Passages in the History of Downton. 



103 



have been placed there at the time of their removal, perhaps early 

 in the eighteenth century, and would rather show that the head 

 was at that time thought to represent Henry III., but it bears no 

 more resemblance to the latter's effigy at Gloucester than to that of 

 John at Worcester. 1 The niche is surmounted by the initials J.R. 

 Britton 2 also states that " part of the walls " of the castle or " Old 

 Court," "were standing within the memory of some of the old 

 inhabitants," and that it was situated behind the mills. The site 

 may also be roughly indicated by a field, still called " Castle 

 Meadow," on the left bank of the Avon, below the " Moot," and in 

 the course of some excavations made on the site by Gen. Pitt- 

 Rivers and Mr. E. P. Squarey foundations were discovered. The 

 architecture of the Churches suggests that the western end of the 

 present Church of Downton, and the existing chapel at Nunton, 

 and possibly other Churches at Standlynch and elsewhere, were 

 either built very soon after the castle, or, in the hands of a pro- 

 gressive architect like Bishop Blois, might have been built at the 

 same time. 3 



For some time after this Downton, or " Dunton," as it was then 

 commonly spelt, does not appear in the public records except for 

 four entries in the Pipe Rolls. In 1160 ten marks were paid for a 

 " murdrum " and the pardon given to the Bishop of Winchester. 

 A " murdrum " was in all cases a secret murder, and if the town 

 was too poor to pay the fine, it was assessed, as in this case, on 

 the whole hundred. The law was originally passed for the pro- 

 tection of the king's Norman subjects, and if the victim were an 

 Englishman the fine was generally remitted. 4 



In 1167 and 1168 payments are again made for " murdrum " 

 from the hundred, and in the latter year, and also in the next year, 

 " Osbertus prepositus de Dunton " makes payments to the Exchequer 

 — one as a pledge for a robber being brought to justice. Osbert 



1 The Rev. A. D. Hill, who examined the niche about 1885, says that the date 

 was legible then as 1207. 



2 Beauties of Wiltshire, 1801. 

 :i The writer is confirmed in this opinion by Mr. C. E. Ponting, F.S.A. 

 4 Introd. to Pipe Rolls. 

 VOL. XXIX. NO. LXXXVII. 1 



