164 



The Black Friars of Wiltshire. 



forest, December 15th, to let the friars have six oaks a ad maeremium 

 ad claustrum suura inde construendum."" 1 The bounty of the king 

 also supplied firing to the community, by the following mandates 

 for fuel out of Graveling Wood: July 12th, 1252, for five oaks 

 [rowers) ; 2 March 25th, 1254, for six dry leafless rowers, taken where 

 the least damage would be done; 3 September 8th, 1260, for six 

 rowers and December 15th, 1271, for four rowers* Edward 

 I. gave, out of Clarendon forest, January 21st, 1274-5, three 

 rowers for fuel; 6 September 10th, 1276, ten cart-loads of fire- 

 wood; 7 June 8th, 1277, six rowers for fuel ; 8 and February 17th, 

 1279-80, four leafless rowers also for fuel. 9 



And thus the friar-preachers went on at Wilton for about thirty- 

 six years. All that time, New Sarum, or Salisbury, was steadily 

 drawing into itself the best resources of the neighbourhood. As an 

 episcopal city, it presented a vast field of labour to an enterprizing 

 religious order, and offered greater advantages than such a town as 

 Wilton, sinking into hopeless decay. The friars had entered the 

 diocese under the sanction of Robert de Bingham, a bishop whom 

 Godwin styles ' ' vir magna et eruditione et pietate ; " 10 and whilst 

 Robert de Wykehampton held the see, they removed to Salisbury. 

 Still Wilton was not altogether abandoned : the land and Church 

 had been dedicated to holy uses, and could not be readily secularized. 

 Wilton was, therefore, made a cell to Salisbury, the distance between 

 the two houses being only three miles. 



1 Claus. 56 Henry III., m. 12. 

 2 Claus. 36 Hen. III., m. 10. The quercus usually went for timber, and the 

 robur for fuel. "Sept keisnes appellez Rowers pour foaill" were given by the 

 king, Aug. 5th, 1404, to the friar-preachers of Gloucester. Register of Grants 

 of the Duchy of Lancaster, vol. xv., fol. 69. 



3 Claus. 38 Hen. III., m. 9. 

 4 Claus. 44 Hen. III., p. 1, m. 5. 

 5 Claus. 56 Hen. III., m. 12. 

 6 Claus. 3 Edw. I., m. 23. 

 7 Claus. 4 Edw. I., m 4. 

 8 Claus. 5 Edw., I., m. 5. 

 9 Claus. 8 Edw., I., m. 10. 

 10 Godwin, De Prsesulibus Anglise (1743), p. 344. 



