6l2 ON THE PRICE OF FISH. 



f lb., while the bast-ropes, each a little more than 14 fathoms 

 long, must have weighed about 2 Ibs. Besides these, as we see 

 from the account of 1321, a great landing-rope was needed, 

 30 fathoms long in this case, by which the net might be 

 dragged to land. 



To preserve them, the nets were soaked in tan. Hence the 

 purchase of two quarters of tan in 1321, of another entry of 

 this article under the year 1316 at the rate of 4*. the quarter, 

 and a third in 1319 at is. 6d. These prices were, by an over- 

 sight, omitted in the table of Sundry Articles. 



The nets were supported by corks, (a piece of which, costing 

 6d., is given under the year 1321,) and weighted by lead. A 

 fishing-boat was of course also needed, which was supplied 

 with oars. Such a boat is quoted also under 1321. 



Another boat is given under the year 1361, as purchased for 

 the monks of Finchale Priory, to be used also, no doubt, for 

 fishing purposes. It costs, however, much more than the West- 

 shene boat, the charge being 1 51. iod. 



At Waleton, one of Bigod's estates, fishing was also carried 

 on. The few annual accounts which have been preserved for 

 this place give no boat among the items of expenditure, but 

 only the price of oars. Four entries of these articles supply 

 an average of rather more than 4^., the rate increasing with 

 each entry. 



These Thames salmon are sold at very high prices, the rate 

 suggesting the high estimate made of a produce, now so com- 

 pletely lost since the river has been polluted by sewage. Two 

 of the years are those in which the great famine prevailed, and 

 in one of these (1316) the price is the highest, though it is not 

 much in excess of the rate obtained in 1313. Now it will be 

 a moderate estimate of money values if we take 8 as a multi- 

 plier for interpreting ancient prices in modern money. By 

 such a multiplier, the average price of these Westshene salmon, 

 2/. 9^., becomes \ 2*. 4^. a very high rate. But in point 

 of fact, as will be shewn more fully below, the multiplier, in 

 dealing with the secondary necessaries of life, is a much larger 



