150 Recent Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets, and Articles. 



illustrations— half-tone blocks from photos displacing for the most part the 

 lithographic plates of the previous volumes. A new feature, too, is the 

 number of excellent photos of the various excavations in different stages of 



progress. 



The Manuscripts of the Duke of Somerset, The 

 Marquis of Ailesbury, and The Rev. Sir T. H. G-. 



FlllestOn, Bart. Fifteenth Report of Historical MSS. Commission. 



Appendix, Part VII. 1898. Eyre & Spottiswoode. Price 1/9. Large 8vo. 



The Introduction, by W. Page, occupies xvii. pages ; the MSS. of The 

 Duke of Somerset at Maiden Bradley, 152 pp. ; those of The Marquis of 

 Ailesbury, pp. 152—306; the remainder of the volume, including index, 

 pp. 307—410. The papers at Maiden Bradley and Tottenham thus fill 

 306 pages. 



Those at Maiden Bradley begin in 1553, and up to about 1700 are 

 concerned almost entirely with Devonshire matters — for the history of 

 which county they are very valuable. They deal very largely with the 

 preparations .for the defence of the coast of Devon against the Spanish 

 invasions, threatened from 1595 to 1600, such as orders to Edward Seymour 

 of Berry Pomeroy, and reports as to the raising of the trained bands, the 

 watching of the beacons, &c, &c, passing between the Government and 

 the Earl of Bath, then Lord Lieutenant of the county, and the Deputy 

 Lieutenants and otheis in authority. 



lu the Civil War period, too, there are a large number of letters, reports, 

 &c , from and to Sir Edward Seymour, the Royalist, who raised twelve 

 hundred men for the King in 1642, and again received a commission to raise 

 a regiment of fifteen hundred in 1643, when he was made Governor of 

 Dartmouth. In 1645 he took part in the defence of Exeter, and was after- 

 wards imprisoned. He was re-appointed Governor of Dartmouth in 1677, 

 and of Exeter in 1688, just before he died. His eldest son, Sir Edward, 

 was Speaker of the House of Commons. 



A considerable number of important papers exist dealing with the 

 departure of the expedition, under Sir George Rooke, which captured 

 Gibraltar ; Charles, Sixth Duke of Somerset, having had the superintendence 

 of its fitting out at Portsmouth. 



The deeds relating to lands in Wilts of which abstracts are given are as 



follows : — 



11 Hen. III. Protection to Nuns and Leprous Women of Bradeleg, and 

 to Prior and Brothers there, and grant of common of pasture in 



Merston. 



43 Hen. III. Lease by Adam Alayn to Ralph de Aungiens of land 



called Aldefeld in Bradelegh. 

 (Hen. III.?) Grant of acre of land called Stertaker and £ acre in 



Worthy by Godfrey Russel to Ralph de Aungiens. 

 (Hen. III.?) Grant of pasture in Selwood by Hugh le Bigood of 



Merston (?) to Ralph Aungieus. 

 (Hen. III. ?) Grant by Robert Baet to Ralph de Aungiens of land 



