“This parish,” writes Hutchins and his continuators, “is situated about one mile and a half south from Beminster, and four miles north from Bridport. It seems to derive its name from its situation, lower than that of Beminster, or some other neighbouring place. It is one of the largest parishes in the county, being six miles and a half long from east to west, and three and a half broad from north to south, and its yearly value computed at 6 or 7.000L. It is for the most part inclosed, and consists of arable, sheep-pasture, and dairy grounds. The soil is various, and for the most part very good. In that part of the parish which is included in the vale of Marshwood a stiff clay universally prevails; about Bowood and Ash the soil approaches to a sand; near the village of Netherbury it is of a very deep rich mould, and so continues from thence to the southern limits bordering on Bradpole and Loders. The tithing of Melplash is hilly, and abounds with stone quarries, from which lime is burnt for manuring the arable lands, which annually produce great quantities of potatoes, hemp, and flax; for all which the soil is peculiarly adapted. Orchards abound in every part of the parish; the produce of cyder in the year 1724, which was an extraordinary year, amounted to many thousands of hogsheads, for which the inhabitants pay tithe at the customeray rate of 1s. per hogshead. This tithe greatly augments the revenues of the vicar, and makes the vicarage one of the best livings in the county, it being, exclusive of the glebe, of the full value of 500 guineas per annum. This part of the country being hilly, rivulets abound in every vale. The annual rent of the lands in general is about 20s. an acre, but near the village of Netherbury they are let for 40s.; and in some instances for a greater price. The chief manufacture carried on here is spinning wool and flax, and making sailcloth.”

In the list of founders of the episcopal church of Sherborne, in the Cotton library, King Edgar is said to give Netherburie to that see.

In Domesday Book, (Tit. 3) Niderberie belonged to the bishopric of Sarum, and consisted of 20 carucates, besides five that belonged to the bishop’s men. The said bishop holds Niderberie. In King Edward’s time it was taxed for 20 hides. There is land for 20 ploughs, besides which he has 2 carucates of arable in demesne, which never paid the tax, and there are 2 ploughs there. There are 18 villains, 22 bordars, and 6 bondmen, with 8 ploughs. There are there a mill paying 10s., 16 acres of meadow and 3 quarentens of pasture; wood, 9 quarentens long and 1 quarenten broad. Of the same land Texelinus holds of the bishop 5 hides and 3 virgates; William 2 hides; Godefrid 2 hides; Serlo 1 hide and a half. In the same place are 10 ploughs and 12 villains and 24 bordars, and 5 bondmen. A mill pays 5s., and there are 21 acres of meadow and 3 quarentens of wood in length and breadth. The bishop’s demesne is worth 16L., that of the men 8L. 10s. (Tit. 4)

4 William Rufus, 1091, Osmund Bishop of Sarum endowed that chuch with the revenues of these towns (besides knight’s fees of land), viz. Niderbury, Begminster, Eteminstre, Aulton, Ternecester, (Cerneminster or Charminster,) the church of Sherborne, with all the tithes of that town, except what belonged to the monks, the church of Bere, and that of St. George at Dorchester, and other lands in the county of Wilts. (Dugdale’s Monast. Vol. iii p. 375, n. 191)

Here are three manors formerly belonging to three prebends in the church of Sarum, viz.,

NETHERBURY IN ECCLESIA, or BEMINSTER PARSONATUS, NETHERBURY IN TERRA or YONDOVER, and SLAPE.

The prebendaries for the time being, or their lessees, were lords of these several manors, the customs of which are exactly similar.

Netherbury in Ecclesia.

To this manor the rectory and the advowson of the vicarage are appendant.

