316 WOOL AND HIDES. 



at 8s. lod. the tod, the rate of Oxfordshire wool in the schedule being 

 7^. iod. Two entries from the county of Durham are at $s. yd. and 

 43. 8d. Lambs' wool at Apuldrum is at 4.?. Sd. The Apuldrum 

 fleeces are at 3^. 4%d. The Coleshull woolfells at 5-r. 6d., and those 

 of Bicester at i s. 8d. ; the latter were probably shearlings. 



1440. There is a large sale of wool at Canons Ashby, in Northants; 

 the rate is 7^. io%d. The J arrow price is 5^. $d. The Sutton-at- 

 Hone (Kent) price is too low for a common stone. Under the year 

 1448 I find that the stone of this place, perhaps for Kent generally, 

 was 81bs. The rate therefore by the tod was 5^. iod. The Apul- 

 drum fleeces are at 2s. 8f</. the dozen, lamb fleeces at g%d. The 

 Coleshull woolfells are at 3^. Prices are lower. 



1441. Prices appear to be higher. The Jarrow tod is at 6s., that 

 of Sutton-at-Hone is 5^. lod. The Sion fleeces, this place appearing 

 for the first time, are at 4$. the dozen. Woolfells at Coleshull are at 

 4S., at Sutton 2.?. The Sion entries give the three rates of these 

 articles at 3^., 4^., and is. 8d., the prices varying according to the 

 distance from shearing at the time when the sheep was killed. 



1442. The Durham rate indicates that prices are a little lower, 

 5^. yd. There is a new source of information from Spitling in 

 Norfolk (?). Here we find refuse wool priced at 6s., the quantity 

 of fleeces being given at 24^. ^d. the hundred. But as the best wool 

 is at 43-r. the hundred, it follows that such wool must have been at 

 los. yd. the tod. The Apuldrum fleeces are at 2s. 8f</. the dozen, 

 lamb at io^d. Those of Spitling are at 4^. \\d. The Sion wool- 

 fells are at 4.9., 3^., is. iod., and is. Sd. 



1443. Apuldrum sheep's wool is at $s. iod., lambs' wool at 4s.; 

 Ormsby at 6s. and 5-f. The Spitling refuse is at 6s., and by the 

 process employed above the best is io,r. 2d. The Daventry entry is 

 difficult, the question being whether the lapis is a stone or a clove. 

 Looking at the Ormsby entry, I incline to the former, and thereupon 

 set it at Ss. the tod, especially as the place is in Northants, where the 

 schedule valuation is high. The Spitling fleeces are about 4^. the 

 dozen. The Sion woolfells are at 4^. and is. iod. Those of Writtle 

 are exceedingly high ; the best are *js. Those from Michaelmas to 

 Lent are 4^. 8d., while the shearlings are 2s. iod. 



1444. The price of wool is declining, and entering on a period of 

 depression, as is manifest even from the scanty and difficult material 

 with which I am dealing. I am persuaded however that the cause is 

 plenty, and that the general geniality of the seasons was felt in the 

 sheep-master's craft, as well as in that of the common farmer. The 



