CLOUTS. LADDERS. 547 



of moderate size, as the value varies very little from that of 

 horseshoe-nails. , 



In drawing up an average table of clouts, it has been neces- 

 sary, on the general rule of selection laid down before, to make 

 some few omissions. Thus an entry from Gamlingay in 1281, 

 and another in 1284, have been omitted, because they would 

 have given a price of 125-. 6d. in the first case, and 145-. yd. in 

 the other; rates far in excess of any amount ever quoted at 

 the time. In all likelihood these articles were purchased for 

 some exceptional purpose, though they are named in the state- 

 ment of the charges incurred for repairing the carts in the 

 bailiff's account of each year. 



Occasionally the necessary nails are reckoned with the 

 clouts. But the addition designated in the annual average by 

 an asterisk is of no serious import in reckoning the general 

 averages. It does not of course follow that nails bought as 

 clout-nails were not used for other purposes, or that many 

 were needed for fixing the plates. 



The course of prices in these articles presents the same 

 phenomena as have been observed in other and similar con- 

 veniences. It rises in the decade 1311-1320, and the rise is 

 permanent, though not uniform, as the market is falling slightly 

 towards the end of the first half of the fourteenth century : the 

 decennial average 1341-1350 being heightened by the events of 

 the last two years. After this time the increase is more than 

 170 per cent, in clouts, and nearly 100 per cent, in clout-nails. 



LADDERS. One of the implements which were necessarily 

 provided for the harvest is a ladder, both for the purpose of 

 loading the wain or cart, and for stacking in the mow or rick. 

 A few of these are given in the table of Sundries, from which 

 we may see that the average before the Plague was about 6\d. 

 Since that event, however, only one entry is given ; and here 

 the price is so large (is. 6d.\ that in all likelihood it represents 

 a larger and longer article than was commonly used in farm 

 business. The entry is from Elham. It will be remembered, 

 however, that 1364 is a year of general dearness. 



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