apparently was set aside, and John Mainbray, described on his resignation, three years later, as John Mounbray, was instituted, on the presentation of "John Brid of Marleburgh, lord of Huwysh." Now the feoffees whose presentation apparently failed were the feoffees of Sir William Sturmey, while there is nothing whatever to show that John Brid derived his title from them; on the contrary, in the absence of affirmative evidence, the whole course of the subsequent narrative tends to show that he did not. That Sturmey's possession was not a reality is further suggested by his descendant's confession that he died seised of the manor "by protestation," that is to say that Sir William was not in actual possession at his death. It may be of interest to add, before passing on, that the original inquisition, taken after Sir William Sturmey's death, now in a faded and dirty state, has at one place in the margin a hand drawn, pointed at a particular entry in it, and that the entry relating to Huish-witnessing no doubt to the fact that for the purposes of the subsequent Seymour litigation this entry, the root as it were of their title, was sought for and found. In the person of John Brid, with his alias of Bird, there opens a fresh chapter in the history, or if you will the romance, of the manor of Huish. For the reason suggested above I am inclined to suppose that he derived his title, which doubtless was immediately by purchase, from the same source as the Lord Lovel,-that he represented the alternative title. I know regrettably little about him. I presume that he was of a Marlborough family and son, or grandson, of that John Bryd who was one of the burgesses in Parliament for Marlborough in 1383. In the reign of Henry VI he occurs repeatedly, associated with men of good standing, in commissions to enquire into all manner of offences, &c., in the county of Wilts, in which county his father, as I suppose, was escheator in the reign of Henry IV, (13-14 Henry IV, 1412), and he himself in the reign of Henry V (5-6 Henry V, 1427) as John Byrd, or Byrde. He resided, permanently, it is to be supposed, in Marlborough, for which town his father, as I suppose, was sent to Parliament, as one of the two burgesses, in 1402, 1413, 1414, 1415, and he himself in 1426, 1435, and 1437, all these being distinct parliaments separately summoned. By the description of "John Bryd the younger of Marleberg "—which implies of course that a John Bryd the elder was then alive-John, lord Lovell, levied a fine to him, in October, 1414, of the manor of Axeford—a prior transaction between them which strengthens the supposition that it was from lord Lovell also that he acquired Huish. We know that there was a time when fortunes could be made in Marlborough. John Goudhyne, whose name has occurred above, as a life tenant of Erdescot, is an example.1 John Bird was apparently another, but whether as a mercator may be doubtful. He contrived at any rate to retain his possession of Huish undisturbed for the rest of his days, if the exercise of his right of patronage is any proof, for he presented to the church there in 1428, as above, and again in 1431, 1435, and for the last time in 1444. That he was in full possession of Huish in 1428 is further proved by an inquisition (Feudal Aids) taken, for the Hundred of Swanborough, at Marleburgh, the Monday after St. Barnabas, 6 Henry VI (Monday, 14th June, 1428), before John Payn, Robert Erley, John Sturmey of Axeford, John Bryd of Marleburgh (and five others), collectors, in the county of Wilts, of the subsidy granted in the last parliament, whereby the jurors find that:— Johannes Byrd tenet per serjantiam certa terras et tenementa que nuper fuerunt Petri Doignell. "John Bryd," not this time, however, designated as "of Marleburgh," is also returned, in an inquisition taken two days later for the Hundred of Chippenham, as holding (jointly with two others) one of the fees of the abbot of Glastonbury in Langley Burrell and Grittleton. In June, 1441, as appears by a fine of that date, "John Bryd and Isabel his wife "—and Isabel it is to be observed was the name of the wife of John Bryd of Marlborough-made a further large purchase of lands in North and South Langley, Langley Burrell, "Langley Parcehay," "Langley Fyssours," and Chippenham. See Paper by the Rev. Prebendary Clark-Maxwell, Archæological Journal (1912), vol. LXIX., pp. 122-124. It appears that John Goudhyne paid one quarter of the entire taxation assessed on Marlborough. VOL. XXXIX.