34 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 



Ely long continued to be famous for its grapes. From 

 time to time, when the manors were in the King's hands, during 

 some interregnum caused by the death of the Bishop, the 

 papers relative to the administration of the lands give evidence 

 of the vineyards as well as of the orchards and gardens belong- 

 ing to the See, from which a profit was derived. 1 The chief 

 entries refer to the " herbage of the garden," " apples," 

 " pears," and nuts sold, also hemp and reeds. The farm of the 

 " rosery " often occurs, but the word is disappointing ; and it 

 stands for " roseria," " rosar," or bed for reeds or rushes, at 

 places in the Fens. 2 



In the " Bailiwick of Cambridge, except the island," and 

 at Somersham Manor, there were vineyards which yielded 

 grapes, but the principal one was at Ely itself. In 1298 as 

 much as twenty-seven gallons of verjuice, " viridi succo," 

 from the grapes, were sold ; and the next year, twenty-one 

 gallons. 



The entry runs thus : 



" And of 109s. 8d. of pasture and herbage sold in the vine- 

 yard and elsewhere in divers places in the summer. And of 

 25s. 3d. of fruit in two gardens and the vineyard, besides 

 the grapes, with 21 gallons of verjuice sold. And of £10 for 

 9! butts of wine sold, of the remainder of the preceding 

 year." 



From another passage in 1302 it appears that cherries were 

 the other fruit, besides the grapes, which grew in the vineyard, 3 

 and also we find in the same year the charges for the livery 



1 Exchequer Q. R., Bishops' Temporalities, |-| ; and Ministers' 

 Accounts, -l- 1 ^ 2 - (Record Office). 



2 " Litilport 40s. of yearly rent of the ' Roseria ' at the Annuncia- 

 tion," a.d. 1302. Du Cange Glossarium " Roseria " =French Roseau = 

 Arundo, Juncus. The old French word was rosQre — " lieu rempli de 

 roseaux." The following are examples of the entries of most of the 

 manors : 



1286. Downham. 9s. of apples and nuts sold there. 



1286. Littlelburi. 7s. 2d. of apples and pears sold there during the 



same time. 

 1286. Derham. 15s. of apples sold there. 

 1298. Feltevelle. 55s. gd. of herbage and fruit of the garden and 



pasture sold. 



3 " Of 2od. from cherries in the vineyard sold." 



