THE BOROUGH
At the Conquest the vill of Salisbury already had
at least one of the attributes of a borough. It had a
mint, and two of the Confessor's moneyers, Godric
and Godwine, were still coining under William I.
To them were added Osbern and Sefara. Osbern
was still at work under William II and Henry I,
and there was a Godric signing coins under Henry.
Edward appeared under Rufus, and Aldwine and
Ealla were added under Henry I. One moneyer,
Stanning, is recorded for the reign of Stephen, and
under Henry II Daniel's and Levric's names appear
on Tealby type pennies. (fn. 1) It is a point of interest
that the Salisbury issues continued longer than
those of Malmesbury or any of the other Wiltshire
towns, save only Wilton, which continued to Henry
II. This continuance may have been due chiefly to
the official position of Salisbury as the sheriff's
headquarters and the bishop's seat, but there must
also have been trade sufficient to justify the establishment of moneyers.
As there was a mint there can be little doubt that
there was also a market. By 1130 it certainly existed:
its toll had belonged to the farm of Wilton, and some
indication of its value is given by the allowance of
40s. made in consequence from the Wilton farm. (fn. 2)
It appears also from a later confirmation that Henry
I granted a charter to the burgesses of Salisbury,
giving them a guild merchant, with acquittance of
toll, passage and all customs through the king's land,
as the burgesses of Winchester were quit. The
charter was confirmed by Henry II, (fn. 3) and when the
men of Andover sought guild rights they were given
the same liberty in their guild as the men of Wilton
and Salisbury had in their guild. (fn. 4) In 1274–5 the
burgesses also claimed return of writs and the
judgment of felons, according to the custom of
Winchester, (fn. 5) and in 1281 pleas of withernam, and
they declared on the second of these occasions that
they had exercised all these rights since Henry I's
time. (fn. 6)
Some indication is given of the relative prosperity
of the Wiltshire boroughs by the amounts imposed
on them in taxation. In the tallage of 1164–5 the
sheriff accounted for 100s. from Wilton, 40s. from
Salisbury, and 40s. from Calne. (fn. 7) On the aid for the
king's daughter Wilton paid £10 6s. 8d., Malmesbury and Salisbury £6 13s. 4d. each. (fn. 8) On the new
assize of 1173 Wilton paid 100s., Calne and Bedwyn
40s. each and Salisbury only 20s. (fn. 9) In the aid of
1176–7 Salisbury was assessed at 20 marks, and
having paid half, was released from the other half.
It must, however, be admitted that on this occasion
Devizes and Wilton, each assessed at 20 marks,
were released of the whole. (fn. 10) From 1187–8 to 1191–2
Salisbury was regularly tallaged at 49s. 8d., and
compared with £13 6s. 6d. from Wilton. (fn. 11) It seems
that Salisbury was losing ground as the 12th century
advanced; it was then that it lost its mint.
In 1200, soon after the accession of John, the
burgesses were put to the cost of obtaining confirmation of their liberties. The price was 10 marks,
which was paid in 1201. (fn. 12) When in 1204 the castle
was entrusted to Robert de Vieuxpont, the sheriff,
he was also entrusted with the vill of Salisbury and
the mill there, which were to be part of his farm. (fn. 13)
When horsemen were being raised in 1212, Salisbury
like Wilton, Marlborough and Devizes, had to find
ten men. (fn. 14)
The great episcopal evacuation of 1220 must have
had a shattering effect upon the little borough. The
canons were no doubt among the best customers of
the burgesses, and there must always have been
much coming and going to and from the cathedral
church of priests and pilgrims. Gradually there was
a drift from the old town to the new one by the
river, especially as the bishop's fairs and markets
developed, and the bridge was built at Harnham
that was to by-pass Wilton.
An attempt was made to keep the borough going.
In 1229 there was a new charter of confirmation to
the burgesses of liberties which must be defended
against New Salisbury; (fn. 15) but it contained no new
privileges. The sheriff was ordered to repair the
bishop's hall in the castle and the other houses there
that needed repair (1230). (fn. 16) On the other hand there
was pressure for leave to remove buildings left
behind by the churchmen in the old town: in 1239
William de Cantilupe was given permission to take
a house away. (fn. 17)
Decline continued. In 1246 the good men of Old
Salisbury were pardoned 5 marks which they owed
for tallage, and the king granted them a yearly fair
of three days, ordering the sheriff to proclaim it
throughout the shire. (fn. 18) In 1260–1 the borough was
tallaged at only 3 marks; (fn. 19) and when in 1269 it was
tallaged at £10 and 21d. it was excused 100s. and
21d. on payment of the other 100s., expressly on
account of its poverty. (fn. 20) By 1275 both Old Salisbury
and Wilton were complaining that the bishop was
allowing too many markets in New Salisbury, and
so monopolising trade. (fn. 21) In taxes on moveables Old
Salisbury was rated as a borough eight times from
1294 to 1336, and indeed was four times described
as a city. (fn. 22) Of any industry practised by its inhabitants almost nothing is known, though there was a
draper in 1249, (fn. 23) and a mason as late as 1427. (fn. 24)
There is no early evidence of the existence of any
organ of self-government. Old Salisbury was 'the
borough of the castle of Salisbury' in 1249 (fn. 25) and
1260–1 (fn. 26) or simply 'Salisbury Castle' in 1268. (fn. 27) It
existed under the eye of the sheriff or other keeper
of the castle, who supervised the guild and in 1289
farmed borough, mill, castle, garden and an island; (fn. 28)
the market belonged to the bishop. John of Upton,
bailiff of the liberty in 1327, (fn. 29) was not necessarily
chosen by the community. In 1423 and 1424,
however, a mayor of the borough (Thomas Mason),
as well as a bailiff (William Lord) existed. They
attested grants of land in King's Field and Stratford
Common, and what purported to be the seal of the
mayoralty was attached to the conveyances. (fn. 30) When
the mayoralty and the use of a mayoral seal were
allowed to lapse, all that remained to distinguish the
borough lands from those of Stratford was their
tenure in burgage, and the privilege, which their
owners exercised, of returning burgesses to Parliament.
An impression of the seal of the mayoralty is
attached to two deeds of 1423, (fn. 31) but the matrix is
probably of much earlier date. It is round or oval,
about 1½ inch across, and depicts the Virgin,
crowned, and Child seated under a canopy with
parallel sides. The legend is in mixed lettering
SIGILLUM SARESBURS'
Perhaps the only native of the borough who is
known to history is John of Salisbury. (fn. 32)