90 
A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 
It was a profitable crop, and Tusser, who lived in the Eastern 
counties, warns the husbandman not to forget it: 
“ Pare saffron plot, 
Forget it not; 
His dwelling made trim, 
look shortly for him. 
When harvest is gone 
then saffron comes on ; 
A little of ground 
brings saffron a pound.” 1 
The work in gardens of all sizes seems to have been superin¬ 
tended by one head-gardener, who had the charge of the buying 
and selling and planting of the garden-stuff; but the actual 
manual cultivation was done by labourers hired by the day, 
and not by a permanent staff. The post of head-gardener in 
any of the royal gardens was quite an important position. 
The wages were from about £12 per annum, and all the money 
for the payment of labourers passed through the head-gardener’s 
hands. 2 The labourers received 6d., 4d., or 3d. a day, or even 
2d. a day if they were given food. 3 The weeding was usually 
done by women, and 3d. or 2d. a day was the ordinary wage. 4 
1 Five Hundred Pointes of Goode Husbandrie —August. 
2 1532.—“ Also paid by the hands of the forsaid Edmund Gryff(yn) 
(head-gardener), for digging, gathering, and sorting of the said trees, I2d. 
Also paid to the said Edmund Gryff(yn), for carriage of the forsaid apple 
trees, i5d.” 
3 1530.—“ A gardener at 6d. a day.” 
1530.—“To John Hutton, for making and levelling of beds in the 
king’s new garden, and raking of the same, by the space (of) 12 days at 
4d. a day, 4s.” (Hampton Court Accounts). 
May 8th, 1540.—“ To Claaston, for mowyng of the garden at Hun¬ 
stanton, 2d.” September, 1543.—“ For dyggen in the garden, 4d.” 
December 10th, 1549.—“ 2 ffellowes for helping in the garden for oon 
week, 2S. 6d.” (Le Strange, Household Books). 
1530.—“ Paid to four gardeners for four days—March 18th, 2s. 8d.” 
(A Book of Receipts and Expenses of Cardinal's College, Oxford). 
4 1530.—“ 5 labourers and 15 women weeders in the garden and the 
orchard ” ; again, “ 20 women weeders, 2 labourers, and 2 mowers ”—a 
list of the names of the weeders follows, and the men received 4d. per 
day, the women 3d. (Hampton Court Accounts). 
April 23rd (1530).-—“Paid to two women rooting up unprofitable 
herbs (extirpantibus herbas inutiles) in the garden for three days, i6d.” 
June 6th.—“ Paid to Margaret Hall, cleansing the garden, 3d.” 
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