THE 



WILTSHIKE MAGAZINE. 



"MULTORUM MANIBUS GRANDE lEVATUR ONUS." Ovid. 



FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS 



By F. A. Carrington, asa. 



TTH respect to this subject, I am not unmindful that 



^^Marlborough has already its History, and that there also 

 was a Lecture on the Castle (now the College), by the Bishop of 

 Calcutta; and that I am therefore only a Leazer in the Antiquarian 

 field ; and that my niches of leazed Antiquarian lore would have 

 been small in size and but few in number if my friend Mr. T. 

 B. ^erriman had not for this purpose kindly thrown open his 

 very extensive and valuable collections relating to Marlborough. 



I therefore intend to advert to such matters as have been hitherto 

 either unnoticed, or have been only slightly touched on by others. 



I will commence with The Poll Tax, which was collected in the 

 reign of Richard 2nd, (1378) ; the Marlborough assessment being 

 in the general Record office. This tax was imposed on all persons 

 above fourteen years old, except clergymen, married women, and 

 common beggars. Two hundred and seventy-four persons paid the 

 tax in Marlborough, whose names and callings are given. Peter 

 Ramenhall, Esq., Adam Kyneton, Liberus (probably a considerable 

 freeholder), and John Janevyne (a tanner who was the Mayor), 

 paying each six and eightpence, the tax on an esquire. Two 

 hostellers, paying each three and fourpence, the same tax as was 

 paid by gentlemen. 



The inhabitants of the town then consisted of three fishmongers, 

 three fishermen (no doubt from the number of maigre days), ten 

 tanners, one skinner, one currier, three j^eh'par it (leather sellers), ten 



VOL. VII. — NO. XIX. B 