In 1291 the prebend of Nytherbury and Beymunster was rated at 60L. 48 Edw. III it was certified in return to the king’s writ that the prebend of Netherbury and Beminster in the church of Sarisbury had been holden by one Hugh Pelgrini, a stranger twenty years and more, who was never resident on the same, and that the same was worth by the year eight score marks. (Foxe’s Acts and Monuments, vol. I, p 561, col. b. edit. 1632) 26 Hen. VIII this prebend was returned to be of the annual value of 43L. 12s. 6d., for which it paid tenths 4L. 7s. 3d. (Bacon’s Liber Regis.) At a court holden for this manor, 1649, the homagers presented that “Mrs. Joan Stroude, widow, holdeth by lease the impropriate parsonage of Netherbury and Beminster, with a house called the chantrie, with orchard and garden, by estimation three yard, and that there are likewise two woodes belonging to the saide prebend, the one called Clare’s Wood and the other called Lyne Wood, out of which the tennants have ever had the timber to repaire their tenementRented dwelling
or lands and cottages according to the custome of the sayde prebend, and the said farmer or lord to have onely the top and barke; and we doe value the top and barke to be worth, by estimasion, twentie shillings per annum, and we doe think that by estimasion, there is sowen in the whole parish of Nytherbury yearly, of wheate, barley, beanes, pease, and oats, one thousand ackers, which we value tithe thereof to be worth two hundred pounds per annum, and that the vickarage of Netherbury is worth per annum 80 pounds, and that formerly Mrs. Stroude had the presentation thereof; which profits of the vickarage do arise out of the vickarage house and four ackers of ground which is worth six pound per annum, and the other seventie-four pounds do arise out of the tithe of woole, lamb, kine, hay, hemp, apples, et caetera.

“And that the vickar of Netherbury and Beminster hath formerly payd to the lord of this manor fortie shillings per annum in lieu of tyth hemp.

“But we present that there is no tyth haye due to the Vickar out of the three prebends, by reason that the glebe land was taken out of the aforesaide three prebends in lieu of tyth hay.” (Court Book of the manor.)

1709, the homagers presented that “if any customary tenant of this manor dyeth seized of any customary estate within this manor without making any nomination or surrender, that the custom of this manor is that such estate which such tenant shall dye so seized of shall come and belong to the next of kin, (viz.) the heir or heirs at law of such tennant that shall die so seized without making any such nomination or surrender.” (Ibid.)

The lessees of this manor about 1795 were the Strodes of Slape, James Burnard of Hatchland, esq., Dr. Stevenson vicar, Benjamin Adney of Pymore esq., his son Dr. Adney of Uplowman, and Mr. Robert Conway. The yearly value a few years before stood thus:

At the same date, “the impropriate tithes of Netherbury were worth 300L. per annum, those of Beminster 80L. The rent and fines, &c. of the manor continue the same as antiently. A part of this manor lies in Beminster.”

By a recent Act of Parliament the estate is now vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

Netherbury in Terra, or Yondover.

26 Hen. VIII this prebend was rated at 20L. per annum. In 1566 a court of Survey was holden by Thomas Chard, Walter Crabb, William Milles, and Robert Richards, farmers of the prebend, by which is appears that the lord Cobham owed suit and service for his lands called Stocke, and George Strangways, esq., for his lands called Hurlands; and that the tenementRented dwelling
or lands held of the manor were 26 in number, the tenants of which are particularly enumerated. The homagers then presented that all the tenants of the manor, and their predecessors, “doe hold, according to the custom of the same manor, for terme of life, without having any writing, copy, or other assurance for the same, more than upon the oaths of the homagers of the same manor, and at the death or entry of every tenant or tenants the same death or entry is recorded upon the court rolls, with such fines and heriotts and other duties as shall then happen to the lord or his farmer by the same.

“2. Alsoe, that there is a wood upon the said manor called the Lord’s Wood, containing, by estimacyon, vii acres, and yet it was never seen or heard that the Prebendary, or his farmer or farmers, have or could give or sell or cut down any trees or tymber within the same, without consent of the tenants; but that the said wood, and all the trees and tymber therein coming and growing, have been by the custome of the said manor preserved for reparacyon of the tenementRented dwelling
or lands there, when and as often as need requireth, and in tyme of need to be delivered by the lord’s deputies or farmers, and the said deputie or farmers to have only the shroud or topps and barke of every such tree soe delivered or cutt down.

