ON THE COST OF CARRIAGE. 663 



occupying six days, each day involving the cost of 9*. 4^. an 

 amount which is beyond parallel. One cannot help thinking 

 that the king (Edward II.), to whom this manor belonged, 

 must have suffered an overcharge. 



The charges incurred in water-carriage for the lead used for 

 Elham chancel in the year 1330 amount to 5*. 6d. between 

 London and Fordwich, as compared with the land-carriage 

 between Fordwich and Elham (75-. i*/.), on which comment has 

 been already made. 



Three tuns of herrings are carried from London to Henley in 

 the year 1333. This is, of course, water-carriage, and the rate 

 is n^/. the tun. Now Henley is at least 60 miles from 

 London by water, and thus it seems that freight on the river 

 could be obtained at less than a fifth of a penny per mile. 

 The rate at which barley is conveyed by water from Tedding- 

 ton to Westminster (1309) is of a similar character. 



The charge for conveying passengers is also very modest. 

 Under the year 1389 we read that id. was paid for this service 

 between Southampton and the Isle of Wight. On the whole, 

 it may be concluded roughly that the cost of water-carriage was 

 about one-sixth of that paid for conveyance by land. 



We may therefore, I think, infer that, while there were far 

 greater facilities for land-carriage than has been ordinarily 

 supposed, and that therefore the transmission of corn and 

 other commodities to market was easy and obvious, there were 

 still larger facilities for those who, living on or near the banks 

 of navigable rivers, might seek a better market than their 

 immediate neighbourhood. The Thames, the Severn, the Ouse 

 on which Bristol was built, the Cambridgeshire Ouse, the 

 Humber, the Itchin, the Test, the Stour, the Wye, and many 

 other rivers, were navigable and commonly navigated. 



The markets in London affected the markets of Oxfordshire. 

 I have already commented on the fact that the Cuxham bailiff 

 almost always sells his corn at Henley-on-Thames, though he 

 was fully 12 miles distant from the town. He frequents this 

 market because, as there was easy and cheap navigation to 



