104 A H/STORV OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND. 



was bought from Thos. Freeman, of Doncaster, and of a 



merchant from Cambridge, to the latter, for six and a half pounds 



of "crocus" £y. 8s. was paid. In 1538 it was bought at 



" Braydforth fayre." Although it was not cultivated at all 



in the north, and, as the above quotations show, had to be 



imported from the Eastern counties, saffron commanded almost 



as high a price in that part of the country. At Hunstanton, 



in Norfolk, on " March 26th, 1536, one ounce of saffron cost 



'8>d. and old saffron izd. the ounce." ^ 



It was a profitable crop, and Tusser, who lived in the 



Eastern counties, warns the husbandman not to forget it : — 



" Pare saffron plot 

 Forget it not 

 His dwelling- made trim 



look shortly for him 

 When harvest is gone 



then saffron comes on 

 A little of ground 



brings saffron a pound." -j- 



The work in gardens of all sizes seems to have been 

 superintended by one head-gardener, who had the charge of 

 the buying and selling and planting of the garden stuff; but 

 the actual manual cultivation was done by labourers hired by 

 the day, and not by a permanent staff. The post of head- 

 gardener in any of the Royal gardens was quite an important 

 position, J The wages were from about £12 per annum, and 



* Le Strange, Household Books. 



f Five Hundred Pointes of Goodc Hiisbnndrie. — August. 



X 1532. — " Also paid by the hands of the forsaid i'"dmund Gryff(yn) 

 (head-gardener), for digging, gathering, and sorting of the said trees, I2d. 

 Also paid to the said Edmund Gryff(yn), for carriage of the forsaid apple 

 trees, I5d." 



1530. — " A gardener at 6d. a day." 



1530.—" To John Hutton, for making and levelling of beds in the 

 king's new garden, and raking of the same, by the space (ofj 12 days at 

 4d. a day, 4s." — Hampton Court Accounts. 



May 8th, 1540. — "To Claaston, for mowyng of the garden at Hunstanton, 

 2d." September, 1543. — " For dyggen in the garden, 4d." 



December loth, 1549 — " 2 ffellowes for helping in the garden for oon 

 week, 2s. 6d," — Le Strange, Household Books. 



1530. — " Paid to four gardeners for four days — March iSth, 2s. 8d." — A 

 Book of Receipts and Expenses of Cardinal's College, Oxford. 