-NO. CXXIII. H The next presentation to Huish after 1444 is by John Bryd's widow in 1455, and it is obvious that he died between these dates. Evidence furnished by Canon Wordsworth, in an article to which we shall refer in detail further on, proves that he was dead as early as 1445. In 1464 died Sir John Seymour, whose connexion with the story will immediately appear, and in or about November, 1471, Dame Isabel Seymour, his relict, filed the following Bill in Chancery:: To the right reverent ffader in godd Robert Beschopp of Bathe and Wellys and Chaunceler of Englond. Mekely besecheth your good and gracious lordschep Isabell Seymour late the wyfe of John Seymour knyght that where one John Byrd late of Marleburgh in the Counte of Wiltes' nowe dede was seasyd of the maner of Hewyssh and other landys and tenementes in Hewyssh aforeseyd with the appurtenauns in his demene as of ffee And so therof beyng so seasyd bargayned and solde the said maner landys and tenementes to the said John Seymour for a certayn som of money by hym to the said John Byrd paied and content in maner and forme folowyng that is to say that the said John Byrd of the said maner landys and tenementes with the appurtenauns scholde enfeffe John Banham clerke nowe dede and John Mychell of Marleburgh yett levyng to have to theym and to theyr heyres in ffee to thentent that the said John Banham and John Mychell so beyng therof seasyd of the same maner landys and tenementes with thappurtenauns scholde make estate to the said John Byrd and Isabell then late his wyfe for terme of theyr bothe lyves the remayndre therof after theyr deces to the sayd John Seymour and Isabell your said oratrice then his wife and to theyr heyres forevermore Accordyng to the whiche bargayn sale and agrement the sayd John Byrd of the said maner landes and tenementes with thappurtenauns enfeffeffed (sic) the said John Banham and John Michell to have to theym and to theyr heyres in ffee by force of whiche feffement they were thereof seased in fee to perfourme and execute the entent and bargayne afore expressed And for asmoche as the said John Saymour and John Banham one of the said feffees ben' nowe dede and that the said estate and remayndre ben' nott yet execute and made accordyng to the bargayne aforsaid your said oratrice after the dethe of her said husband hath oftyn tymes requyred the said John Michell the feffe of the said John Byrd beyng now survivour in forme afore said to make a state to the said Isabell Byrd terme of hir lyfe the remayndre therof in fee to your said oratrice as afore ys expressed that to do the said John Michell hathe refused and yett dothe ayenst all good conscience Hit may please therefore your good and gracious lordschipp the premisses considered to graunt a wrytt of Sub pena direct to the said John Michell comaundyng hym by the same to appere afore the kyng in hys chauncery att a certayne day theryn to be lymyted And to do heryn as trouth reson and good conscience schall requyre in this behalfe att the reverens of godd and in way of charyte. Plegii de prosequendo Rogerus Seymour de London' gentilman (To be continued.) H 2 NOTES. Annals of Keevil and Bulkington. It seems desirable to note at some length the contents of a stout 4to bound volume of 294 well-typed pages lettered on the outside "Annals of Keevil and Bulkington. This book is the property of the Vicar and Churchwardens of Keevil." This has been compiled by the Rev. A. T. Richardson, (Vicar of Keevil, 1908-1914, and now Vicar of Bradford-on-Avon) and left for the use of his successors at Keevil. Beginning with thirty-three different spellings of the name of the parish, from the Chivele of Domesday downwards, he notes the coins, almost all Roman, collected by Mr. Henry Ghey, chiefly from a field called "Henleys," where there is a slight indication of an entrenchment, where other objects have also been found. The Roman coins, of which a list is given, date from 81 to 117 A.D. and from 253 to 370 A.D. There was also found here a coin of Wigmund, Archbishop of York, 837-854. Some account is given of the various members of the Fitzalan family with the descent of the manor from 1159 to 1579. It is suggested that Talboys House was probably part of the property bought from Henry, Earl of Arundel, by John Jones in 1558-9, whose grandson William Jones probably lived there after 1570. He afterwards bought Brook House, near Westbury, of Charles, Lord Mountjoy, in 1599. This property in Keevil later passed to the Blagdens and through them to the Chamberlains. The Baileys of Baldenham or Baldham Mill were important clothiers in the 16th century. It is to the well-to-do clothiers of the later fifteenth century that the author attributes the erection of the many picturesque old timbered houses for which Keevil is so remarkable among the villages of Wiltshire. Most of these were afterwards turned into pairs of cottages. Of five of them good photos are given in the book. In 1560 Henry, Earl of Arundel, sold the second half of the manors of Keevil and Bulkington to Richard Lambert, who built the existing Manor House, his grandson Edward adding the porch and the walls of the garden in 1611. In 1680 Thomas Lambert sold the property to William Beach, of Fittleton. The author gives several conjectural maps of the parish at different periods, showing the various holdings. Then follow in Latin, with English translations, a long series of entries connected with the parish, extracted from the Calendars of Patent Rolls, Close Rolls, Charter Rolls, Fine Rolls, Inquisitiones ad quod damnum, Testa de Nevill, Hundred Rolls, Inquisitiones post mortem, Feet of Fines, Wiltshire Wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, and extracts from Lambert Wills. In the account of the Church the interesting story of the font is told. This was turned out some time previous to 1840 and replaced by a holy water stoup. The font was seen by the Rev. R. Crawley, Vicar of Steeple Ashton, 1828-69, in a local builder's yard, bought for 1s., and placed in the garden of |