Certificate of the Totmi Gild of Malmesbury. 



123 



parliament 8th June, 1821, and adds that a " Bruera," or rough 

 pasture, near the manor called Brendeheth (now Burnt Heath 

 Farm), " was given by King Atheist an " for sustaining one chaplain 

 to pray for the souls of the King and the burgesses. [Pat. Hen. V.* 

 Jones' Index.] In this note Canon Jackson also mentions the 

 chaplain and the source of his income, which, according to the cer- 

 tifieate, was ik 40 shillings in all " ; but the only allusion found 

 to " the Chapel built in honour of Cod and St. John the Baptist," 

 is in Canon Jackson's " Ancient Chapels in Co. Wilts" [Wilts 

 Arch. Mag., vol. x., p. 294), where he says " The Valor Eccles. 

 names as in the Abbey Church, a chapel of St. John the Baptist, 

 the chapel of the B.V.M., and the shrine of St. Aldhelm; but 

 no notices of any of these having been endowed have been met 

 with." The following record of endowment is, therefore, very 

 interesting. 



" A uostre tresexcellent et tresgra- 

 ciouse Seigneur nostre Seigneur le Roi 

 et a son tresage consaill certefiont en sa 

 Chauncerie lez poeres Aid reman et 

 Burgeysez oue toute la cominalte de la 

 ville de Malmesbury qe la dite ville de 

 Malrnesbury feust et est une aunciene 

 ville et auxi Burgh et de tout temps 

 deuant le Roi Athelston et puis saunz 

 ascun interrupcione. Et le Roi Athel- 

 ston progenitour nostre Seigneur le Roi 

 qorest a cez Burgeis de Malmesbury 

 suzditz et a lour successours granta qils 

 eient et teignent touz lez vsages et 

 frankes customes sicom.e ils tendreierent 

 en temps de cez progenitours et qils 

 Soient quites de Burghbote Bruggebote 

 Wardewite Hornegeld et scot. Et outre 

 dona a lez ditz Burgeysez un bruer 

 iuxta la ville de Norton conteignant 

 cink hides de terre en [eide] de eux et 

 de lour Burgh et cominalte purceo qils 

 feurent eidantz a luy encoutre lez Danes 

 Sicome appiert en sa charte conferme et 

 ratefie par vous nostre Seigneur le Roi 

 Et lez ditz Burgeises out usez de temps 

 dont memorie ne court a contrarie qe 



" To our most excellent and most 

 gracious lord our lord the king and to 

 his most wise council certify into his 

 chancery the poor aldermen and bur- 

 gesses with all the commonalty of the 

 town of Malmesbury that the said town 

 of Malmesbury was and is an ancient 

 town and also borough and from all 

 time before the king Athelston and 

 since without any interruption. And 

 the king Athelston progenitor of our 

 lord the king who now is to his bur- 

 gesses of Malmesbury abovesaicl and to 

 their successors granted that they may 

 have and hold all the usages and free 

 customs so as they held them in time 

 of his progenitors and that they may 

 be quit of burghbote, bruggebote war- 

 dewite hornegeld and scot. And besides 

 he gave to the said burgesses a heath 

 near the town of Norton containing five 

 hides of land in aid of them and of their 

 borough and commonalty because they 

 were helpful to him against the Danes 

 so as appears in his charter confirmed 

 and ratified by you our lord the king. 

 And the said burgesses have been wont 



