THE KITCHEN. 701 



at 30^. $d. each. In 1637 a brass kettle, skillet and frying- 

 pan are bought by Corpus Christi College for 39^. id. 

 together. 



Posnets are said to be small pans or pots. I have found 

 them six times in the early period, at is. 8d. in 1587, at i s. lod. 

 in 1601, at 3,?. $d. in 1602 (when Oriel College buys two 

 together, large and small, for 6s. io*/.), at is. ^d. in 1603, at 

 3^. 4d. in 1619. In 1621 Lord Spencer buys a posnet and 

 basin together for $s. 6d. I have three entries of sauce and 

 three of stew pans, all late, the former at i s. 6d. t &/. and $s. 4*/., 

 the latter at is. id., us. and is. The highest-priced of the 

 latter is bought by New College in 1665. In 1664 a flat pan 

 is is. $d., in 1688 a brass pan and ladle cost is. 6d., and in 

 1611 a skimmer and ladle together are $s. id. A pot in 1585 

 is is. 6d., a powdering-pan in 1645 is is. id., and a brass pip- 

 kin in 1614 is 5^. 6d. 



I find also skimmers, skillets, strainers, cullenders and bread- 

 graters. Of the first, nine years supply evidence, but at 

 prices varying from 6d. to 6s. The last-named at 6s. are 

 styled great brass skimmers in the S. John's College ac- 

 count, and the entry of 1609 is also called a great skimmer. 

 In 1627 King's College buys one at 5^., and two brass articles 

 at u. 3^. In 1644 the purchase by S. John's is called great. 



Strainers as a rule are cheap, from lod. to 4\d. each, be- 

 tween 1585 and 1623. In 1637 one costs is., in 1648 and 

 1650 they are at 3^. 4*/., in 1698 one is bought for 3^. 6d. 

 This last is described as a hair-strainer, and I conclude that 

 these articles generally were a wooden frame with a hair-cloth 

 or linen-cloth bottom. In 1647 a brass strainer is $s. 



Cullenders are found in fifteen years at prices ranging from 

 Sd. to i is. This high-priced article is bought for the Warden 

 of New College in 1653. There is however one bought by 

 the same society in 1632 at 8^. 7*/., another of brass by King's 

 College in 1641 at Js. jd. t and another also of brass in 1620, 

 bought also by King's College, at 6s. Sd. On the other hand, 

 a cheap ' colander' is bought at Winchester College in 1665 at 



