76 



Some Account of the Parish of MonJcton Farleigh. 



" Terra Odonis et aliorum Tainorum Regis." 

 (Land of Odo and other of the King's Thanes.) 

 Brictric tenet Farlege et frater Brictric holds Farlege and his 

 ejus de eo. Tempore Hegi Ed- brother holds it of him- In the 

 wardi geldabat pro 5 hidis. time of King Edward it paid 

 Terra est 4 carucatse. In do- geld for 5 hides. The land is 4 

 minio est 1 carucata et 4 servi ; carucates. In demesne is one 

 et 5 villani, et 3 bordarii cum 3 carucate and 4 serfs, and there 

 carucatis. Ibi 20 acrse pasturae are 5 villans and 3 bordars and 

 et 3 acrse silvse. Valet 70 solidos. 3 carucates. There are 20 acres 



of pasture and 3 acres of wood. 

 It is worth 70 shillings. 



The first recorded ancestor of Brictric was one Alyward, or 

 Aylward Mere, or Meau, a Saxon nobleman of royal lineage, who 

 founded the monastery of Cranbourne in Dorset. To him succeeded 

 iElfghar, or Algar, who completed the foundation and Brictric is 

 mentioned as his grandson and a benefactor. 1 



According to Domesday Brictric' s father held upwards of five 

 thousand acres of land in Wiltshire only, whilst Brictric himself 

 held upwards of six thousand eight hundred acres under the Con- 

 queror besides some five thousand three hundred acres more, which 

 he had held under Edward the Confessor. He is said to have had 

 manors also in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucester, and Worces- 

 ter. 



He was one of the king's thanes, i.e., he served the king in some 

 place ' ' of eminency either in the Court or Commonwealth/' 2 and 

 was a possessor of land in this capacity, and for these services. 



He was so far, however, more fortunate than his co-temporary 

 thanes in that he had his " Vates sacer." 



According to this authority, he was sent by Edward the Confessor 

 to the Court of Baldwin, Count of Flanders, in the matter of Earl 

 Godwin. Here he had the misfortune to please the eye of Matilda, 



1 Jones's Domesday, p. 41. 



2 Jones's Domesday, p. 4. 



