330 



Not en on the History of Mere. 



of the fellowship and brotherly love which should exist among all 

 who are of the household of faith. Its distribution was once almost 

 universal in Western Christendom, and prevailed to some extent 

 among the Greeks. The holy bread was sometimes carried home 

 by those who received it. It seems to have been held to be a 

 religious duty to take holy bread every Sunday. The distribution 

 of the panis benedictns was practised in every Church throughout 

 the land. In the Constitutions of Giles de Bridport, Bishop of 

 Salisbury, in the year 1252 it was decreed that the parishioners 

 should provide the holy loaf every Sunday. 



The holy bread was ordinary leavened bread, cut into small 

 pieces, blessed, and given to the people after mass. 



The formula for the blessing of holy bread was, in English : — 



" Oh Lord Jesus Christ, the bread of angels, the living bread of eternal life, 

 deign to bless this bread as thou didst bless the five loaves in the desert, that all 

 who eat thereof may receive from thence health of body and soul." — Antiquary, 

 vol. xvii., p. 192. 



B. — Smoke Farthings. 



In some manors, formerly belonging to religious houses, there is 

 still paid, as appendant to the said manors, the ancient Peter's 

 Pence, by the name of smoke money. The Bishop of Lincoln, 

 anno 1444, issued out his commission " Ad levandum le Smoke 

 Farthings, &c." 



Lands were held in some places by the payment of the sum of 6d. 

 yearly to the sheriff, called Smoke Silver. Pat. 4, Ed. 6. Smoke 

 Silver and Smoke Penny are to be paid to the ministers of divers 

 parishes, as a modus in lieu of tithe wood (Jacobs' Law Dictionary) . 

 The word Fumage has sometimes been used for Smoke Money, 

 a customary payment for every house that had a chimnej^ (Jacobs' 

 Law Dictionary) . 



Warrant to the Steward oe Mere, 1625. 



[From Hoare's Modern Wilts, Addenda, p. 2.] 



" W m Whitaker Steward of Mere by the Prince his Counsell &c. 



" Whereas we are given to understand that his Ma ties services w th in y e Manno r 

 and hundred of Meere, in the oountie of Wiltes, for want of a Steward to keepe 



