THIRTEENTH CENTURY. 41 



Newcastle, and then at Berwick. It is curious to think that such 

 great events should be the means of revealing the names of the 

 best known pears of the period. We still find most of the 

 S. Rule or " Regul pears," as they are written in this account, 

 and they are bought in quantities, as in the earlier bills, the cost 

 being usually 33. per hundred, but sometimes only lod. for the 

 same amount. The pears which come next after the " Regul," 

 in the frequency of the entries and quantities, are the "Calluewell" 

 or " Calwell," and the "pas pucell " or " pase pucell," and we 

 also find " Martins " ; all these four sorts being also found in 

 the Earl of Lincoln's accounts, the prices varying from 45. 

 to 8d. per hundred. Besides these, there occur " Dieyes " (or 

 dreyes), " sorell," "chyrfoll," and "gold knopes " pears also 

 apples, quinces, called " coynes," chestnuts, " chasteynes,"* and 

 " great nuts." The only kind of apple specially noticed is, the 

 Costard. The name of this variety, which was the most popular 

 of apples for many centuries, has been preserved in the word 

 " costermonger," originally a seller of this fruit. At Oxford, 

 in 1296, the Costard apple was sold for is. per hundred, and 

 the price of twenty-nine Costard apple-trees, in 1325, was 3s.f 

 It is spoken of by early writers as a distinct fruit, in the 

 same way as Wardons and pears. Grosseteste mentions them 

 as " apples and Costards." J Another popular variety of apple 

 was the Pearmain. At an early date we find it being used 

 for cider. In the sixth year of King John a certain Robert de 

 Evermere held the lordship of Runham in the Hundred of 

 East Flegg, in Norfolk, by petty serjeanty, by the payment 

 of two hundred Pearmains and four hogsheads (modios) of 

 wine, made of Pearmains, into the Exchequer, on the feast of 

 St. Michael yearly. These were still being paid annually in 

 the ninth year of Edward II. One other kind of pear, the 

 "Janettar," is noted in one of the Wardrobe accounts in 



* Pipe Roll (printed 1884, Vol. I.), 5 Henry II., 35. for chestnuts 

 (castanear) sent to the Queen at Salisbury. 



f Thorold Rogers, Hist, of Agricultural Prices. 



| Sloane MS. 686. " Tretyse off Housbandry that Mayster Groshede 

 made." 



Blomefield, Hist, of Norfolk. Vol. V.,p. 1378. Ed. 1775. 



