136 The New Forest : its History and its Scenery. 



describing it let us give some account of its history. Its earliest 

 buildings were founded by some of the secular canons of the 

 order of St. Augustine, probably on a spot used for worship by 

 the Romans.* Mention of it is made in Domesday as existing 

 in Edward the Confessor's reign, and as possessing five hydes 

 and one yardland in Thuinam, as also its tithes, and the third 

 of those of Holdenhurst.f The present building, however, dates 

 only from the time of Flambard, who rebuilt the church, pulling 

 down the earher building with its nine cells4 And in Henry I.'s 

 reign, Baldwin de Redvers brought in the regular instead of the 

 secular canons, and placed them under the first prior, Reginald. 

 With this change new privileges and grants were made. 

 Riches flowed in on every side. Not only were the Redvers 



5d., a price at which it had stood with some slight variations for many 



years. 



To conclude, the smallest things are noted. Thus a thousand " peats," 

 perhaps brought from the Forest, cost, in 1562, 15(7., whilst a load of 

 "fursen," still the local plural of furse, perhaps also from the same place, 

 was 8d. Nothing in these accounts escapes notice. In 1586 a "coking 

 stole," the well-known cathedra stercoris, the Old-English '' scealfing-slol" 

 is char<Ted \0d ; whilst a collar, or, as it is elsewhere in the same book 

 called, " an iron choker for vagabonds," cost lAd. 



* In Arcliceologia, vol. iv. pp. 117, 118, is a letter from Brander, the 

 geologist and antiquary, describing a quantity of spurs and bones of herons, 

 bitterns and cocks, found on a part of the monastic buildings, showing that 

 the site had been previously occupied. 



•j- Holdenhurst had ten hydes and a half taken into the Forest (Domes- 

 datj, ac before, iv. a). It then possessed a small church, and, as we find 

 one mentioned in the charter of Richard de Redvers in Henry I.'s 

 rei«-n, we may fairly conclude that this, too, was not destroyed by the 

 Conqueror. There were also there fisheries for the use of the hall. 



+ Cartularium Mouasterii de Christchurch Twinham. Brit. Mus., Cott, 

 MSS., Tib. D. VI., parsii., f 194 a. This chartulary was much injured in 

 the fire of 1731, but has been restored by Sir F. Madden. Quoted in 

 Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum, vol. vi. p. 303, Ed. 1830. 



