Domesday. This bye-law is one 

 of the proofs that the name of this volume is simply " Domesday." 

 By No. 17 the Bailiffs are entitled to 20s. a year each, with fees on 

 sales of tenements, and for sealing (as above), and the toll on wheat 

 brought to market. By No. 18 the Town Clerk is endowed with 

 6s. 8d. a year, no less, and his fee "de aliis rebus prout usitat." 

 No. 21 orders that the common chest shall have three locks, the 

 keys of which shall be kept, respectively, by three men thereto 

 elected. The last law commands that the curia legalis of Hoched 

 Term shall be held on the Monday after Easter Monday. The 

 etymology of this word Hoched, also Hock Day, is pronounced 

 doubtful. It is odd that in Ireland a very similar name belongs to 

 Christmas Tide, as the Encyclopaedic Dictionary tells us. To 

 pass on to the enrolments, of which there are between 500 

 and 600. Of these 444 are designated chartae (deeds of 

 conveyance), 99 are testamenta (wills), whole or in part, and 

 the rest are feoflfamenta (the same as chartse, it seems), relaxationes 

 (releases), literae attornizatus (letters of attorney), and at the 



