292 Notes on the History of Great Somerford. 



Smiths from fishing in the river, which he considered to be an 

 infringement on his royalty. The Bmnings began to part with their 

 property towards the end of the 17th century. In 1670 Edmund 

 Bruning sold to William Grrinfield, Esq., of Marlborough, " all 

 that capital messuage in Somerford Boles als Broad Somerford, 

 called ' Andrews Place,' late in the occupation of William Mayo, 

 deceased, or J ohn Mayo, together with that farm called ' The 

 Farm of Broade Somerford,' " altogether about 275 acres. In 1693 

 three other farms were sold, the messuage called Blanchards, &c, 

 to William Alexander, gent., of Broad Somerford; that called 

 "Mayo's Farme" to Michael Wicks, Esq., of St. Mary Axe, London; 

 " The Grove," to Thomas Evans, of Malmesbury, mercer. In 1713 

 the son, Eichard Bruning, sells " Boardlands " to Eichard Serjeant, 

 the tenant, for £112 — a messuage with 23 acres of land and two 

 beastes leazes. In the deed of sale Eichard Serjeant is said to 

 have held this farm " by coppy of Court Eoll of the said Eichard 

 Bruning as of his manor of Broad Somerford." Another farm 

 called "Eummings" and another called " Lee's living " formed 

 part of the Bruning estate. The former, I think, carried with it 

 the Somerford Bolles manorial rights, and was the one sold by the 

 executors of Eichard Serle, Esq., to Mr. William Eandell in 1775. 

 Whatever Mr. William EandelFs manorial rights might be, he 

 was, in the Enclosure Act, recognised as lord of the fee of certain 

 cottages, the occupiers being his tenants, he claiming the reversion 

 of the cottages " granted and duly entered in the court books of the 

 said manor or based on lives or by copyhold of court roll." The 

 Brunings were a staunch Eoman Catholic family. Their later 

 pedigree is given in the " Herald and Genealogist" vol. iii., 

 in connection with an article on " The English Ladies of 

 Pontoise." Anthony Bruning, of Woodcot, in the parish of 

 Bramdean, Hants, whose name occurs in several Somerford deeds, 

 had a family of nine sons and four daughters living at the time of 

 his death in 1663 ; of the sons six were priests (S.J.) and two 

 daughters became nuns (O.S.B.) atPontoise. His brother, Edmund, 

 of Hambledon, was with his wife Elizabeth excommunicated 13th 

 April, 1671, for not attending their Parish Church, and many of 



