By Mr. Edivard Kite. 



255 



australi et ten : Joh : Devyses exparte boriali Item lego 



p'de Alicie omnes alias terras et tenem. mea cum gardinibus ubicunque exis- 

 tentibus prefat Alicie ad terininum vita3 suae de capital dom. feod .... 

 et de jure consueta sub hac forma et conditione q. dicta Alicia tenement in 

 quadam domo elemosynar. quam ego Thomas tempore vite mee competente 

 pauperibus in eisdem suppetandis sustinend durante vita dee Alicie s . . . 

 . . . suis et expensis. Et volo quod post decessum dee Alicie omnia pda 



terr. et tenement integre remaneant maiori et comitat 



Burgi de Devyses pde sub modo et forma pdca. Et volo q d - quilibet Maior 

 recipiat pro suo labore et tempore xx s - Et totum quod superest de reddit 

 pdict ten. volo q d - remaneat ad sustentationem reficiend. pauperum existen- 

 tium in pdca domo elemosynar. secundum dispositionem maioris et comitat 

 de Devyses pde. Residuum vero bonorum et catallorum meorum do et lego 

 Alicie uxori mea ut ea disponat pro salute anime mee et ut videbit melius 

 expediat. Et dct Aliciam ordino executricem et dominum Thomam Smyth 

 caplm supervisor:" 



William Coventre, 1 Jun., is mentioned in 1416-20-36. He was 

 doubtless the founder of the third chantry in St. Mary's church, 

 out of the annual produce of which the sum of £1 12s. Sd. was 

 given in alms, &c, to four poor women occupying the almshouse 

 founded by his brother Thomas mentioned above. 



Henry Coventre was presented in 1439 to the chapel of Atteward 

 Parva, (Atworth ?) void by the death of William Smyth. 2 Patron, 

 Thomas Beauchamp, Esq. See "Wilts Institutions." 

 At a much later date the parish registers of SS. John and Mary 



contain the names of two individuals, possibly descended from the 



same family — viz., Mary Coventry, m. in 1690 to Henry Parker ; 



and Joseph Coventry, m. in 1708 to Mary Patry. 



A charity called " Coventry's Dole" was, no doubt, bequeathed 



by a member of this family. 



Nothing is known as to the period at which the bequest was 



made, or of the property from which the sum annually expended 



was derived. 



1 The following rebus was used by William Covyntre on his Seal, in allusion 

 to his name: ra^foj). a contraction for the letter n, and in the centre a Tree. 



2 It is to be regretted that there is at present nothing to identify this William 

 Smyth as the individual mentioned at page 239, the date of whose death (1436) 

 and the Institution of Coventre in 1439 is worthy of notice. It is also evident 

 that the William Smyth who rebuilt St. Mary's church was in some way con- 

 nected with the Devizes family of Coventre, which may account in a measure 

 for the interest of these two individuals with the patron of the chapel at Atworth. 



2 l 2 



