THE prior's cross. 101 



rewards and raoney given, to permit certain burgesses and others 

 to carry away on horses the burden wood to the i^rejudice of both 

 the Prior and the commonalty. The feud between Priory and 

 Town grew serious, and the latter appealed to Henry VIII to 

 protect them from the vengeance of Prior Vivian. This document 

 represented that " whereas the said inhabitants have used to have 

 common pasture, with all manner of beasts, and common fuel, in 

 a wood called Dynmure Avood, a mile from the said town, that is 

 to say, "with hook and crooh, to lop and crop, and to carry away 

 upon their backs and none other ways," the Prior had caused the 

 said wood to be inclosed, the gates to be locked, and by his 

 bailiffs had beaten, and cruelly obstructed the poor people while 

 attempting to exercise their right of common ; and that " the 

 same now Prior hath now of late sold the said wood and made 

 coal there, pretending it to be his several wood, not having regard 

 to the title of common that the said inhabitants have within the 

 said wood." * The towns-j)eople stoutly stood upon their rights, 

 and pulled down a hedge that they might daysler C?) t use the said 

 ways and common. The Prior, among whose Adrtues forbearance 

 could not be numbered, assumed an attitude of vengeance, and 

 commanded those who owed him suit and service, the servants 

 and friends of the manor of Bodmin, to repair instantly to the 

 Priory with such weapons as they had. " By this means he 

 gathered unto the said Priory by estimation to the number of a 

 hundred persons and above, and charged five cart-load of ordnance 

 with pellets to shoot into the town, and to destroy the to^v^, and 

 so shot into the town twenty pellets or thereabouts, which unlaw- 

 ful purpose the same Prior had maliciously fulfilled to his power, 

 if by the council and advice of good men he had not been stayed ; 

 by reasons of which dealings and malicious purpose," addeth the 

 petition, " the said poor commons stancleth greatly in dread of the 

 said Prior and were thereby greatly inquieted." 



The rights of the poor of Bodmin and the claims of the Prior 

 were soon after made the subject of arbitration, and the former 

 were relinquished in consideration of a grant of a leet and frank 

 pledge for nmety-nine years, at the annual rent of four pounds, 



* The spelling is modernized. 



f Probably the more easily — the easilier. 



