80 



Wiltshire County Gaols. 



himself and 20d. a-day for his horse : and certainly never did man 

 and beast better earn that good "accommodation" which is invariably 

 held out to the hopes of man and beast, than did Mr. Richard Parry 

 and his horse. One day he was to be at Chilmark quarr to see how 

 they were getting on with the ashlar: then somewhere else to 

 hunt for scaffold-poles ; then off to Old Sarum to look after the 

 burr- stone; besides being expected to be always at Fisherton to 

 keep the work alive. This not being enough, he had also to go 

 here and there to catch money, in which pursuit being unsuccessful 

 he at last rode to Longleat to know his Worship's pleasure how 

 the work was to go on for lack of it. This only led to another 

 long ride, for his worship bade him go up into North Wilts to get 

 £15 from one Matthew King, which he had in his hands. So 

 Richard Parry jounced on to Malmesbury ; but, says he very 

 innocently, " at my coming the said Matthew King was not to be 

 found ; but I did hear of his neighbours that he was in prison in 

 London. " The end of all these hindrances was that this first 

 County Gaol at Fisherton, 53 feet long by 28 feet broad, was liter- 

 ally 10 years in building ; begun in 1568 and finished in 1578 : 

 on the 8th of January in which year, in order at any rate to close 

 the business in a business-like way, the assembled justices addressed 

 to Sir John Thynne the letter following : — 



''Whereas you weare named and appoynted to be one of the persons to 

 survey, see and provide that a Newe Gayle should be suerly and substancyally 

 made and fynshed in Fisherton Anger; to whose hands the collectors for that 

 purpose alsoe appoynted have payde and delyvered suche somes of money as by 

 them hathe byn collected of her Majesty's subjects by the appoyntement and 

 assignment of the Justices of Peace of this countye, as yourself best knoweth : 

 wherof as yet no accompte hath byn yelded to the satisfaction of the countye as 

 lawe and reason requireth : these are therefore to praye and require you to be 

 at Sarum on Thursday, being the xixth day of February next comynge by ix of 

 the clocke in the forenone of the same daye to declare a trewe and juste accompte 

 thereof to us or unto suehe of us as by lawe is required howe you have payed 

 and imployed suche somes of money as for this cause hath come to your hands. 

 And soe commending us unto you leave you unto God. Saium this viiith of 

 January. Your frendes 



H. Pembroke, James Mervin, Jasper More, Christopher Dodyngton, 

 Wm. Husee, John Zouche, George Penruddock, John Dan vers, 

 Bartholomew Horsey, Walter Hungerford, E. Baynton, John Eyre, 

 Gyles Estcourt, Henry Sharington." 



