[A] BERE FERRIS. This parish is situated south by west from Tavistock. Here, observes Risdon, "lieth Ley, the ancient possession of a family so called, whence the name tooke that honor; for from hence Sir James Ley, Knt., Lord Chief Justice of England, and High Treasurer, created afterwards Earle of Marlborough, descended; a lawgiver in the chief place of justice, and a preserver of venerable antiquity, whose noble thoughts were so fixed on virtue, and his discourses embellished with wisdome, and his heart with integrity, that his words did never bite, nor his actions wrong any man, to give him just cause of complaynt." Amongst several ancient monuments in Bere-Ferris Church, is one under an arched recess, of a cross-legged knight half inclined on his right side, with his right hand on his sword; and another of a knight and his lady, under a richly ornamented arch in the chancel. Among the figures painted on the east window is that of William Ferrers, who was probably the builder of this fabric, as he is represented kneeling, and holding the model of a church in his hand. [Sidenote: A honest lawyer.] [B] BERE REGIS is situated in the Blandford division of the county. Drs. Stukeley and Coker conjecture that this place was the site of a Roman station; an opinion which is confirmed by a large entrenchment upon Woodbury Hill, about half a mile north-east of the parish. The area of this place, which contains about ten acres, is surrounded by triple ramparts, that in some places are high and deep. On the summit, which commands a very extensive prospect, a fair is annually holden. This fair begins on the Nativity of the Virgin, and continues through the five following days: though of late years it has much decreased; it was once the most considerable in the west of England. Queen Elfrida, to whom the manor belonged, is said to have retired to her seat in this place, after the murder of her son-in-law, Edward the Martyr. King John also appears to have made it his residence. In the reign of Henry III. the manor was bestowed on Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester; but, as a consequence attending his rebellion, it was taken from him, and granted to the King's brother, Edmund. Edmund gave a moiety of it to the Abbess of Tarent, who, in the reign of Edward I. claimed for her manor of Bere a fair, a market, a free-warren, and the whole forest of Bere. Her moiety of these was granted her. At the dissolution, Henry VIII., for the sum of L680. 16s. 8d. granted the manor to Robert Turberville, to whose ancestors the other moiety had belonged for ages. The mansion of the Turbervilles still remains: it is an ancient irregular structure, built with stone, and its windows contain various quarterings of the Turberville family and its alliances. Bere Regis, though it does not appear ever to have been represented in parliament, was incorporated in the time of Edward I. Its market is ancient, as appears from King John's having confirmed it to the inhabitants.