( 30 ) 



1189 March 7. A most terrible thunderstorm was heard 

 (M. of W.). 



1189 A hyde of land (120 acres) was commonly let at 20 

 shillings a year (Hume). 



A great famine and mortality caused the human race to 

 waste away in a horrible manner (M. of W.). 



1190 A mighty and dreadful tempest on the Holy Day of 

 the Ascension of our Lord (Roger de Hovedm). 



A great dearth reigned in England and France for the 

 space of three or four years, so that a quarter of wheat 

 was sold at iSs. Sd., no small price then (Holms/ted). 



1191 On Midsummer eve there was such an eclipse of the 

 sun that for three hours such darkness came over the face 

 of the earth that even in the day time the stars appeared 

 plain in the element, for this eclipse began about nine of 

 the clock in the morning (Holinshed; M. of W.). 



1193 Great famine (Dugdale). 



One standard of weight and measure ordained through- 

 out the whole realm of England (M. of W.}. 



1194 One night in January, about the first watch, the north- 

 west side of the element appeared of such a ruddy 

 colour as though it had burned without any clouds or 

 other darkness to cover it, so that the stars shined through 

 that redness, and might be very well discerned. Divers 

 bright streaks appeared to flash upwards now and then 

 dividing the redness, through which the stars seemed to 

 be of a bright sanguine colour. In February next, en- 

 suing, one night after midnight the like wonder was seen. 

 On November 2, a little before break of day, the like 

 thing appeared again (Holinshed). 



Great dearth (Townsend). 



The price set upon a bull was four shillings, a cow the 

 same, a plough-horse the same, a sheep with fine wool 

 tenpence, with coarse wool sixpence, a sow twelvepence, 

 and a boar twelvepence (Roger de Hoveden). 



1195 Great dearth (Townsend). 



