< Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu
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58
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
mother, of the chapel of St. Martin in the manor of Blakestane, and other lands minutely described by metes and bounds. The chapel, &c. is quit of all utiban and other services: the other land is not free from "rectis utibannis ad regem pertinentibus." An additional grant of fishery and common of pasture is included.

The charters are not dated, but their date cannot differ materially from that of the next charter. The chapelry now forms the parish of Maristow, i. e. Martinstow, and the property belongs to Sir Ralph Lopez, Bart. The word "utiban" has been already noticed in another part of this volume.

4. This is a confirmation by the donor in the two preceding charters of land in Blakestane already given to Prior Anthony by Sibilla de Pynu [Pyn], his mother.

The names of the witnesses belong to the thirteenth century, and Anthony became prior of Plympton in 1214, so that the deed is of a somewhat later date.

Polwhele, in his History of Devon, p. 448, n, refers to a grant by the family of Pyne to the canons, but his statement does not exactly correspond with the above deeds. It is remarkable that the property is said, in the general charter of confirmation by Henry II. printed by Dugdale, to have been the gift of Paganus filius Serlonis, and of the fee of Baldwin de Redvers. See Mon. Exon., p. 135.

The following deeds belong to the history of Buckland abbey.

5. A Grant, anno 17 Edw. I., by Margaret de Ripariis, wife of Baldwin de Insula, earl of Devon, to William, abbot of Bocland and his convent. It releases her claim of dower in the churches of Bocland and Walkhampton in consideration of an annuity of £8 paid to her clerk, Will. de Brenton, for life, which the sheriff is to levy by a writ of fieri facias on the goods of the abbey.

This summary process of execution without action is not altogether without precedent, and some attempts have recently been made in parliament to introduce a similar provision in the case of debts of ascertained amount.

6. An instrument of Thomas, bishop of Exeter, appropriating the church of Walkhampton to the use of the abbey, who were its patrons. It recites the enormous devastation of the woods and lands of the abbey by the working of the silver mines by the crown in and around them. Date 1305.

The mines referred to are the argentiferous lead mines of

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