Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/290

 23S THE ALIEN PRIORIES IX THE ISEE OF WIGHT. Professor Rogers remarks^ on the difHcuUv aHecting an inquiry into the price of ^vool in the tliirtecntli and four- teenth centuries, from the extraordinary variations in tlic number of pounds contained in the pcfra, or sfofie. lie speaks of no less than tliirteen of these variations, aiul in some cases two or even three recognised in the same locahty, r. y,, a petra of 71b., 14 1b., and 1(J lb. used at Gamlingay. In this case, at least at Appuldurcombe, we can determine the ^Yeight of the petra with tolerable accuracy. The return specifies that 10 petric go to ix pisa. iSow a ]>isa was half a sack ; and if wc regard the sack as containing .'52 cloves, or r>n4 lb., the petra would amount to one thirty-second part, or 11^ lb. Poultry is found only at St. Helens and Appuldurcombe — 10 ducks and 12 chicken at the former, and SO chicken at the latter, all at Id. a head ; about the u.-^ual price at the period of which we are speaking. Turning now to agricultural produce, we find the entire return amounting to 21G. quarters of wheat, 107 of barle}-, 59 of oats, and 20 of drage, a grain pronounced by Pro- fessor Kogers to be " clearly of the same character with barley, and frequently malted." The year of the return •was one in which " prices had fallen considerably' ; but "wheat was uniforndy dear, barle}' a little below the projior- tion, and drage still less ; oats rather cheap." ® Tlic prices in the Lsle of ^Vight arc somewhat lower than the averages given by Rogers : — wheat, O.v, average 6s. 9(/. ; barley, 4.9., average As. Ad. ; oats, 2.v., average 2s. 4.^^/. ; drage, 3.v., average 3*. 2^d. There are returns of two pounils of malt, " braseum," and *' cur.sal, or " scurril- braseum," of inferior grain. The better kind was priced at •l.v. at Cari.sbrooke, and G.v. at Appuldurcombe ; the average for the year being 7v. 1 i{^/., and tlic iiifcrioi-, 2.v. Its bad- ness may bo inferred from its falling so much short of the average — 55. 3'^d. The only other aitieles of agrieullural produce occurring in the inventor}' aie sides of bacon, " l»acon(s, of which wo liavc 7 at Cari.sljrookc, valued at 2v. each. " (juia debiles ; " cheese, two " pondera," /. ' ., vcys of 2cv(, at the same I'riory, jtriced together at IGv.- below the average of ' Hwt of I'ricv«, i. I.. 3(17. " ll<id i. i<. ]'J2.