364 ON THE PRICE OF FARM PRODUCE. 



high price. After 1540 three entries give an average of 2s. 

 the stone. 



Tallow is bought at is. 6d. the stone at Pershore, and at 9^. 

 at Canons Ashby in the years 1424 and 1453, a * I ^ * ne ^ 

 in 1461 at Restormel. But it is also purchased by the cwt. 

 An average of nine entries between 1462 and 1541 inclu- 

 sive gives a price of js. the cwt. for tallow, an average of 

 eleven entries after that date gives 22s. 6\d. for the same 

 quantity. 



Entries of flotas or kitchen grease generally come from the 

 Sion accounts. It is sold by the barrel, and occasionally by the 

 kilderkin or half barrel. In the first two years, 1452-1453, it 

 is sold at 6s. 8d. The remaining seven entries realise los. or 

 a little more. The average is 9^-. 2d. 



Sagmen, occurring at Durham only, appears to be the same as 

 lard, as the swine grease is of 1463, where the petra is of 8 Ibs. 

 Lard is sold under this name in the Hatfield account of 1551, 

 and at the great pound of 8 Ibs. So also is the sumen of 1558, 

 which is sold by the litttle pound at 2d. 



Fifteen entries of suet give an average, between 1555-1582, 

 of 2s. io\d. the dozen Ibs. There is an entry of suet before 

 this time from Mary Tudor's wardrobe in 1527, at lod. the 

 petra, and two others at is. $d. and is. 6d. the dozen from 

 London and Birling in 1534 and 1536. It does not appear 

 that, on the whole, the price of fats rose so rapidly, after the 

 increase of prices occurred, as that of other agricultural pro- 

 duce did. To this general fact tallow appears to be an 

 exception. 



A few entries of train oil purchased for the use of the navy 

 in the latter part of the period give an average of 72^. the tun. 

 The crown also purchased a tun of 'caulking' oil for Rochester 

 dockyard at 10 los. in 1561. 



WAX AND OIL. Information as to the price of wax, chiefly 

 used for church purposes, and later in the period for the do- 

 mestic use of the king's or queen's household, js very abundant, 

 only twelve years out of the whole 182 being unrepresented 



