By the Rev. & A. Fuller. 



219 



at the green ; in Cotes, at Muncleshurne ; in Duntesbourne Abbot, at 

 Lupegate ; in Duntesbourn Lyre, at Stancombe ; in Daglingworth, 

 at Tervstro}^ ; in Bagyndon, at Bereford Brugge (bridge), now 

 corrupted, I presume, to Perrot's Brook. To identify these places, 

 if not still well known, enquiry should be directed to old names at 

 cross roads and such like places. 



The Statute of Winchester, 13 Edw. I., October, 1285, according 

 to which this watch was kept, is I daresay unknown to many of your 

 renders, and explains the condition of the country five hundred and 

 ninety years ago. The Preamble recites that whereas from day to 

 day, robberies, murders, and burnings of houses were more frequent 

 than before, and felons were not arrested and convicted because they 

 were of the neighbourhood, and so were the receivers; moreover, 

 hitherto there had been no penalty for this concealment and neglect 

 of duty : now there shall be a penalty, and proclamation is to be 

 made in all places, so that no one may plead ignorance. Accord- 

 ingly after Easter 1286, in all cases of felony an inquest shall be 

 held, and the hundred shall be answerable for the person of the felon, 

 or to give satisfaction within forty days. The gates of towns were 

 to be closed from sunset to sunrise, and none were to lodge in the 

 suburbs unless their host would answer for them, while every 

 week or fortnight an enquiry was to be made by the bailiff of the 

 town about such lodgers, that examination might be made concern- 

 ing suspicious characters. It was also commanded that from hence- 

 forth watches should be kept as in times past, that is to say from 

 the day of the Ascension to the feast of St. Michael, in every city 

 by six men at every gate, in every borough by twelve men, in every 

 separate vill by six men or four according to the number of the 

 inhabitants, and they were to keep the watch all night continually 

 from sunset to sunrise. Power was given to arrest strangers at 

 night, and if they would not obey, they were to be followed from 

 hundred to hundred by Hue and Cry, while no one might sue for 

 damages on the ground of such arrest. Highways between market 

 towns, were to be cleared to two hundred feet on either side of every 

 thing except great timber, so that there should be no underwood, 

 hedge, or ditch, to shelter evil-doers ; the King's own demesnes 



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