456 ON THE PRICE OF BUILDING MATERIALS, ETC. 



described as board, &c. } by the thousand, the entries in the 

 accounts being generally by the hundred. From 1480 onwards 

 I have taken sixpenny nails by the thousand, assuming that 

 such nails may fairly be assumed to be identical or nearly so 

 with the board nails of the previous years. The result will be 

 found to fairly carry out my hypothesis, and to exhibit that 

 rise in value in carpenter's nails which is shown in the lath 

 nails which were purchased for plasterer's work. The rise in 

 price towards the conclusion of the period is even more slight, 

 but perhaps the price is depressed by the large quantities pur- 

 chased for royal works, especially for the navy, as it certainly 

 is modified by foreign importations from Flanders. 



Nails sold by the later designation generally go down to a 

 penny, and up to tenpence. The first entry of tenpenny nails 

 is at Oxford in 1481, when they are 8s. the thousand. Like 

 the sixpenny nails they sink in value, being gd. the hundred at 

 Otterbourne in 1485, 6s. 8d. the thousand at Oxford in 1489, 

 6s. ^d. at the same place in 1490, 6s. i\d. in 1495, &c. At Sion 

 they are particularly cheap, as indeed all nails are near London. 

 Thus they are at 5^. 8d. in 1512, at 5.$-. icd. in 1513, at 5^. 8d. 

 in 1514-15, at 6s. in 1516, at 5.$-. 8d. in 1517, at 5.?. ^d. in 

 1518-19, and at 4$-. $d. in 1522. They are bought for the 

 works at Greenwich and Westminster in 1532 at 3.?. iod., for 

 4s. zd. in 1533-34, for 3^-. lod. again in 1535, for 4^-. id. in 

 1539-1543. In 1567 they cost 9.$-., but in 1568, 6s. 4d. 



There are also twentypenny nails and even twenty-four- 

 penny, bought for Deptford dockyard. The first entry of 

 twentypenny nails is at Greenwich in 1532, where they cost 

 8.$-. the thousand. This is the general price with some slight 

 fluctuations. But in 1540-43, they only cost 6s. 8d. In 1549 

 they rise to 9^-. ^d. In 1557 New College, Oxford, buys them 

 at 15.$-., nails being much dearer in Oxford than in London. 

 At Cambridge, in 1561, they are us. 8d., at Farnham and at 

 Woolwich i6s. 8d., being bought by private persons as well as 

 for the Queen's use. In 1565 they are bought at Oxford for 

 i6s. and 14$-., in 1566 at Cambridge for ios., in 1567 at Graves- 



