100 FOURTEENTH CENTURY LIFE IN BRIDPORT. 



the basement landlord to repair his foundations, to which the 

 latter replied that he had a perfect right and intended to pull 

 down his part of the house ! 



These wills shew us the value they set in those days on clothes, 

 jewels, ornaments, and even on the now unreckoned trifles of 

 domestic furniture. Dame Cristina de Stikelane, who by the 

 way leaves a legacy to Stickland Church, must have looked 

 remarkably attractive in her Sunday best, for by her will in 1268 

 she bequeaths with great care such valuable articles of attire as 

 " my tunic of green cloth," " my tunic of blue, my blue cape," 

 "my super-tunic of bernet cloth," "the buckle of gold which 

 Adam Goldsmith bequeathed to me." She thus makes bequest 

 at the same time to a lady of a Dorchester and Farringdon family 

 whose relative lies in St. Peter's Church "To Alice the daughter 

 of William de Anne one buckle of gold bequeathed by her 

 mother to me," whilst to her son Bartholomew de Stikelane she 

 gives "one cup of silver and all my cups of gold with feet and 

 without," besides "a gold buckle," " several silver spoons," "a 

 feather bed, all my tapestries," "and all my brass pots." 



I can only say that for anyone studying the evolution of 

 human clothing and household furniture these wills are invalu- 

 able. Herein one may read to his heart's content of legacies 

 taking the form of " my maser cup hooped with gilt, my silver 

 bowl large and round, my tin drinking cup, brass pots and pans, 

 all sorts of brewing utensils, trivets, spits, platters, and forks for 

 cooking purposes, oak coffers." Add to these such household 

 articles as " my blue curtains," " one kiverlit of white," " one 

 table cloth," " two candelsticks," " one hand towel," " two 

 towells," "a napkin," "my quilt of new cloth," "9 yards of 

 linen cloth," " one wooden spade and a washing tub," and a fair 

 idea of "the simple life" of those days is obtained. At the 

 same time one can almost picture mentally the dress of the i4th 

 century citizens of Bridport from the following items of carefully 

 inventoried legacies: Agnes Talant in 1371 possessed "a best 

 robe stuffed with feathers," which descended to her son as an 

 heirloom ; she also thought worthy of mention " her kirtell with 



