A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



The ' chamber over the great parlour ' contained the following articles, 

 valued at ^^5 loj. : — Table with frame, two chairs, bench-board, form, four 

 stools, standing bed with bedding and curtains, one trundle and one frame 

 bed, little table with three cushions. The ' room over kitchen ' contained 

 standing bed and bedding, little table, and a low stool, valued at 23J. \d. 

 The ' little loft ' contained board bed and bedding, pillion, and cloaks, with 

 ' other implements,' valued at 13J. \d. The contents of the 'kitchen,' valued 

 at ;^3 5J., were 17 pewters, 6 porringers, 6 saucers, 14 candlesticks, 4 brass 

 kettles, and other implements. In the ' great parlour,' besides the furniture 

 already mentioned, was a quantity of linen, assessed at £,b, including 3 pair 

 sheets, 10 towels, 8 boardcloths [table-cloths], 2| doz. napkins, 10 pillow- 

 cases, I face-cloth. The deceased's wearing apparel was valued at ^3 6j. %d. 

 Among the stock were 4 sows and 3 bullocks valued together at ^10 ; pair 

 of steers, ^4 loj. ; and 75 sheep and lambs, ^(^16."° 



Two wills dealing with women's wardrobes may be mentioned. In 1631 

 Ursula Rainols specially bequeaths her best petticoat, her ' carsie ' [kersey] 

 gown and cloak, green Penistone petticoat, red shag petticoat, 'worst' petticoat, 

 and old red petticoat, and a stock of bees. But Frances Dobson's will, made 

 at Luton in 1680, is a very mine of riches. The multitudinous jewellery, 

 in the form of rings — with death's heads in some of them — seals, &c., we 

 will leave out. What interest us more are the other bequests, such as — her 

 best Bible, with the box it is in ; little book called Christian Pattern ; 

 ' Doctor Frank's Sermons ' ; Doctor Hamaris Practical! Chatikism ; besides 

 all her books, unnamed. She had a wealth of fine flaxen sheets and pillow- 

 bears, fine holland pillowbears, fine hoUand tablecloth, with eleven napkins, 

 feather bed and blankets, bedstead with curtains and valence, and carpets of 

 purple cloth. Her servants were to have all her working-day clothes of 

 woollen or stuff, and (presumably each servant) three of her strongest ' stiffs ' 

 and aprons, and three of every sort of her ordinary wearing linen, and also 

 a pair of coarse sheets. Her choicer raiment included best cloth gown, 

 best red petticoat, wearing linen, fine aprons, feather fan ' out of fashion but 

 to be kept for the sake of the silver handle,' tabby petticoat, and mantle with 

 silver clasps. It is noteworthy that there is no express mention of any silken 

 fabric ; though carpets were then in use as luxuries for ladies' rooms, it is 

 possible that the ' carpets of purple cloth ' here mentioned are bed or table 

 covers, the word ' carpet ' being used in that sense for some time after the 

 date of this will. The books named are not without interest. We have 

 not been able to identify ' the little book called Christian Pattern ' ; but 

 the two others are well known, and suggest Episcopalian and Royalist proclivi- 

 ties on the part of the possessor. 



An inventory"^ made in 1656 of a farm at Arlesey is especially inter- 

 esting as giving not merely prices of stock, &c., as the other inventories 

 quoted do, but also the estimated value of the labour that had been expended 

 on the land just previous to the making of the inventory. Thus we have : 

 Carting 165 loads of dung upon 13a. 3r. at 6d., £,\ is. 6d. ; ditto, 100 loads 

 on two dunghills, £z los. Ploughing : 9 acres fallowed, 82 stirred and 



^^Beds. N. and Q. iii, 276. 



"' For this inventory we are indebted to the courtesy of the present possessor, Mr. William Ell, of 

 Goldington. 



94 



