Mascall
came from a family which is said to have become
established in Sussex shortly after the Norman
conquest. Members of the family were sheriffs in the
county during the period of Richard Coeur de Lion. His
house was standing as late as 1924 and in the moat
surrounding it he is supposed to have placed the first
carp introduced into England.
He translated the earliest gardening book from the
French entitled A booke of the arte and maner, how to
set stones, and sowe Pe-Pines to make wylde trees to
graffe on, as al-so remedies and medicnes (sic) vvith
diuers o-ther newe practise (1572). Editions followed
in 1575, 1598, 1592, 1596, and 1656.
The gardening book resembles considerably the
well-known medieval treatises on the planting and
grafting of trees and contains beliefs handed down for
a very many years. Actually he seriously considered a
method which resulted in improved fruit set. In
reality, the practice was a forerunner of what we now
call "ringing" a tree.
