GLOSSARY AND INDEX OF COMMODITIES
References in Roman numerals are to pages in the introduction; all
other references are to serial numbers in the text. All the commodities
in the text are listed below and the English (unless identical with the
modern form), Latin or French spelling of the MS is given in round
brackets. A reference is provided to each entry for a commodity, with
the exception of a few very common commodities, e.g. woollen cloth,
for which the first six references only are given. Descriptions are provided of the less familiar commodities and weights and measures. The
following books have been especially useful in supplementing the
Oxford English Dictionary:
S. W. Beck, The Draper's Dictionary (1886)
Claude Blair, European Armour circa 1066 to circa 1700 (1953)
E. M. Carus-Wilson (ed.), The Overseas Trade of Bristol in the later
Middle Ages (1937)
H. Hall and F. J. Nicholas (eds.), 'The Noumbre of Weyghtes' in
Select Tracts and Table Books Relating to English Weights and
Measures, 1100–1742 (Camden Society, 3rd series, xli, 1929)
E. M. Veale, The English Fur Trade in the later Middle Ages
(Oxford, 1966)
T. S. Willan (ed.), A Tudor Book of Rates (1962)
R. E. Zupko, A Dictionary of Weights and Measures for the British
Isles: the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century (American
Philosophical Society, 1985)
Aglets (auglett'), metallic tags, pendents
or spangles, 100, 176, 184; see also
girdles
agnus dei, ?badges with the figure of a
lamb bearing a cross or flag, an
emblem of Jesus, of latten (latonis), 46
almonds, 156
aloes, used as a purgative, 156
alum (alom'), chiefly used as a mordant in
dyeing, 12, 16, 43, 184, 200
amber (ambr'), 35, 169–70, 185, 197
aniseed (agnes sede), 20
annulets (annelettez), small rings, 28, 56,
89, 94
Anthony's bells (Anthoni bell'), 178
anvils (andfeldum), 45
apes (cimie), 156
apples (poma, pomes), 46, 70, 99, 156
aprons, mail (mayle), 114; see also faulds
archers' sallets (salett' archers), 102, 134;
see also sallets
arm plates (arme plat'), 114
armour
see aprons, archers' sallets, armour
for a horse's neck, arm plates, bevors,
brace, breastplates, breeches, brigan-
dines, chamfron, corslets, cuirasses,
falls, faulds, flanchards, flaps, gard-
braces, gauntlets, gorgets, gussets,
habergeons, harness, helmets, hoods
of mail, leg-harness, mails, plates for
horses' heads, rests, sallets, shoulder-
plates, skulls, sleeves of mail, splints,
steel bonnets, vambraces, visors
armour for a horse's neck (armour' for an
hors nek), 93
Arras cloth, imitation (counterfet Araas),
28
arrow-root (cowe and calfe), 26, 96
ashes (cineres), wood-ashes for making
lye, the alkalised water used in cloth
manufacture, 1, 13, 32, 40, 88, 106,
114–15, 117, 120–2, 125, 127, 137, 141,
143, 169–71, 182, 197, 202, 204, 206,
212–13; see also pot ashes
awl blades (alblad', alleblad', alle bladys),
24, 30, 37, 60, 139, 147, 181, 184
awl hafts (allehaft', alhaft'), handles of
awls, 91, 181
axes, coopers' (couper axes), 205
Backs, ? metal backs for hearths, 183
bacon (bakon, baconus), 220, 266, 305,
354, 374, 408, 424, 454, 472, 474, 508,
571, 575
bags (bagg', bag'), 1, 26, 30, 38, 94, 96,
100, 102, 139, 174, 181, 183–4, 186; for
children (pro pueris), 1
bag rings (bag reng', ryng'), 1, 26, 102,
174, 18–4
balances (balanc'), 24–5, 30, 70, 94, 181–2,
184, 186; latten (latonis), 79
balls (pile), probably tennis balls, 5, 9, 11,
23, 25, 60, 68, 82, 84–6, 92, 95–7, 100,
138, 140, 143, 147, 159, 172, 178–9,
187; see also chasing balls
band, a weight for iron, 24 stone in 1600
(Zupko)
barbers' stones (barbour stonys), 46
barley (ordeum), 61
barrel, a cask and a measure of capacity,
varying with the commodity, e.g. 8
barrels of wine and oil to the tun, 12
barrels of herring to the last
basan leather (basen ledd'), lower quality
leather made from sheepskin, 103,
147, 182
'bascheron' (basskeron), a measure
(amount unknown) of battery (q.v.)
