242 



Notes on the Itistory of Merc 



Queen Elizabeth granted to Sir Walter Baleigh and Carew 

 Raleigh for their lives the office of keeper of Her Highness' s park 

 of Mere, and thereby made them keepers of the said park, with all 

 fees, profits, etc., to the office belonging. 



1586, Sir Walter and Carew Raleigh grant the said office to 

 Francis Souch or Zouch. 



1591, Francis Souch assigns unto William Ley and Thomas South 

 the herbage and pannage of the said park, and the keeping of it. 



1592, William Ley, Thomas South, and Francis Souch grant to 

 Jasper Moore the office of keeper of the said park, who also has the 

 herbage and pannage granted to him. The office of keeper he 

 assigns the same year to Henry Willoughby and John Budden. 

 This arrangement did not last long, for in April, 1594, Henry 

 Willoughb} 7 releases unto the said John Budden all his rights to 

 the herbage and pannage, and in the keeperage of the said park 

 lodge, game of deer, etc., which in October is again assigned to 

 Edward Wood and John Rowie for thirty-one years. 



1595, Meere Park was sold in fee subject to the above leases, to 

 Matthew Ewens, one of the Barons of the Exchequer, and John 

 Strowd, Esq., by Robert, Earl of Essex, Lylly Merrick, and Henry 

 Lydney, Esquires ; but the same year, in September, it was con- 

 veyed by the above Matthew Ewens and John Strowd unto Sir 

 Matthew Arundell, Knight, and his heirs for ever. 



1603, on the accession of James I. to the throne he disputed the 

 grants made by Queen Elizabeth, and recovered the property which 

 had been alienated from the crown, and by the result of this trial, 

 which is recorded in Coke's Reports, the Manor of Mere was re- 

 annexed to the crown. Coke says : — 



" In this case divers things were observed. 



" 1. That the eldest son of every king aftei the creation was Duke of Cornwall. 



"2. That Richard of Bourdeaux who was son of the Black Prince was not 

 Duke of Cornwall, although after the death of his father he was heir apparent 

 to the crown, yet because he was not the first begotten son of any king of 

 England (for his father died in the lifetime of King Edward III.), the said 

 Eichard was not within the limitation of 2nd Edward III., and therefore he 

 was created Duke of Cornwall by a special charter. Nor Elizabeth the eldest 

 daughter of King Edward IV. was not Duchess of Cornwall, for she was the 

 first begotten daughter of the king, and the limitation is to. the first begotten 



