the care with which the account is made, I subjoin a copy of the barley account: Sowne in 89 Acres of Ground besides 20 qrs. bought In all And y" (then) remains in the Granary 164 6 0 002 0 0 The average price is just about 138. 6d. per quarter. No areas are given, so that it is impossible to get at the yield per acre, but it may be noted that 644 quarters of seed were used for 89 acres, or within a trifle of 6 bushels per acre. In mentioning this to an old bailiff who is well-nigh 80, and who I knew always put his faith in thick sowing, he remarked: "Ah! that's how they used to do it," and after recounting the wonderful crops that he had grown from thick sowing, he wound up, "I'd never zow "less than 5 bushels if I had my way, and then there's "zummit for the wire worm to go at, and you h'ant got "to zow it again." Perhaps this was our forefathers' idea, and there may be "zummit" in it. The old wheat sold at an average of 23s. 1d. per quarter, and the new at 26s. 2d. per quarter. All the oats seem to have been consumed, but seed oats were purchased at 98. per quarter. Among the interesting receipts I find the following: Sold Two Tun of Hay for Sold 42 weights and 1lb. of wooll at xxiis. vid. per weight - Sold 20 old wether sheep at Wilton faire (September 12th) Sent to Horseley for Sir John Nicholas his owne use 60 old 03 00 0 47 05 0 02 04 0 01 01 0 04 08 0 01 05 0 06 00 0 04 00 0 21 00 0 11 12 0 02 05 00 01 13 00 00 11 00 01 07 07 The weight of wool seems to be our Tod of 28lbs. The sale of unwashed locks at 3d. per lb. indicates that they trimmed and round-tailed their sheep in those days. The prices realised for sheep and horned stock were very low, especially when compared with the price of a lean pig. On the other hand the price for skins was high, and a very large percentage of the value of the animal. The quantity of pigeons sold is astounding, and they must have been for food, as a pigeon shoot for a fat pig could hardly have been invented in those days. Turning to the disbursement side of the account, Payment for Rates and Taxes are represented as follows: Payd the Tax of xiid. the pound for Winterborne Earles Payd the Church Rates of Winterborne Earles and Goale and Marshalsey money Payd fire hearth money for half a year Payd the Poor's rate of Winterborne Earles Payd Wm. Choles Tything man of W. Earles towards the repayre of the County Bridge I now give a few typical entries illustrating the wages paid: Payd Roger Philps for spurling dung and winnowing and helping in of the 2 recks at 8d. a day 00 17 4 Payd the widow Hayter's Boy for going to plow 3 weeks and 4 days at 3d. a day 00 05 6 Payd the widow Burt for 14 days' Helming and Winnowing at 6d. a day 00 07 0 Payd Tymothy Taylor for goeing to plow 5 weeks and one day at 10d. a day 01 05 10 02 05 0 Payd Thomas Atkins for 5 weeks in the Harvest at 9s. per weeke Payd Thomas Atkins for 4 weeks after Harvest at 68. per per weeke 01 04 0 It may be noted that Thomas Atkins was then in existence and no better paid than he is now. The shepherds and carters were quarterly servants, and the shepherd's wife was not above giving a helping hand, and seems to have acted as mid-wife during the lambing. Payd Ambrose Hayter Shepherd of the East Side his qrs wages due at Ladyday 1690 Payd Robert Rose Shepherd of West side his qrs wages due at Ladyday 1690 Payd Sarah Rose for keeping of the flock at Lambing tyme 7 weeks and one day at 5d. a day 02 12 6 01 01 8 00 18 0 Payd Wm. Donhead, head carter his qrs wages due Ladyday 1690 01 12 6 Payd John Lawrence under carter his qrs wages due Ladyday 1690 00 17 6 For dyeting the 2 carters one qrter to and for Ladyday Payd four women for winding the wooll 2 days each at 6d. a day 00 03 0 00 07 0 00 01 6 Payd 2 men for bearing of the sheep 2 days each at 12d. a Gave to the children for gathering up the wool 00 02 0 00 08 0 The use of ruddle at so early a date is interesting, and later on I find a curious entry : Payd for Thred Payd for 13 yards § of cloath at 4d. a yard to patch the two teeth sheepe 00 00 6 00 04 6 Was this to make clothes to protect them from flies, or a kind of pitch plaster where they had been attacked. I find several purchases of pitch tar and grease. Piece-work is represented as follows: Payd William Choles for thrashing of 32qrs. 6bus. of Barley at 8d. per quarter 01 01 1 Payd for the moweing of the 7 acres at Alderbury 00 07 0 acre 01 02 6 Payd for reaping 70 acres, 3r., 30lugs of wheate at 48. 4d. per acre Payd for moweing 79 acres, 3r., 19 luggs of Barley at 12d. For pooking of 79ar. 3r. 19lugs of Barley at 11d. per acre The highest harvest money is : Payd Nicholas Hayters Boy for keeping of the pigs 6 weeks at 28. 6d. per weeke Payd the widow Burt for raking after carte 13 days at 10d. 00 10 10 00 06 0 Payd Nicholas Taylor for making of 3 wheat Recks and 00 12 0 thatching of them 6 days at 2s. a day Payd John Note for 4 weeks in the Harvest at 8s. 6d. per weeke 01 14 0 The relative price of underwood to its products was very different from the present, as illustrated by the following entries:— Bought 80 lugs of underwood for hedging at 6d. a lug Payd for 7,000 of Spars 02 00 0 01 01 4 00 07 0 We may gain some idea of the values of building materials from the following entries:— Payd Austin Blake for 2,700 of plain Tyle and one dozen of Gutter Tyles as per Bill 01 19 6 Payd Robert Doones for 6 Tun and a half of Tymber at 8 2 6 Payd Robert Doones for 4 Tun of Tymber at xxxs. vid. per 06 02 0 00 08 0 00 02 6 Payd for 4qrts. of Oyle 00 03 4 00 01 4 Payd for bushells of Tyle Pins Payd for 12 bushells of hayre Payd for 4lb. of White Leade feet. The Tun of timber is probably our load of 50 cubic Amongst the miscellaneous payments the following may be of interest : Payd to Nicholas Pewett towards his hard bargaine of building the Parsonage-house wherein he was a looser as by Sir John Nicholas his orders 05 00 0 |