“3. And farder, it was never seene that the lord or his deputie of this manor have or maye sell or give any reversion within the same; but that the tenant in possession may and doth, by the custome of the sayd manor, at all tymes appointe and nominate to his tenementRented dwelling
or land the next tenant, and the same tenant soe nominated and appointed, either jointly or successively, as the nominator doth appoint, may yf he can agree with the lorde or his farmers for his fine by the said custome; if not, then the homage of this manor, upon their oaths, maye, by the custome of the sayd manor, assess the fine between the lord and every such tenant.

“4. And yf any such tenant in succession, or any one of them, happen to dye before they enjoy the saide tenementRented dwelling
or land or tenementRented dwelling
or lands whereunto they or any of them are tenant, and never had it or any profit of the same, or any part or parcel there as yet; and, notwithstanding, the same tenant or tenants, by the custome of the same manor, upon his death shall paye unto the lord of this manor or his deputie his best goods, in the name of a herriot. And yf the wife of any one of them, after her husband’s death, doe come to the next court, and there doe clayme her widow’s estate, according to the custome of this manor, shall, by the custome of the said manor, have it graunted unto her, paying one penny. And yf she happen to die alsoe, or marry, before the sayd widow’s estate came to her hands, although she never take profit of the same tenementRented dwelling
or land, or any part or parcel thereof, shall likewise, by the said custome, pay her best goods, or the value thereof, to the lord for a heriott.

“5. And farder, yf any of the tenants of this manor have or hath any trees of warren, as oke, ashe, or elm, coming or growing in and upon their tenementRented dwelling
or lands, or any of them, yt hath not been seen but that the same tenants, and every of them, maye, by the custom of the said manor, cut down, fell, and use to their pleasure all such trees or timber without any contradiction of the said prebendary or his farmers, or any of them, and that hath been so used out of memory of man.

“6. And farder, that the lord of this manor or his farmers ought to repair one half of the bridge called Oxe Bridge, and the prebend of Slape the other part.

“8. And farder, that the lord of this manor ought to find stock and stone for the griste mill within the same; and, when the mill stones are fetched home, 12 of the tenants, holders of this manor, ought to pay 4d. a piece towards the charges of the same, and for that must have their swine during the mast time to goe in the lord’s woode; and all the rest of the tenants may, by the custome of the said manor, likewise bring their swine into the said wood as long as the mast doth continue, and for that they and every of them must pay unto the lord an halfpenny for every swine they kill by the year.

“9. And farder, that it is lawful for the tenants at all times of need, as often as occasion shall serve, to come into the two closes which John Stone holdeth at Northdon, by the east side of the way that leadeth to Beamister, called the Quar Closes, to come in and draw stones at their pleasure, towards the repayring of their tenementRented dwelling
or lands.

“10. And farder, that all the tenants may common att the watering place at White Crosse.

“And also the said deponents doe present, that they, or any of them, doe not know, or have heard, that any tenant within this manor hath sold or exchanged any land of the lord within the same, otherwise than one tenant with another hath made an exchange, which was made before their tyme by the assent of the lord and their tenants, as they have heard, and not otherwise, except that one Robert Strode, esq. of Parnham, did encroche out of this manor by estimacion three yards of land, or thereabouts, which land the tenants aforesaid at every court did present; and now, syth the death of the said Strode, John Strode, esq. his son hath restored by estimacyon soe much in exchaunge for the same, out of his own land, as appereth by the court rolle.”

