By the Rev. Cano?i J. E. Jackson, F.S.A. 37 



part of that parish, and the nuns of the convent of Ronisey in 

 Hampshire had all Steeple Ashton, a comparatively small part of 

 Westbury fell into ecclesiastical hands — what is called the Parsonage 

 Manor was bestowed by King* Henry II. upon Sarum for the 

 maintenance of the Precentor. A manor that had belonged to 

 Bishop Waltham, of Salisbury (1388-1395), and afterwards to the 

 alien priory of Steven ton, in Berkshire, being confiscated (as the 

 lands of alien priories often were), was given by Richard II. to the 

 Abbot and Convent of Westminster, to whose successors, the Dean 

 and Chapter there, it now belongs. Monkton Farleigh Priory, near 

 Bath, had the part still called Leigh Priors. Edington Monastery 

 had land at Bratton and Bremridge — the rest, as I have said, was 

 granted or sold to persons of influence, and in this way the one 

 original great manor got cut up into a number of estates. The 

 history becomes then very complicated, and not interesting to a 

 general audience. Instead of passing on in the simple way from 

 father to son, the properties had soon to be divided between co- 

 heiresses — each of whom carried away her moiety into another 

 family. In a generation or two more co- heiresses appeared, and 

 then there was a fresh sub-division of the first moiety, and so on ; 

 so that what with moieties, semi-moieties, and demi-semi-moieties, 

 Westbury territorial history is somewhat of a labyrinth, abounding, 

 however, in old aristocratic names, such as St. Maur, Mauduit, 

 Stafford, Arundell, which, I believe, still survive as the names of 

 different portions of land about the parish. In course of years 

 many of these sub-divisions became re-united by successive pur- 

 chases, centreing chiefly in the Phipps family, of which a large part 

 has recently passed into the hands of Mr. Laverton. All the pre- 

 vious changes are given in detail in Sir Richard H oare's history. 

 For the present purpose it will be enough to select one or two of 

 the most important : before doing which I have a note or two about 

 the town itself. 



Parliamentary Notices. 



The earliest mention we have of Westbury as a borough returning 

 members to Parliament is in the year 1446-7 (27th of Henry VI.). 



