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Extracts from the Records of the 



Trinity, 1606:— 



" The Peticon of William Fry against Richard Palmer his sonnes and daughter 

 That .... he hath ben heretofore arrested of fellowney for that he had 

 in his pasture divers sheepe whose fell marks were cut out and peces of cloth 

 sowed upon the place, their earres cut of, wherby men may not knowe their 

 cattell." * 



Michaelmas, 1607. The inhabitants of « Titherington and 

 Haitesbury " raise a complaint against Robert Wall, that : — 



" This harvest last past and divers times before he hathe beaten their children 

 and servants in the fielde w* kept their cattell and did put them in such feare 

 that some of them ran away .... likewise he hath beaten your orrators 

 swyne, some he hathe killed w th - his masti' bitche .... leveth his corne 

 in the field fortnight after his nayghbours had ended their harvest .... 

 threw abroad his cockes of barley of purpose to have your orrators cattell to 

 trespas him w eh did not— yet sett xv teen of yo r orrators cattel and imp'ked [im- 

 pounded] them .... he hathe vexed pore widdowes in laws and divers 

 others for halfepenny trespasses for a goose or a pigg going ov' his lands . . . 

 some he hath served with p'cess from above and never declarde [had served a 

 writ of the superior court, and then failed to proceed with the action] and hath 

 caused his pore neighbours to have expended above a c markes at lawe w th in 

 this 2 or 3 yeares. And wher as the tithing man came to him for his horse for 

 the service of the Kinge he said .... [well, he returned a very rude 

 answer to that tithingman] He will not pay pore men their wages nor his dues 

 to the pore or to live in any godly sorte among his nayghbours." 



Easter, 1609. William Robins, of Founthill, complains that :— 



" I lately served one George Brooke whoe verie uuconshionably deteyneth my 

 wages .... and also caused his servannts to fetche awaye a halfe of 

 Barley of myne out of the feilde I beinge a verie poore man and unhable to 

 strive in lawe w tn him, and a lame man." 



Michaelmas, 1609. Deposition by Christopher Powldon, of Imber, 

 gent. : — 



" That on Satterdaie night last was fortnight he had some of his kine milked 

 in Imber field." 



The following order, though apparently made in the course of 

 proceedings for restitution, seems modelled on some familiar usage. 

 It may be worthy of transcription, as possibly retaining traces of 

 the " custom of the country." 



• Malicious damage of another sort is elsewhere laid to the charge of a person presented 

 "spoiler of copice andguick Jrithe hedges." 



