By G. R Straton. 



301 



as waifs, strays, felons' goods, and so on, but I need not describe 

 them here. 



Among the free tenants some are found who have still services 

 to perform like customary tenants, those services having been 

 appurtenant to the copyhold lands before they were acquired by 

 the free tenants. 



Thomas G-awen, Esquire, helds lands at Chalke, and for his 

 various holdings he had to do suit to the court baron at Chalke 

 and to the court of the Bellhouse at Wilton. But one piece of 

 land was held for services which were curious when they came to 

 be performed by a country gentleman, and the Gawens had then 

 held lands in Chalke for four or five hundred years. Just as every 

 tenth acre was at one time set aside for the priest, so two acres 

 had been in Chalke set aside for the faber or blacksmith who 

 looked after the manor plough and shod the horses, and these were 

 two of the acres held by Thomas Gawen, and for them he had to 

 make the ironwork of five ploughs for the lord's farmer in the 

 manor farm, with the farmer's own iron, and shoe two of the manor 

 horses and the bailiff's horse, all at his own proper charges. He 

 also paid a penny when a ploughshare was broken, which was an 

 excellent way of making him put in good work. He also had a 

 penny to pay if a horse's shoes were removed, because that saved 

 him putting on a new set. But certain privileges as well as duties 

 had come down with the blacksmith's two acres, and in virtue of 

 his office as faber he had yearly one lamb, five fleeces of wool, and 

 five cheeses of the size they make when they make four a day in 

 a dairy. Of those little perquisites, however, the lord of the 

 manor stipulated for a share when he granted the lands to Thomas 

 Gawen, but Thomas was entitled to his dinner every Christmas Day 

 at the Abbey of Wilton, after which it was usual to drink as long 

 as he could see without candles : and on the morrow of Christmas 

 Day, which we should call Boxing Day, he received from his lord 

 thirteen black loaves called " pubbles," and three ambers of oats, 

 and the survey states that nine ambers make a London quarter. 

 The flat cake of King Alfred's time, made of oatmeal, is not here 

 meant, but a loaf like a modern cottage loaf, for " pubble " means 



