THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY & NATURALIST. 



117 



Monk Sherborne church, where the party was re- 

 ceived by the rector, the Rev. Canon Willes, is a 

 Norman structure with a small bell turret and a 

 wooden porch, the latter a pleasing feature, though 

 it hides some of the moulding of the doorway. In- 

 side, most attention was attracted by the font, which, 

 like the church, has been " restored." The bowl had 

 been found resting on the base of a pillar, but there 

 were indications that it had been originally supported 

 on three short pillars, and these were now supplied. 

 Built into the east wall were shown some portions ot 

 Norman mouldings, showing the way in which still 

 earlier " restorers " did their work. As to the age of 

 the church, Mr. Shore thought that from a resem- 

 blance of the chancel arch it must have been built by 

 the founder of the Priory, but Canon Willes said this 

 church was much older than the Priory, as shown by 

 documents. But the reference, Mr. Shore thought, 

 might be to an older building, possibly of Saxon age. 

 At any rate the architects of the party were not agreed 

 that the church was so old, and before the evidence of 

 the stones themselves documents have to give way. 

 The style was pronounced to be late Norman. 



By tbe time the party arrived at Sherborne Priory 

 Church, all was ready for lunch, which was partaken 

 of on Mr. Thompson's lawn, under the shadow of the 

 church. There must have at one time been extensive 

 buildings here, for foundations are met with much, 

 no doubt, to the farmer's annoyance at a very slight 

 depth in the ground for some distance around. Now, 

 however, all that remains is a square tower, with the 

 building now used as a parochial chapel for Pamber, 

 extending to the eastward. According to the theory 

 of the late Sir Gilbert Scott, who reported on the 

 church prior to its restoration in 1843, the tower 

 was originally central, the nave extending to 

 the westward and transepts north and south, whilst 

 the now existing building was the chancel, and was 

 flanked on both sides with separate chapels. The 

 antiquaries of the Field Club did not, however, readily 

 accept this theory, and some were inclined to think 

 that the church had not been larger than at present. 

 The building presents some fine Norman and Early 

 English work, the choir being of about the date 1200 

 1230. Mr. T. K, Dymond pointed out that the 

 mouldings of the windows in the lantern tower re- 

 semble those in the Norman house (King John's 

 House) in Southampton which he is restoring in con- 

 junction with Mr. W. F. G. Spranger, thus making 

 the date of the building about the middle of the i2th 

 century. There is a very old font, and much admira- 

 tion was attracted by an excellent example of a carv- 

 ing (in oak) of a recumbent figure, supposed to be 

 that of the founder of the choir. It is locally attri- 

 buted to John de Port. Mr. Shore, who thought 

 it was probably one of the St. Johns, spoke of this as 

 a very interesting figure ; he only knew of one other 

 early wooden effigy in the county that of a woman 

 at Thruxton. Mr. Shore here read the following 

 paper : 



THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE PRIORY OF SHERBORNE. 



In early Anglo-Saxon time Sherborne must have been 

 situated at the edge of the great northern forest of Hamp- 

 shire, and the Scyrbourn was probably the stream which 

 marked off the forest land on the north from the cultivated 

 area to the south. 



This stream also for some way flows in the direction of 

 the line of outcrop of the chalk. The chalk area to the 

 south must have been practically free from wood when 

 the Saxons first settled here, and the name Sc3 r rebourn, 

 from A.-S. Scyr, a parting or division, was probably given 

 to the stream here, at the place where the great Roman 

 road from Winchester to Silchester crossed it from the 

 shire or county into the forest, which was under a separate 

 administrator, the shire being in the jurisdiction of the 

 sheriff, and the forest governed by forest law in the juris- 

 diction of the king's warden or bailiff. The chief traffic 

 between the north and south of Hampshire passed at that 

 time along the Roman road, and hence the origin of the 

 name as a dividing name at this part of the edge of the 

 northern forest. The name Panbere appears to have been 

 given to that part of the northern forest ot Hampshire 

 which was situated in this immediate neighbourhood, 

 afterwards modified into Pamber. Panbere was originally 

 so named from being the hogs' wood, apparently a part of 

 the forest without much pa ture, but plenty of pannage, at 

 the time it received this name. 



The gradual inclosure of Pamber forest went on during 

 the time of the priory. In the 52nd year of Henry III 

 Peter de Coudray, of Cufald, in Sherborne, was allowed to 

 inclose that part of his estate which lay within the forest, 

 and the Prior and Convent of Sherborne had an inclosed 

 wood at Bramley, the next parish, called the " Park of the 

 Prior and Convent of Sherborne." The St. John family 

 obtained leave to inclose the park at Sherborne, from with- 

 in the bounds of Pamber forest in Henry Ill's reign, from 

 which time the manor became known as that of Sherborn 

 St. John. The grant of a park was a higher privilege than 

 that of free warren. 



In Edward I's time seventy acres of Pamber- were 

 assarted, and in Edward I I's time 46 acres of newly 

 assarted land were held by one John Wootton. 



The proximity of the Priory of Sherborne to the forest of 

 Pamber'was a considerable benefit to the monks. The 

 Priory tenants must have had in the forest the customary 

 privileges of pasturage, pannage, and other common 

 rights, and in the i3th century Henry III granted to the 

 prior the privilege ot cutting a certain quantity of dead 

 wood. The forests of Hampshire were connected ecclesi- 

 astically with the Dean and Chapter of Sarum. Henry II 

 granted to the Dean and Chapter all the tithes of the New 

 Forest, and of Pancet, and of Buccolt, and of Andevera, 

 and of Husseburne, and of ' all my forests in Wiltshire, 

 Berkshire, and Dorsetshire." Pancet must, I think, have 

 been an alternative name for Pamber. In any case little 

 doubt can be entertained that the tithes of Pamber forest 

 went to Salisbury. Herbert, Dean of Sarum, witnessed 

 Adam de Port's charter to Sherborne Priory, and until the 

 time of its inclosure from the forest the church of the 

 parish of Sherborne St. John was entered in ecclesiastical 

 records such as the Taxation of Pope Nicholas as Sher- 

 borne Decani. 



One of the most curious matters connected with Pamber 

 was its Court Leet. 



This Court was formerly held in the open air at a place 

 called Lady Mede, a name derived from law day mede. 

 Hazlitt, in his book on Tenures, describes how this ancient 

 Court Leet for the manor of Pamber was opened in the 

 open air, after which an adjournment was made to an inn, 



