MOXASTIC GARDEXIXG. 9 



his " famulus " to assist in the work, and was also allowed to 

 employ labourers, and money was forthcoming for their payment 

 from the rent of some small piece of land, or some tenements 

 which belonged to the office. At Ramsey Abbey * there were 

 two "famuli"' in the garden, and their payment (circ. 1170 a.d.) 

 was '' to each of them fourteen loaves," and two acres of 

 land.t But in spite of various small rents and money received 

 from the surplus garden produce, or grain grown on the lands 

 belonging to the garden office, the accounts do not ahvays show a 

 balance on the right side, and the receipts not infrequently 

 failed to cover the expenses. 



In early times the monks seem to have worked better, or 

 at any rate managed more carefully, for the garden paid its 

 expenses; but at Norwich as the 3'ears went on, the office got 

 more and more into debt. In 1429 " the expenses exceed the 

 receipts, ;£'8. 2s. S^d.;" in 1431 there is a deficit of /'13. i6s. 8fd. 

 Then a new plan began, and the garden was let to a certain 

 William Draper, who paid 40s. for the farm of it : % this state of 

 things continued to the end of the period covered by these 

 accounts. The following are transcriptions of some of the rolls, 

 the greater part are translated from the Latin but the words in 

 quotation marks are spelt as they occur in the originals. 



The earliest roll, a.d. 1340, is here given complete. 



Account of brother Peter di Donewich of the garden in the 14th year of 

 Dan WilHam di Claxton Prior. 



Receipts — • 



Remainder of preceeding account, 73s. Sd. 



Of rent of assize that is to say from Adam Gilbirt now holding one shop 

 in Nedle rowe, i8d. — of "fagot" branches and roots, 2Ss. 22d. — of 

 rods [of] " osiers," 13s. 4d.— of timber " Stamholt and wrong," gs. 8d. 

 — of hay, 36s. lod. — of beans, I5d. — of herbs, 13d. — of garlick, iid. — of 



'"* Cart II hi rill III Moiiastcrii de Rameseia, Wm. Hart. List of Monastic 

 officers. 



f At Durham monastery the payment was to " Robert Kyrvour, ortulanus, 

 per annum 5s.," together with a few other small payments amounting to about 

 another 5s. (Surtees Society.) 



X Examples of the entries: — 

 1471. Receipts " F"rom the great garden demised to John Plomer for the term 



of 20 years this being the sixth, 25s." 

 1487. " From Robert Castyr for the farm of the great garden, demised to him 

 for the term of 10 }ears this being the second, 26s. 8d." 



