MONASTIC GARDENING. 19 



Romans, a popular fruit in this country. The "' ciris beam," or 

 ■cherry-tree, continued to be "^rown in early Saxon times. In 

 the twelfth century it was one of the fruit trees praised by 

 Necham, Abbot of Cirencester, in his poem, " De laudibus divinae 

 Sapientias," and this fruit was not forgotten in any monastic 

 garden. 



At Norwich, besides the " Pomerium," the apple}ard or 

 orchard, there was a "cherryjerd," or, as it is called in another 

 place, " orto cersor," or cherry-garden, and in spite of this we 

 find cherries had to be bought '' for the convent " from time to 

 time, so great was the demand for this fruit. Perhaps it was the 

 too frequent use of it that suggested to Necham the advisability 

 of warning his readers that " cherries, mulberries, and grapes 

 should be eaten fasting, and not after a meal." * 



The third department, of the " Garden Warder," must now 

 be considered. It has been already pointed out that vines were 

 grown by the Romans in Britain, and, with the exception of 

 the gap immediately following Roman rule, their history is 

 continuous. Tradition points to a place called Vine, in Hamp- 

 shire, as having taken its name from the vines planted there 

 during the time of the Emperor Probus. Vines, the " Wine- 

 streow," are noticed as boundaries or landmarks at several places 

 in Saxon charters of the tenth century, and these might have 

 been survivals of Roman vineyards. t 



Bede, writing early in the eighth centur}', says that Britain 

 " excels for grain and trees ... it also produces vines in some 

 places." X Ii^ the laws of Alfred, § which were chiefly compila- 

 tions of existing ones, it was notified that anyone who " damaged 

 the vinevard or field of another, should give compensation." 

 In the tenth century King Edw}- confirmed the grant of a 

 vineyard at Pathenesburgh, in Somerset, to the Abbey of 



■* Necham, De Na fun's Rci'iim. 



■\ Kemble's Codex Diploinaficns, Vol. V. 



MCXLVI. Eadmund, 943. Lechamstide. 



MCLXXVII. Ealdred, 949. Boxoram. 



MCXCVIII. Eadwig, 956. Welligforda, &c. 

 X Bede, Hist. Eccle. gentis Aiiglornm. Ed. 1848, p. 108. 

 § LL. Saxon Wilki : p. 31. LL. Aelf : 26. 



