By F. A. Carrington, Esq. 



13 



Richard Wyatt tax-gatherer, £1 ; and others. The total amount 

 of the losses being £63,618. 



This town again suffered from fire to the extent of £600 in 

 1679— and to the extent of £2000 more in April, 1690, after which 

 an Act of Parliament was obtained, making it an indictable offence 

 to have a house thatched in Marlborough, and at present there is 

 only one thatched house in the town, the Coach and Horses Inn, near 

 the college. The Act of Parliament has not been quite a dead 

 letter, as about the year 1772, Mr. Oolman, a currier, was 

 indicted for having a house thatched in Marlborough, and the 

 indictment is printed in Went worth's Special Pleadings. 1 



The Postal Arrangements. 



At the end of the military muster book at Marlborough, is " A 



note of the Counsell's Ires (privy council's Letters)," touching post 



horses, dated 1597, it is as follows : — 



"A oonvenient number of able horses, mares, geldings and naggs, w th their 

 convenient furniture, as the necessitie of the service shall require, to be kept in 

 redines from. VI dayes to VI dayes at the charges of the owners, by the assist- 

 ance of the L. Lieuten'nts, and their Deputies Justices of the peace, and head 

 officers, in townes corporat, as by the posts appointed should be thought meet 

 for the spedy and p'sent horsinge away of posts &c, that there be no p'cialitie 

 but that the country e'ry where do serve and be charged alike. If Constables 

 and Officers refuze to take upp suche horses, then the posts to take them where 

 they are to be had fro VI clayes to VI dayes to be kept in readynes to serve and 

 the country nere not to be more charged than those further of, but the 

 s'vice equally to be supplyed wherein they are, (as they shall nede the same,) to 

 have th assistance of the L. Lieuten'nts, his Deputies Justices of peace, and 

 other head officers, who are required to yield their best and spediest furtherance." 



Much information as to the ancient state of the Post-office and 

 the arrangements which preceded it, will be found in the Appendix 

 to the Report of a Committee of the House of Commons on the 

 Post-office, in the year 1835. 2 



The Corn Trade. 



In the reigns of the house of Tudor, persons who bought corn 

 at one place and carried it to another to sell and made profit by it, 

 were termed badgers, and were liable to be indicted as forestallers, 



1 Vol. 6, p. 431. 



2 Rep. No. 582. 



