302 



An English Manor in the time of Elizabeth. 



plump and round, and the black loaf was a mixture of bean meal 

 and Hour. 



As rent some of the free tenants gave a pound of pepper, 41bs. 

 of wax, a rose, and many curious payments. A few holdings were 

 probably held at one time of the Crown by petty serjeanty ; the 

 Prior of St. Nicholas' Hospital, Sarum, held half a virgate in Chalke, 

 paying yearly a pair of gilt spurs. 



What property was held of the Queen in Chalke belonged, like 

 Grovely Wood, to the royal manor of East Greenwich. 



Sir Giles Poole, for half-a-hide of land at Chalke, paid 12s. and 

 41bs. of wax on St. Edith's Day. In monasteries large quantities 

 of wax were consumed in candles, and St. Edith's day at Wilton 

 we may be sure was not forgotten. 



Like the blacksmith other officials had their acres. The tyddler 

 had his hide for looking after the young cattle. The recent speech 

 of Mr. George Wyndham shows that this is still an important office 

 in Irish tenure. The bedeman had his virgate. The bedellus, 

 who filed the writs, had his virgate, and at Ramsbury he had also 

 a gown. The hay ward had his virgate for looking after the fences. 

 The tithing man had an acre and a half. The forester of Wood- 

 manton had half a virgate with the care of t he wood at Chootle ; 

 for this he paid twelve hens at Christmas and three hundred eggs 

 at Easter, hut the bailiff found him a bad tenant, and many hens 

 and eggs were still owing to his lordship's lardiner at Wilton. 



All the tenants of a manor around a wood had rights of Qrebote, 

 wevebote, ploughbote, hayebote, foldhote, or housebote, and in 

 manors like Paignton they had vesselbote. Bote is equivalent to 

 estover, to Furnish, and the right was to be furnished with wood 

 for fires, looms, ploughs, hedges, Bhoepfolds, and houses. In 

 recognition they paid the forester hens or eggs, and the forester 

 accounted t<> his lordship's larder for the eggs and woodhens lie 

 had received. At Alvodiston the tenants commuted this egg rent 

 for 1 ti'/. a year in money. 



So much for the free tenants The next ( lass were tenants by 

 Convention — men holding by indenture of lease for terms of t wenty- 

 one years or ho, at rents partly m money and partly in kind. 



