THIRTEENTH CENTURY 37 



The fruit was supplied to Edward I. at Newcastle, York, 

 Pontefract, Berwick, and various places in the North. This 

 date was the commencement of the wars with Scotland, at the 

 time of Bruce and Baliol, when Edward held his Parliament 

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

 that such great events should be the means of reveahng the 

 names of the best-known pears of the period. There are still 

 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 3s. per hundred, but some- 

 times 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 " Martins " are also mentioned, 

 all these four sorts being also found in the Earl of Lincoln's 

 accounts, the prices varying from 4s. 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 " coster- 

 monger," 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.^ 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."^ 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 pa5nTient of two hundred 

 Pearmains and four hogsheads (modios) of wine, made of Pear- 

 mains, into the Exchequer, on the feast of St. Michael yearly.* 



^ Pipe Roll (printed 1884, vol. i.), 5 Henry II., 3s. for chestnuts 

 (" castaxiear ") sent to the Queen at Salisbury. 



2 Thorold Rogers, History of Agricultural Prices. 



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

 made." 



* Blomefield, Hist, of Norfolk, vol. v., p. 1378, ed. 1775. 



