Page:History of Norfolk 1.djvu/262

 l. per annum, whereof 1l''. 10s. a year lies in Garboldisham, and 1l. a year in South Lopham.

Here is a town-house inhabited by five poor people.

In 1696, Mrs. Mary Williamson of Garboldisham gave a meadow, called Stulp Meadow, in Garboldisham, and another meadow adjoining to it, to this parish, the church-wardens of which are annually to receive the rent, and to bind out a poor child every year to a trade; and if there be no poor child in the parish, then they are to lay it out to clothe the poor people of the said parish.

In 1730, the church-wardens leased out a cottage for 69 years to come, to Trophimus Shepperd, at the annual rent of 1l. 2s.

South Lopham hath an estate of 30l. a year at Wortham in Suffolk, which was given by one Purdy for the repairs of the church, and if there were any overplus, to charitable uses, such as the feoffees would apply it to, for the good of the town: the houses, and the greatest part of the farm, is freehold.

Tradition has it, that Purdy was a Wortham man, and a leper, and gave his estate to this town, because they were willing he should be buried among them, which Wortham was not: but this being a common story told in most places where there are gifts of this nature, I look upon it as tradition only.

Here are three small cottages for the poor, by whom they are now [1736] inhabited.

This town hath also 60 acres, called the Frith, taken off the common by the lord's consent, of whom they now hold it; it is marsh ground, and let at 8l. per annum, the income of which is gven to the poor by the feoffees every Christmas and Easter. And also a messuage, barn, and 16 acres of freehold land, lying in the parish, now rented at 15l. per annum, settled to repair and beautify the church for ever; and before the tenure of knight's service was abolished, it paid scutage, and a relief of 2s. 2d. 0b.

Not many years since the inhabitants purchased a freehold estate in Dickleburgh, rented at 8l. a year.

The Commons contain as much land as the whole towns beside, on all which North and South Lopham are joint commoners, but no other parishes intercommon with them; they are called the Great or Mill Common, North Green, North Common, and the Fen Common, and the inhabitants heretofore had all Chimbrook Meadow, for common, which they granted to the lord to make his fishery, agreeing to quit all right of commonage in it, and on all other the lord's wastes, on the east side the hundred ditch, and park banks, for which the lord agreed to lay them out an equivalent of other lands upon their Great Common, which was done accordingly, reserving the trees, furze, and bushes, growing, or which should ever hereafter grow on the lands, so laid out, which privilege the lord still enjoys, the lands being then called the Severals, and now the Allands, or Ollands.

In