6 STAG-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 



Edward is too often blamed for his large expenditure on 

 horses, but it is forgotten that his mighty conflict with the 

 hosts of France, his contests of chivalry, his ' hastiludes ' 

 and military Orders, which largely operated to ensure his 

 victories, entailed an enormous and special provision for 

 breeding studs, large sums for purchase money, and a great 

 array of persons employed in the business. With the very 

 beginning of this work the de Brocas ' were concerned. 

 Sir John superintended it for a great part of his life, and 

 when the great war seemed to be over, it was to him and 

 to William of Wykeham that the King entrusted the sale 

 and breaking up of the war establishment. In the long 

 lists which occur in the Exchequer Accounts of the Ward- 

 robe of numerous classes of horses belonging to the King 

 — coursers, palfreys, trotters, hobbies, genets, hengests, 

 and somers — the ' dextrarii ' or ' great horses ' received 

 most attention. Provision was made for 102 of their 

 housings out of 441 ells of canvas and 360 ells of cloth, 

 which was to come from Candlewyk Street in London. 

 The boundary between the great cavalry establishments 

 was formed by the Trent, the division to the north of 

 this river having its separate ' custos ' under the Master of 

 the Horse. The studs were distributed among the King's 

 manors, such as Windsor, Guildford, Odiham, Woodstock, 

 and Waltham. The due proportion of expense necessary 

 for corn, shoeing, litter, headstalls and bridles was borne 

 by the sheriffs of the various counties. The keep of thirty 

 horses by one of these sheriffs for sixty days in the year 1338 

 amounted to 40?. 12s. GcZ., or about h\d. per horse per day, while 

 the keep of a hound cost \d. per day. Special provision was 

 made for a tunic of blue and a cape of white Brussels cloth 

 as the attire of ' John Brocaz,' styled in these records 



' The deeds show that the ' de ' before Brocas is gradually dropjoed as the 

 family begin to acquire lands in England. 



