Draught-horses. Item,

4 male draught-horses brought forward (from last year).
Whence 2 granted by tally to the Reeve of Godney.2 granted by tally to the Cellarer of the Hall at Glastonbury, for the horse-mill.
Total: 4. And none remain.

Young (horses). Item, 6 young horses brought forward.
Whence 2 granted by tally to the Reeve of Pilton.
3 granted by tally to the Reeve of Godney-on the same tally as the draught-horses.
Total: 5. And one young horse remains.

Foals. Item,  1 male foal brought forward. And 1 male foal granted to the Reeve of Godney by above tally also.
Total: 1. And none remain.

Bulls. Item,   received by tally 1 bull, from the Reeve of Meare. And 1 bull remains.

Oxen. Item,   17 oxen brought forward from last year . 1 ox received as heriot of Alice Batecock. 1 ox received as heriot of Walter Hugun. 1 from the lower age-group.
Total (in hand) 20.

Whence 2 granted by tally to the Reeve of Sowy.
Total: 2. And 18 oxen remain.

Cows. Item,  5 cows brought forward.
1 cow received before calving, from the Reeve of Godney.
6 cows from the lower age group.
Total 12.

Whence 2 granted at Michaelmas to the Lardarium at Glastonbury.
Total: 2. And 10 cows remain.

The above preserves something of the original layout of the stock account. It continues with the class called "Bullocks" - which turns out to include heifers as well: 8 "bullocks" "of which two are male", including one young bull (a stud animal ?), brought forward from last year; the young bull is sold (8s. 8d.), 6 move up into the cow-group, and one into the draught-oxen, as already shown ; so none remain in this group. The next age-group is the calves: 11 brought forward "born of as many cows this year and no more for that one of the younger cows did not calve" (i.e., 11 out of the 12 cows noted above), of which 1 was paid to the church as tithe, 5 became veal for my Lord Abbot's visit, leaving 5 calves in hand "of which 4 are male".

The pigs come next, divided into a hierarchy of ages. First are the 18 pigs from last year, "of which one is the boar", to which are added 8 from the next lower age-group : total 26; of these 14 are granted to the Lardarium at Glastonbury, leaving 12 including the boar. 2 sows are brought forward from last year, and are "in hand" with no change. Next come the "hoggs"; 8 brought forward from last year have all been moved up and counted in with the pigs above; while there are in hand 13 "hoggs which were hoggetts last year". Then come this year's "hoggetts" (now a sheep, then a pig: we wonder when this change took place ?) : "received 7 hoggetts remaining as piglets from last year; total 7; and there remain 7 hoggetts". Finally, the piglets :

"Item received 7 piglets born of one sow in the month of February. And 6 piglets born of one sow in the month of April. And 16 piglets born of 2 sows in the month of September.

Total 27.
Whence in tithe, 3. Died. 2 of the last litter. Total 5.
    And there remain 22 hoggetts and piglets".

Presumably the piglets of the first litters had reached hoggett age when the account was drawn up.

The sheep form a complex group. 162 were brought forward from last year. Some more came from the Reeve of Batecombe; some died before and some after shearing, some were sold, and there were a mysterious 11 sheep "deficient" -"For which 11 sheep the Reeve is answerable". Ultimately, 219 sheep were shorn, yielding "20 stones and a half and 1 lb., with broken wool"; and 190 remained in hand, at the time of the account.

The remaining livestock on the demesne, comprised geese: 2 pairs, 4 more purchased, and 20 goslings; capons - which rather like the "bullocks" seem to include pullets - of which some were bought for 1d. each, and some sold for 3d. each. Hens follow, 120 being acquired in payment of Churchscot, and all disposed of in various ways. Pullets: 40 are purchased and are accounted for by "being fattened for eating with the capons, above". Lastly, the heading "Doves", but no entry. The dovecot is rented out.

Wool yields count as part of the stock-and-crop account, and are divided into fleeces, wool fells (skin plus fleece), shorn skins, leather, and broken wool or wool-locks. A little was sold, for 8s. 2½d., but most was despatched to Brother John de Cary, Cellarer of Glastonbury. Sundry other items included wax, eggs, cider, linseed and flax, cheese, butter, malt, offals of oxen, pigs and sheep. A summary of "dead stock" includes some of the furniture in the hall : 2 table-boards with 8 pairs of trestles; 2 tables; 1 "dresser" ; a screen, a basin, and various cooking and brewing vessels; 5 benches; and tools probably kept around the manor house, ranging from carts down to "4 iron spades. ..2 iron cross-hoes. ..and 1 straw seed-basket". All this stock and equipment was that on the lord's demesne. The villagers' own stock and equipment was not accountable.

The growing of the arable crops was also highly organised. Detailed accounts are kept of the kind of crop, where each was sown, how much was sown, and the yield. The crops are divided into wheat, chaff (not just husks, but the lowest grade of - just - edible wheat "sweepings"), "brotcorn" (? rye), barley, oats and "lesser oats" - probably the equivalent of wheat chaff. These crops were released by tally for various purposes: "mixed grain granted to the servants"; "1 bushel of barley in keeping apart and feeding 5 pigs in winter"; "for feeding the horses of the Seneschal and Cellarer for the tourns held at Michaelmas and Hock quarters". The tourns were the courts held at the Manor House. An enormous amount goes, at the end of the year, to the granary at Glastonbury, and allowances are also made to the Hayward, two drovers, and the shepherd. Only 4s. 10d. worth is actually sold for cash.

