DURING THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES. Ill 



The prices of diverse sott of provisions and fresh Achates spent in the Priory of South- 

 wick from A 2 R. Hen. V, to end of 2 Hen. VI, taken forth of an old parchment 

 book written at the time : 



Wheat at 4/. and 5/4 the qr. betwixt both. 



Malt from 3/4 to 5/. 



Barley from 3/2 to 4/10. 



Oats from i/io to 2/4. 



Salt, qr. 4/. 



Oxen and bulls, I2/. to i6/. 



Cows, steers, and stunts, 9/. to 1 2/. 



Calves, 1/4 to 2/8. 



Muttons, 1/2 to 1/4. 



Goats, 2/6 to 4/. 



Hogs for pork or bacon from 2/3. 



Lambs from /4 to /8. 



Capons at/3. 



Hens at /2. 



Chickens, / to /I. 



Eggs, 25 a penny. 



Butter, Ib /. 



Cheese, Ib. /|. 



Honey, quart, /3- 



Cider, tun, io/. to I4/. 



Mallard, /i i to /2. 



Pigs (i. e. sucking), J2\ to 



Geese, l*\ to /5. 



Pigeons, 3 a penny. 



Conies, /2. 



Fresh congers, /4 to 1/8. 



I do not comment on general prices in the present chapter, 

 because this topic is better handled when I come to deal with 

 facts in detail, but I may anticipate an objection which may 

 be made to both facts and inferences that my records are 

 generally derived from the expenditure of wealthy individuals 

 and corporations, or at least from such persons as had fixed and 

 secure incomes. I might indeed have inferred that, as in our 

 day, the rich pay more for the same or nearly the same goods 

 as the poor do, notwithstanding the fact that their purchases are 

 in larger parcels. But I am quite clear that the bargaining was 

 as keen in the case of a nobleman's steward or a college man- 

 ciple, as it was in that of an artisan or a farm hind. Nor is 

 there any doubt that the vendor knew his market and was well 

 aware of the wisdom of making continuous bargains. The 

 British Museum MSS. supply me with an excellent illustration 

 of the manner in which sales of corn were effected. The mills 

 of Sheffield, Rotherham, and Brightside were in 1578 and on- 

 wards the property of George, Earl of Shrewsbury. The sales 

 of corn (Wheat, Malt, and Rye) at these mills are recorded in 

 a thick folio described as Additional MSS. 27,532, and the 

 entries, given weekly or thereabouts, are very numerous, ranging 

 from half a peck to a quarter, or more. Every entry is noted 



