THE MANOR COURT ai
court, but a Leet Court, at which all over twelve years of age
were bound to attend. Thus they started out, and reached the
manor house a little before eight, and waited about outside*
chatting aimlessly with their friends. At last the beadle came
out, and summoned them all into the court room. They entered,
and found themselves in a long panelled room with a fine timber
roof which showed up well from the light that streamed in from
the large east window, as well as from the smaller mullioned
windows on either side. They took up their places on the rush-
strewn floor, and chattered away until the reeve and hayward
entered, followed by the beadle, whose command for silence was
still echoing in the hall when the cellarer entered from a side
door at the west end of the room. He took his seat on a raised
dais with his clerk by his side, and after the clerk had unfolded
the great parchment Court Roll, and had begun to write with his
quill the day and year of the Court, the cellarer nodded, and the
beadle cried out an " Oyez " thrice repeated, and ordered all who
had business and owed service to the Lord Prior of Honiwell to
draw near.
At once several men stepped forward: one asked for a neigh-
bour to be excused attendance since he was sick in bed; another
pleaded that his friend was absent, in the King's wars, while
others told the cellarer that their man was unable to attend for
various reasons, and pledged themselves to produce him at the
next Court. All these facts were noted by the clerk on his roll,
and then the reeve was told to put forward his pleas. First, he
presented Roger le Bacheler to the cellarer, and said that he
asked permission to take over the land of Alice Tunstall since
she was a widow with no children, and could not work the
twenty acres which were her holding. The cellarer allowed this,
and told Roger that he might hold the land at the same rent and
services as had Alice's husband, and that he would have to pay
6s. 8<1 as a fine for entry. Since he willingly agreed to this, he
was called forward, and the cellarer formally admitted him to the
holding, handing him, in token of the exchange, a white wand.