In 1649 a survey was taken of this manor by authority of Parliament; from which we learn that the same was then farmed by Mrs. Rebecca Geere, who received for fines, heriots, tops and bark of trees, 12L. a year. Of late years, previously to 1793, the lessees had been a branch of the Gollops of Strode, but at that date Mr. Richard Gollop of Streete, near Glastonbury, sold his interest to Samuel Cox of Beminster, merchant, who was succeeded by his nephew Samuel Cox, esq. whose grandson Samuel Symes Cox, esq. has lately purchased the reversion in fee of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

This manor consists only of the customary tenementRented dwelling
or lands, without any demesnes whatever.

[There follows a list of the Prebendaries of Netherbury in Ecclesia, in the Church of Salisbury (Vol 2, page 106/107)]

[Also a list of Prebendaries of Netherbury in Terra (Vol. 2, page 107/108)]

Slape.

26 Hen. VIII this manor, which consists of the farm of Slape, with a great number of customary tenementRented dwelling
or lands, was rated at 20L. a year. This rent has been always reserved to the Prebendary. In 1649 a survey was taken of this manor by commissioners appointed by the House of Commons. It appears from the survey that Robert Strode, esq. was the fee-farmer, and that there was appendant to the manor a large parcel of ground called Patley Wood, wherein were many large timber trees and saplings, all of which were belonging to the customary tenants for necessary reparations, but the top and bark of such trees as were felled, together with the herbage of the said ground, belonged to the lessee. The lessee had also a right to take from the said wood sufficient house-boot, fire-boot, plough-boot, and wayne-boot, as often as it was necessary to be spent upon the said manor, not doing any waste or spoil of the wood, or of the great timber therein. No timber could be sold or given away without the express licence of the lessor. The annual income arising from fines, heriots, tops and bark of trees, was 12L. The demesnes consisted of a dwelling-house, barn, and out-house, 16 aces of meadow, 80 acres of arable, and 60 acres of pasture, value per annum 80L. From the Strodes, who resided here for many generations, and seem to have been a branch of those of Parnham, the lease of this manor came to Churchill Rose, esq. son of Thomas Rose of Dorchester, M.D. and from him to Mr. John Cook, whose son Thomas Cook, esq. was the possessor in 1795. At the present time, 1864, the estate is vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

In the year 1566, and the two following years, this place was afflicted with the plague. “They kept their church-ales at Whitsunday, and had their Robin Hoodes and Little Johnes; and the gentlemen of the parish were the chief actors in it.”

[There follows a list of the Prebendaries of Slape (Vol. 2, page 108)]

The Free School,

is so ancient that its founder is not known. The trustees are inhabitants of Netherbury; but every proprietor of land in the parish has a vote in the nomination of the master. It is endowed with two farms, called Broadenham and Paradise, lying within this parish, the rent of which, including certain high rents, amounted in the year 1548 to 9L. 12s. 4d., but in 1790 exceeded 60L. per annum. A house near the church is appointed for the habitation of the master. In the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, John Horsford and William Thatcher, trustees of the school, took possession of the lands with which it was endowed as their own property, and procured themselves to be admitted tenants to them by the lord of the manor of Slape. This iniquitous proceeding was resisted by the churchwardens, in conjunction with Richard Newburgh, gent. and other landowners of Netherbury, who claimed the lands for the use of the school, and at last compelled Horsford and Thatcher to submit the matter in dispute to the arbitration of Sir John Tregonwell, knt., George Rogers, and William Hody, esqs., and Henry Hoskins, gent. The contending parties laid their respective claims before the arbitrators, the churchwardens insisting that the lands in question were either for the maintenance of a schoolmaster or for the setting forth of soldiers for the service of the prince. 3 Jan. 1565-6, the arbitrators made their award, whereby they directed that the profits of the land should be employed to the use of a Latin master, and to such other uses as should be thought most fit and beneficial for the best advantage of the parish and of all the inhabitants. (The award is preserved in the parish chest) In the reign of Charles II the churchwardens presented at a visitation that they had a school for teaching the principles of grammar, writing, reading, and arithmetic, and that one Mr. Stone was the master, who receive a yearly salary of 16L. In 1795 the master received 42L. per annum. A house and good schoolroom have been erected near the church.