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Notes on the History of Mere. 



It will be seen from the foregoing description of the state of 

 things agricultural in 1793 that the ancient system of tenure 

 existed here till a recent date. The demesne land on the lord's 

 farm had its land in severalty, the remainder was divided into copy- 

 hold tenements, some of which still exist, but they are gradually 

 dying out as no renewals have been made for the last fifty years. 

 A portion of these stocked the tenantry down with a common flock ; 

 the portion allotted for this purpose was what is now the down 

 attached to the Manor Farm. The tenants at Burton held under 

 somewhat different terms, each copyholder there having his separate 

 strip of down. This is still called Burton Down, and was added 

 to Mere Down Farm when the farms were re-arranged in 1844. 

 The custom of the manor was to grant leases for three lives, and 

 the widow of the last life in possession held the tenement by 

 widowhood and chastity. 



There was a considerable number of tenements in the parish held 

 also for lives under the Dean of Salisbury, who was Eector of Mere. 

 These, with other glebe lands, were transferred to the Ecclesiastical 

 Commissioners in 1836, who disposed of the greater portion of their 

 property here to the late Miss Julia E. Chafyn Grove, who again 

 sold it in small lots in 1862. One holding, consisting of a house 

 adjoining the churchyard and about 7 acres of land, is still held on 

 lives by Captain Still, under the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. 

 The rectorial tithes were restored to the Dean and Chapter of 

 Sarum in 1896. 



Inclosure Act. 



The Mere Inclosure Act was passed in 1807, but the award of 

 the Commissioners was not made till 1821. By this act 840 acres 

 of pasture and meadow land were inclosed and allotted to those 

 entitled to rights of pasturage thereon. Great opposition was 

 given to the act, and the following notice, signed by sixty of the 

 principal copyholders, was issued by them : — 



"We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, having an unlimited right to feed 

 and depasture all sorts of cattle on the commons, belonging to Mere, &c, do 

 hereby give notice, that we dissent to and disapprove of an application being 



