576 ON THE PRICE OF TEXTILE FABRICS., ETC. 



bought for the knights (milites) who attended Roger Bigod, under 

 the year 1284, costs $ 145-. 9^., and another piece in the year 

 1286 is put at c ^?4 135-. 4*/., both these purchases being made 

 in Ireland. Small quantities, too, occasionally fetch high prices. 

 Thus, as early as the year 1 368 a purchase is made at Preston 

 at y. $d.-j another in 1284, at Clare, for y. 4^.; another in 

 1380, when however prices had risen, at 4*. On the other hand, 

 a stuff quoted by this name is bought for the founder's-kin boys 

 at Merton College in 1340 at a little more than 6\d. 



But as a rule the price is low. Eight entries before the 

 Plague give an average of nearly is. *j\d. the yard, and in 

 general it may be considered to represent an inferior or second 

 quality of cloth. 



Russet is still cheaper. Only one entry, i. e. in the year 

 1380, gives a high price (3*. 4^.) for this article, and even 

 then concurrently with a low price from another locality. The 

 russet, however, is bought in this case for the warden of 

 Merton. Omitting this entry, the average price of russet by 

 the yard, both before and after the Plague, no marked change 

 being effected in this article by that event, is nearly is. \d. the 

 yard. Russet, according to Knighton, was the dress affected 

 by the Lollards. 



BLANKET. If we may conclude that the wool carried from 

 Heyford Warren and RadclifF to Witney in the year 1385 

 (vol. ii. p. 604. ii.) was transmitted to this place for manufac- 

 turing purposes, blanket or coarse woollen cloth was woven at 

 Witney nearly 500 years ago. The price of this article is 

 never high, and occasionally is very cheap. It was, it seems, 

 used for the long loose garments worn at that time. Thus the 

 lay brethren of Maiden Bradley had a portion served out to 

 each for tunics and scapulars, or for gaskins. Ten entries of 

 this article, between 1325 and 1394, give an average of nearly 

 is. a-yard, the price being much lower towards the close of 

 the period. 



Other kinds of cloth are quoted, most of which also are dis- 

 tinguished by their colour. Persetum, which is found among 



