By J. U. Powell, M.A. 



125 



foundation culminated in the 10th century; by the 11th decay had 

 set in. Out of the enormous mass of Glastonbury papers at 

 Longleat,the most important of which have been examined by Canon 

 Jackson, the Somerset Eecord Society have printed (1891) the 

 " Rentalia et Custumaria " of Michael de Ambresbury, with a 

 valuable aud succinct preface by Bishop Hobhouse and notes by 

 Mr. C. Elton. Michael de Ambresbury was Abbot of Glastonbury 

 from 1235 to 1260, and caused a survey to be made of all the 

 Abbey estates, and it is in this survey that a full account of Long- 

 bridge is given (p. 133). As the work is rather inaccessible, it will 

 be well to give some extracts from it, for the account presents 

 several features of interest. The local names which this list gives 

 are the following : — 



The Pottery and a mill (both at Crockerton). Lustiggesbrom, 

 Benchacre, Sandvei, Werescumbe, or Worscombe, Wdeleise 

 (Woodleas) , Blankland, Gareshurthe, Wexingaker, Tonfurlong, 

 Eeeve hammes (that is, large riverside meadows), Sulstiche, 



Lord's Hill; the name Pudel-en-ham may be found in Piddewell-mede 

 (probably not the same as Potley on the top of Lord's Hill, because a 

 " ham " seems always to be a flat pasture near a stream); the via patria 

 would be the local road leading thither ; Eferbeorh might well be derived 

 from Eofor, a wild boar, and be seen now in the farm called Long Ivor ; 

 (compare Eversley, which is Eofors-ley) ; Henlega and Peocesham have left 

 no traces, but as there is " pucksey " mead in Crockerton, meaning " marshy," 

 there may have been one in the more marshy Longbridge. But the difficulty 

 is, that if the " via militaris" is that which runs along the ridge, it runs too 

 far south of the hill of Long Ivor farm, and does not quite touch it; Peocesham 

 must be looked for by some spring, in some hollow of the high ground, 

 which is apparently being described, or in the upper part of the marsh 

 near the village. The other difficulty is, that Wulfhelm, Archbishop of 

 Canterbury from 924 to 934, is said to have given the manor of Longbridge 

 to Glastonbury ; yet here we find Edgar giving what appears to be a portion 

 of Longbridge to the Priory of Ellandune some time between 960 and 975. A 

 further difficulty is, that in Domesday Longbridge has only ten hides, yet here 

 are twenty; Monkton also has ten hides; perhaps, as they both belonged to 

 Glastonbury, the solution may be that we have the boundaries of both estates 

 run together, and that this is a confirmation of the older grant, and some 

 authority has attributed it to Ellandune instead of to Glastonbury. Stubbs 

 {Const. Hut., I., 107, n.) remarks that the gift of hundreds to Ely and 

 Peterborough by Edgar are of doubtful authenticity. Yet, if the document is a 

 forgery, whence comes this familiarity with what are apparently Deverill 

 names and with places which may more or less be identified still ? 

 VOL. XXXII. — NO. C. K 



