The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-13

history are fast disappearing. In their
place towns are springing up, modern
residences being erected, and at the
present day it is hard to find even an
old timer in any Of these towns or vii
lagos who can point out where the first
heroes of 3 great country were born and
lived.
The province which Charles II grant
ed to Lord Baltimore is indeed matter
of history today, and the scholar who
desires to refresh his memory Oh colonial
history can no longer find evidences of
that period throughout the state, but
must resort to the archives Of the Mary
land Historical society.
The most famous landmark to sue
cu-nb to fate recently is the old Carroll
manor at Carrollton, where lived the
patriot who after the Declaration of In
dependence had been signed and the
liberty bell pealed it to the masses de-
clared to the first congress that ssthe
pen had rea4 he'd its limit, and bayonets
must finish the work In place of the
old manor a magnificent modern resi-
dence stands, and nothing remains to
recall the part the former owner took in
the struggle for liberty Old St.
AIichael's manor is a thing of the past,
too, having recently been destroyed to
make room for more modern structure
There is only one old manor left to-
day to mark the colonial period. Tt is
the st. Clements manor, in St. Mary's
county. 1t borders on St. Clements bay,
a body Of water which Marylanders
boast OF as being tho prettiest IN the
world The days Of this old landmark
are numbered, for time is proving itself
a persistent foe
You stand and gaze at it. and if
versed in colonial history your mind
Immediately reverts back q century.
You see the open crate fires twittering
and cracking with glee as they give
warmth to = gay and festive party com
posed of the cream of the wealth, cul-
ture and refinement Of the south. You
see the lovely hostess beaming with
smiles and dispensing every hospitality
within her power to make her guests
feel at home You hear the hounds bark
ing outside as they await the gentlemen
guests to mount their horses for an ex-
citing fox hunt, and during your reverie
a hundred other pleasant memories
might fash across the mind, but the
dream is only instantaneous, and you
suddenly look around, and the old
manor seems desolato again.
The records Of the st. Clements manor
are the only ones now in existence, and
they are so valuable that 81 900, OCO
ical society to part with them IN the
palmy days Of the manor 1t was Gus
tomary for the proprietor OF an estate to
keep a diary, a custom still carried on
in England today, and from these rec
Ords it is learned that the St Clement s
manor was the most famous home of
hospitality in the south for over a cen
tury.
One Of the most interesting customs
in vogue during the seventeenth century
was the court leet held on an estate.
The lord of the manor was the judge by
divine right, and all disputes were set
tied by him. All fines went into his
purse, and there was no appeal from his
decision. His jurisdiction only extended
over his own tenants, the same power
being exercised by the neighboring lord
over his estate. The court met once a
week, and when the lord took his seat
on the bench the steward would COM
mand ''oyez' to draw near upon ''pain
and peril, = and then would follow the
proceedings Of the court.
There were some very amusing laws
governing the St Clements manor, an
estate covering 2, 900 acres. The tenants
were called upon to report to the court
leet ''such people as haunt taverns and
no man knoweth vhereon they do live, "
''such people as sleep by day and watch
by night ard fare we'll and have moth
ing, - butchers that sell corrupt vic
tuals'' anG many other peculiarly word
cd laws.
The lord OF the St. Clements manor
did not cherish strangers on his estate,
for he perpetuated one of the laws in
stituted by Edward the Confessor, " hich
forbade any tenant to entertain a stran-
ger above two nights unless the tenant
gave bonds fer his guests good behavior
There is a record calling upon John
Mansel to give bond for entertaining
Benjamin Hamon and Cybil, his wife,
inmates, or Immediately remove them =
It would take chapters TO tell Of the
many other primitive ways of a lord
dealing with his tenants The rent OF \
farm on the estate was paid in the
products Of the field, and among the
records IS q dispossession case for the
failure of certain tenant for three years
III succession to pay annually two bar
rels Of corn and three capons, the rent
for the use of the land
Again, wives We're not so plentiful IN
those days, and they were shipped from
England and sold to the planters at the
rate of a hogshead of tobacco apiece
We learn from the records that an an
nOuncement was read from the court leet
Just before adjournment Of the arrival
of a vessel containing a 'tlot Of nice,
agreeable persons, y and that the choice
would 90 to the highest bidder. Many
r,4ar7forg oct fhN5r wives nm crnTff