658 ON THE COST OF CARRIAGE. 



little more than $d. On the other hand, the hire of a man. 

 two horses and a cart, in a town like Oxford, is considerabl) 

 higher, being quoted at is. the day, in the year 1352. It wil! 

 be remembered, however, that in this year the panic prices 01 

 labour were still effectual; and we may see from an entr) 

 under the year 1334, that a cart, with its complement of horse* 

 ,and man, could be hired at 7^. the day. 



/ * It is clear, too, that a journey like that to Rickmansworth anc 

 back, which could not be accomplished under nearly 50 miles, 

 if we take into account the windings of the road, was per- 

 formed in one day, since the charges at which men and horses 

 must have been put, had they lodged on the road, would have 

 probably exceeded the payment made for carriage, or at leasl 

 not have fallen far short of it. That the small freeholder' 

 possessed carts and horses is clear from the condition annexec 

 to some of the tenancies in Ibstone, that namely of making 

 one annual journey to Henley at their own charges. 



From these entries we may conclude with certainty that the 



cost of carrying corn by cart, two horses and man, was, one 



r.kind of grain with another, about a penny a ton per mile, a 



rate which indicates not only that the supply of such a service 



was abundant, but that the roads were good. 



Similar information can be found as to the cost of carrying 

 lead. To take for instance the rate at which lead is transportec 

 from Maidstone to Ledes Castle in Kent. The distance is 

 5 miles in a direct line. A c charret' or c carrat, 5 i. e. a fothei 

 of lead, weighs little less than a ton, and at this time (1297^ 

 lead could be carried a distance of between 6 and 7 miles, 

 if we take the turns of the road into account, at less than id, 

 the mile. The same rate is charged for tiles, if we can take 

 a thousand (1200) as a load. 



Again, a certain quantity of lead, i\ carects or fothers, is 

 bought in London (1330) by the Elham bailiff with the purpose 

 of roofing the chancel. Part of the charge incurred in carriage 

 is for conveyance on the rivers (Thames and Stour), for ship- 

 ping, and for landing the article. The portion which contains 



