332 The Wiltshire Compounders. 



Tockenham, remainder to his eldest son, William, then to William's 

 first son, and so on in tail, burdened, however, with a rent charge 

 of £100, being thus settled on the marriage of his said son to 

 Anne, daughter of Sir Henry Rolle, of Steventon, in Devonshire, 

 16th April, 16 Car. Annual value before the troubles, £400. Other 

 lands at Tockenham, £72 Us. M. He possesses the term of a lease 

 having five years to run of the manors of Alton and Stowell, 

 £214 4*.6<*. Old rents there, £15 I5s,6d. He is seised of a 

 freehold during the term of his life in other lands, parcel of his 

 manor of Wraxhall, remainder to his son William as above, annual 

 value £40. His personal estate in cattle, goods, aud household 

 stuff he estimates at £700, and there is £700 owing to him in 

 debts. Fine, at a tenth, £2380. Dated 2nd January, 1646. 



17th October, 1648, Sir William Button petitioned the Lords, 

 desiring to be heard before his ordinance of composition passed the 

 Houses, who thereupon recommended the commissioners at Gold- 

 smith's Hall either to give him the benefit of a review, or, if that 

 might not be, to allow as part of his fine the sum of £300 which 

 the Committee of Wilts had already seized. He complained that, 

 having but a life estate in the greater part of the lands expressed 

 in his " particular/' and his own submission being based upon the 

 Articles of Oxford, the benefit whereof he was entitled to enjoy, he 

 had nevertheless been assessed in two years' value for the demesnes 

 and six years' value for the old rents, though having no greater 

 estate therein than for life. The moiety he had already paid, and 

 secured the remainder according to the rules in force. The appeal 

 seems to have been unheeded. At least I have met with no subse- 

 quent document. Sir William Button's house of West Tockenham 

 Court (says Canon Jackson's account) was twice stripped. In 

 June, 1643, Sir Edward Hungerford made a foray, and carried off 

 three hundred and eighty sheep, sixty-nine beasts, one hundred and 

 sixty [pounds ?] weight of wool, besides the beds and hangings from 

 the rooms, and the pewter and brass from the kitchen— total value, 

 £767. In the following June, 1644, a party of horse from 

 Malmesbury garrison repeated the invasion, making spoil of four 

 hundred and forty sheep, fifty beasts, sixty-two mares and foals ; 