One further section which merits a note is that devoted to the mill. This is held on a lease from the lord of the manor, by the villagers, for a rent of £8 p.a. It would seem to have been sub-let by, or worked for, them so that they had control of it and were not at the mercy of a "lord's miller" who could virtually charge them what he liked for his services.

In conclusion, at the time of this manorial account, Edward III was on the throne and the Hundred Years' War was in progress. The Black Death, which is reputed to have radically changed the manorial system, was still four years in the future; and the villeins of the manor of Wrington seemed to be enjoying a fairly high standard of living for their time.

1491-2 ACCOUNT ROLL.

There had obviously been a great crisis in the administration of Wrington in 1491, as an entry (which was crossed out by the auditors) read: "Stephen Hanam late reeve £4 6s. 8d. received above, of Thomas Gillyng late bailiff there, for 52 sheep in all deficient of the same Thomas, and 'sold upon account', the price per head 20d., received" : which tangled allusion to deficiencies and fictitious sales to straighten out the account, is followed by the insertion "And the above William Triwbody, Bailiff and now holding the office of Reeve.'

Exactly what happened we shall probably never know, but it appears that the late reeve and bailiff had hastily disappeared from office, to be replaced by William Triwbody (the miller at Beam Bridge: see paper The Manor and the Manor House) acting in both capacities for the year. The account for 1491-2 is much shorter and less detailed than that of 1343-4, perhaps because of this administrative tangle. It is altogether a simpler document.

There is no mention of the vineyard at Panborough or the deer park at Pilton. Payments to the Lardarium are smaller; dues are still paid in kind, but a greater number are in cash. There are no references to the brethren from Glastonbury passing through or staying a night, except for one entry "For the expenses of the Seneschal, the External Cellarer, the Clerks and others being there for 2 hundred and leet courts, and 4 hallmoot courts, held this year, 63s. 2d. by 4 tallies".

A limited comparison can be made concerning the rise in prices. Annual wages have gone up. In 1491 it cost 10s. p.a., for the Hayward, compared with 6s. 8d. in 1343. In 1343 it cost 6d. to fell a tree and saw it up into planks, whereas in 1491 it cost 6d. "for hiring one man to pull down one broken tree in Blake-more, 8d. for carting the said tree to the court; for cleaving and stripping the
same and carrying it to the kitchen, 6d." Further on there is a now familiar glimpse of how labour costs make even a simple job rise in price :

"For throwing down and turning ( ? sic) one broken tree at Bylme', 16d. For food bought for the men doing it, 8d. For carting the same tree to the Hall, 6d. Item for food bought for the said carters of the tree 6d. For sawing the said tree into planks, as piecework, 11s. For carrying the said planks into the Court, 3d." But the bitter blow for the managerial class comes in the next line, "For supervising everything aforesaid, 1d."

As in the earlier account there are certain items listed as piecework: for cutting furze, 4d.; carting the said furze to Sheppenhay, 6d. (probably bracken for litter in the sheep pens); making a stile, 2d. ; hooks and hinges for the sheep-fold gate, 4½d., and a key for it ½d. And there is an entry "for cleaning out the lord's stable, twice this year, 9d."-which seems a truly Herculean task! A few prices of animals and materials are offered for comparison :

1343                                                 1491
Raw wool, per stone 4s. 8d.             9s. 0d
Corn, 1 bushel               6d.                  7d
Sheep, 1                       10d.        1s. to 1s 8d
Hen, 1                         1½d                  2d

Occupations in the village seem much the same, with the tending of sheep predominating. Sheep are driven from Benanger or Bevanger, and from Glastonbury, to Wrington. The lord's shepherd with two other men drive sheep from Wrington to Mendip; and one man drives sheep from Mendip to Glaston-bury. The shepherd gets 26s. Sd. a year as his stipend, and a bonus of 3s. 4d. "for taking charge of the lord's sheep for a time at Munydepe". Many repairs are made to the sheepfold; hurdles, tar and grease are purchased, and "For one bell purchased for the sheep called Belwether, 2d."

As nowadays, there is evidence of some expansion of the village, particularly near the church! One entry reads "Item, 20d. of increased rent from William son of Richard Gornay for a certain house newly built, together with the garden adjoining, within the outer court of the lord next to the churchyard of the parish church there". Also, an allowance of 30s. "to the Bailiff and the Hayward for that they sufficiently and newly built one tenement in the village there".
John Wastell paid a "new rent" of 2d. for a garden within the manor, on the south side of the demesne grange, while John Roe paid a rent of 12d. "so that he can work the moor outside his tenement". On the other hand there was "Pardoned by the lord to Thomas Aleyn of his rent, for that his tenement has been burnt down by misfortune of fire, 16s. by a letter from the Lord".

This, then, is a sidelight on Wrington in the year in which Henry VII was on the throne, Perkin Warbeck was in the southwest claiming his "royal inheritance" -and Columbus reached the West Indies.

MRS. M. GAY AND MR. K. G. RITHERDON.