Volume 1

The history and antiquities of the county of Dorset / Compiled from the best and most ancient historians, inquisitions post mortem, and other valuable records and mss. in the public offices, and libraries, and in private hands. With a copy of Domesday book and the Inquisitio Gheldi for the county: interspersed with some remarkable particulars of natural history; and adorned with a correct map of the county, and views of antiquities, seats of the nobility and gentry, &c. By John Hutchins, M.A.

  • John Hutchins
Date:
1774
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history and antiquities of the county of Dorset / Compiled from the best and most ancient historians, inquisitions post mortem, and other valuable records and mss. in the public offices, and libraries, and in private hands. With a copy of Domesday book and the Inquisitio Gheldi for the county: interspersed with some remarkable particulars of natural history; and adorned with a correct map of the county, and views of antiquities, seats of the nobility and gentry, &c. By John Hutchins, M.A. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    184/804 (page 8)
    Here are feveral meeting-houfes, the diffenters be¬ ing very numerous; one for the presbyterians, in Hill-Jirect, and another in Leg-lane, or Lackland- flreet. One for the quakers oppoiite the latter ; and another for the anabaptifts at Weft-butts in W. ftreet. There are two burial-places for the Quakers and Anabaptifts. The Town-hall is in FiJh-Jlrcet built anno 1572. The prifon is under the hall, rebuilt, 1761', at the charge of the reprefentatives. Adjoining to the King's-hall is a prifon called Salisbury ■'Prifon, fo named from the earls of Salif- bury. It is- an ancient building, perhaps as ancient as the Longefpees. The work-houfe is in Weft-ftreet, built 1739, by Mr. Miffing. Rogers’s ahns-houfcs, in W. ftreet, are for twenty poor people. There is a fchool at the weft end of the church¬ yard in Cburcb-ftreet, fupported by the reprefenta¬ tives, at the expence of 10 1. per annum each. The Great Cellar, or King's-hall, or Wool-houfe, Hands on the key, and ?s an edifice of fome antiquity, fuppofed to have been built, t. E. III. or 11 H.\I. It has, of late years, been partly rebuilt. T he Town-houfe adjoins to the former, and was erefted of late years. Here the merchants meet for bufinefs or diverfion. Adjoining to this is a range of warehoufes. The Haven or Fort./ It grew to be a port of fome note about 15 E. III. though it appears by W. Longefpee’s charter to have had fome trade earlier ; about which time, or before, Wareham grew into decay. On the petition of John Warren, earl of Surry, then lord of this village, and William Manteacute, earl of Sarum, who had the reverfion of it, by an inquifition taken 7 June, r 5 E. III. it was found that the burgefles here recei red of every ftiip that came into the port, for anchorage 1 d. and for every one laid in the dock \_culagium~\ ad. For all things brought to be fold here, ac¬ cording to the cuftoms or tolls underwritten, in aid for payment of the fee-farm-rent, which they ufed to receive by the hands of the merchants reforting hither beyond the memory of man, viz. for a laft of herring 4 d.; for an hundred {jcentenad] of falted fiffi 4d.; for a falmon q.; for a bundle [garba] de boghe- Itaves q. ; for a quarter of fait q.; for a quarter of corn [bladi] q. ; for a fiaggon [Jagena] of tallow \uncli\ q.; for an ox hide ob.; for a farplar, a pocket, or half a fack of wool 4 d.; for a farplar of iheeps lkins undrelTed, [Janita] 4 d,; for an hundred of iron or plank [offer] ob.; for an hundred of cod ob.; for a thoufand [yniliare] of nuts q. ; for a dozen [duodena] cojjinore de rofin ob.; for a quarter of coals q.; for a barrel of tar 2 d.; for a barrel of pitch 2d. The king had granted them thefe tolls, and that all fiffiers in the bounds of the port may fell fiih taken there, at this village, and not elfewhere, but at a competent price ; that the port of the faid village contains in length four miles [leucce], from a place called Northavensford to a place called Rode- clyve Attevoelle; and in breadth, to the middle of the water [ufque ad mediam aquas], between the faid port and Bronkfcye: and that the king may, with¬ out prejudice to himfelf or others, grant to the bur¬ gefles of Pool, the fame cuftoms and liberties, that the burgefles of Melcomb have by charter from the kings of England. At the fiege of Calais this town furniftied' king Edward III. with four ffiips and ninety-four men. We have little more account-of it till the reign of Hen. VI. 1 ; when, a. r. 11. July 8, an aft of parliament paffed, wherein it is fet forth, that, confi- dering the weaknefs and infufficiericy of the port of Melcomb, and its not being inhabited, nor offtrength to refill an enemy, great Ioffes have happened to John Rogers, and other merchants, and hurt to the cuftoms: and the town and port of Pool being inha¬ bited and frequented by a great multitude of people: the port a fecure and fufficient haven for ffiips, and the mayor and burgefles propoling to wall and fortify them, by aflent of lords and commons in parlia¬ ment affembled, the king granted them licence to fortify them ; and that Melcomb, after the feaft of St. Hilary next, be no longer a port, but a creek, as it has anciently been accuftomed to be ; and'Pool be a port, where all merchants, natives and ftrangers, may ffiip and unload goods. That the mayor of Pool have cognizance of the ftaple, and have the fame liberties as the mayor of Southampton enjoys; and it wras ordered that Sir John Puidclifif, knight, Reward of Guienne, who, by the king’s warrant was- to be paid a certain fum out of the port of Mel¬ comb, ffiould now be paid out of the port of Pool. This aft was confirmed 1 E. IV. and 3 H. VIII. It is now an head port; the molt confiderable and prin¬ cipal one in the county, to which all members and creeks are fubjeft. The entrance into it is difficult, and the fands increafe: but a veffel of 320 or 400 tons can come up to the key, though no ffiip of the town is above 220 tons burden. The Bounds and extent of this port are fet forth in the inquifition 15 E. III. and Redeclyve Attewele one of the boundaries, now known by the name of Rookley Point, is at the weft point at the en¬ trance of Lichet Bay, fo that the extending thefe boundaries to the Arne Ihore is not warranted by that record, and though confirmed by cuftom, is only founded on millake, there being places called Atte- ivellc both on the Arne ffiore and Lichet Bay. The proceflion goes a mile beyond Arne key, fouth of Pool. 38 E. IIT. by a deed in French, the mayor and barons of Winchelfea certify to the mayor and burgefles of Pool, that, on a fuppofition that the water betwen Redclyve-Attewelle and N. Haven Point did appertain to another place than Pool; they cer¬ tify that they and their anceftors from all times paft, and ever fince the water had its courfe there, have called it the Haven of Pool, and count it fo to be ; and therefore have charged the officers of the faid town, in all times, to levy, and receive all duties, and cuftoms of the faid water. The people of Pool claimed to carry paffangers from N. to S. Haven Point, from 1575 — 1608, but it was contefted by the officers of Brownfey-caftle. This harbour lies 7 leagues N. W. by W. from the ifle of Wight, and 16 from Portfmouth. A S. S. E. moon makes high-water before this harbour; a S. byE. moon in it; which is imputed to the ebb, that comes out of the ifle of Wight. The tide rifes nine feet perpendicular in the harbour, which has this peculiar in it, that the fea, contrary to all other ports in England, ebbs and flows four times in twenty- four hours; twice when the moon comes to the S. E. and N. W. and twice when it comes to the S. by E. and N. by W. The Euripus in Eubcea does the fame 1 Rot. Pari. 11 PI. VI. N° 3*.