232 Notes on the History of Mere. 



Mere Park was used chiefly as a place for the Earl's brood mareis 

 and for turning out his chargers. A.D. 1300 some of the land wan 

 let to tenants ; as we find Is. 6d. charged for land which did belon 

 to Richard of Burton, and also 2s. 6d. for certain pieces of lan<n 

 granted to William Gomme. A fulling mill was let at 28s. 8m 

 per year, and two corn mills at £10 a year ; £9 0s. Id. was alsJ 

 paid by copyhold tenants of Mere, in lieu of manual laboriou s 

 services which they were bound to perform for their lord, such ai f 

 ploughing and digging his land, reaping his corn, and making hi 

 hay. Also 7s. was paid as the value of one ox, being the heriot o: 

 Roger Martin, deceased. The steward renders account of two oxer 

 sold for 17s. 4cL, and of £4 13s. for ninety- three crone wethen 

 sold before shearing, being Is. each ; and of £3 14s. 3d for eighty- 

 one crone ewes at 11^. each; also thirty cocks and ninety-seven; 

 hens, at Id. each for the former, and f d. for the latter. Four weys 

 of cheese were sold for 28s. Sd., being 7s. a wey for some, but less 

 for one parcel on account of the disease of the pockes which the 

 ewe sheep had, so that part of the cheese was made from ewes' milk. 

 Ten stone of butter were sold at 6d. per stone. The herbage sold 

 this year in the meadows called East Mead, West Mead on the 

 Hills, and in Conwich Mead for 26s. 7d. No grass was made into; 

 hay on account of the dry summer. Wheat sold for 6s. a quarter, 

 and oats at 3s. a quarter. At the Court Leet Robert Jones, John 

 the Tanner, and Peter Brekebut, were fined 5s. 8d. for making pits 

 and heaps to the nuisance of the King's highway. Stephen Solely 

 was fined 6d. for breaking the assize of ale ; Walter the Miller, 

 2s. 3d. for breaking it five times ; Robert the Clerk, 6d. for the 

 same, and William Wyking, 3s. for seven infractions of it. 



The assize of ale, which was passed 51 Henry III., enacted that 

 when a quarter of barley was sold for 2s. then four quarts of ale 

 should be sold for a penny ; when for 2s. 6d. then seven quarts for 

 twopence ; when for 3s. then three quarts for one penny ; when for 

 3s. 6d. then five quarts for twopence ; when it was sold for 4s. then 

 two quarts for one penny, and so forth. 



It may be interesting to give the names of a few of the in- 

 habitants of Mere in the year 1300. John Cleimond (Clement), 