basins (basyns, bason), 90, 94, 121, 368,
527; barbers' (barbours), 90; 'bottom
of a basyn', 82; brass (enea), 508; lat-
ten (latonis), 23
bast ropes (bast ropis), made from the
inner bark of the lime tree, 169–70
battery (battry), articles of metal wrought
by hammering, basins, kettles, etc., 1,
10, 33–5, 37, 59, 77–8, 90, 94–5, 97,
100, 117, 134, 139, 147, 150–1, 154,
159, 181, 183, 189, 204, 206–8, 211,
237
baudekin (bawdkyn', bawdekyns), a rich
embroidered silk cloth, 33, 184, 190
bays, bay berries, fruit of the laurel or bay-
tree, 107, 111, 116
beads (bed', bedys'), 114, 139, 152, 156,
181, 190; black (blak), 180; bone, 94,
139; boxwood (box), 27, 30, 33, 183–4;
coral (corall'), 156; glass (glas, glas-
sez), 17, 23, 25, 27, 33, 94, 147, 153,
156, 162, 178, 181–2; jet (cole, kole),
23, 27, 33, 82, 91–2, 181, 207; red, 94;
wooden (treen, lignea), 17, 20, 23–4,
37, 90, 93, 139, 153, 165, 178; see also
mistletoe beads
bead-stones (bedeston'), ?beads for
rosaries, 147
bead strings (bede stryng'), 1
beaver skins (bevirs), 190
beaver wombs (bevir wombys), beaver
skins from the belly, 170
beer, (beir', beyr), 169–70, 222, 225, 243,
291, 298, 301, 305, 312, 342, 349, 354–
5, 385, 421, 454, 478, 512, 516, 536,
541, 546, 550–1, 553, 557, 561, 577,
582, 586, 594–5
bellows (belowes), 588
bells (bell'), 17, 24, 46, 56, 139, 153, 174,
180–1, 184–5; brass (campana enea),
475, 560; latten (latonis), 24, 114;
sheep's (ovium, shepis), 178, 184; see
also Anthony's bells, sacring-bells
bench-covers (banker'), 139, 290, 567
bevors, plate (bavers plate), plate defence
for the chin and neck, 114, 139
bills (billes), long-handled weapons, 117
bits (bytf, bittes, bittez), 2, 30, 56, 82, 117,
197; horse bits, 207
'blowers', bellows, 170
blowing horns (blowyng horns), 587
boards (bord'), between which shanks
(q.v.) were packed, four skins at a
time
boards for shoemakers (ligna pro
sutoribus), 10, 169–70, 206
bocals (bocal'), glass bottles or jugs with
short wide necks, 156
bocasin (bocarsyn'), a cotton fabric of the
fustian type, 134
bodkins (botkyns, botkins), 25, 56, 94, 184
bolsters (bolstr'), 183
'bolt wombs', fur of, 204
bonnets (caleptra, bonnet'), 93–4, 121,
498, 506, 508, 527, 542; double
(dupl', dowble), 121, 205; half grain
(dimidium granum), dyed partly with
grain (q.v.), 227; scarlet, 166; single,
121, 205, 290; without grain (sine
grano), 227; see also steel bonnets
books (libri), xxxvi, 1, 139, 156; painted
(depicti), 178; see also histories,
printed books
boots of calaber fur (boot' de calabre fur-
res), 30
borax (borace), 156
bord Alexander (bord' Alisaundr',
Alasaundr', Alizandr'), a rich striped
silk originally from Alexandria, 2, 93,
141
bottles (bottell'), glass (glasse), 96, 114,
178; pint (pynt'), 23; tin (tyn'), 147;
see also wicker bottles
bowls, round maple (ciphi maple rotundi),
212
bowstaves (bowstav', boustaves, bow-
stawes), 15, 16, 32, 59, 77, 156, 169–
70, 197, 200
boxes, 94, 139
Brabant linen cloth (telum lineum
Braband'), 1, 9, 17, 21, 23–4, 26, 30,
33–5, 82, 91, 120–1, 134, 139, 144, 165,
173, 177–9, 181, 184, 186, 189, 196,
205; raw (rawe), 121
Brabant stones (brabanstone), ? floor tiles,
179
brace (brac'), a measure of length, about
64 inches
brace, mail (brace' mayle), complete
armour for the arm, 114
brass (eneus), 311
brazil (brasill'), a red wood of the Sappan
tree from which dye was obtained, 156
breastplates (brest plate), 58, 114, 187
breeches of mail (brechis mayle), 196
bricks (breke), 148
brigandines (brigandynes, brigandeyns),
body armour composed of iron rings
or small iron plates, sewed upon can-
vas, linen or leather, 15, 93, 114, 129–
30, 139, 196; see also nails, brigandine
bristles (bristell'), 17, 25–6, 33, 117, 178–
81, 183
brooches (broches, brochis), 23, 165;
brooch pins (spang' tong'), 174
brooms (bromes), 23
Bruges thread (filum Brug'), 184
Brunswick linen cloth (telum lineum
Browneswyche, Browneswyk',
Browneswiche), 10, 184, 190
brushes (broosh', brusches, brusshes, brus-
shis), 4, 23, 26, 34, 46, 60, 85, 87, 93,
96, 103, 130, 144, 153, 172, 178–82,
184, 187, 205, 208; flax (flex), 94, 139,
174, 181; hair (here), 176, 190; stable
(casch', craissh, crasche, cressh'), 26,
35, 56, 94, 147, 180; weavers' (wevir'),
93
Brussels leather (Brusell' leddir), 106
Brussels linen cloth (telum lineum Brus-
sell'), 35, 37, 174, 181, 183
buck skins (buk pelles), 169–70
buckets (bokett'), 113
buckles (bokles), 2, 37, 40, 45, 94, 114,
174, 180, 184; hose (calege bokles),
189; latten (latonis), 1, 26, 28, 34, 96,
100, 114, 183
buckram (bokeram, bokram, bukram),
could either be a coarse stiff linen or a
fine one, 34, 45, 95, 103, 121, 134, 141,
156, 159, 183–4; of Constance
(custans), 159; see also treillis
budge skins (pelles bogy), lambskins
imported from north Africa and
southern Europe, 30, 35, 134, 139,
174, 181, 189; Spanish (Spaynyssh'),
174; see also shanks
bullions (bullyons), knobs or bosses of
metal, 58
Burgundy cloth (burgeis, borgoyn), 177
busk (buske), a coarse linen used for lining
and stiffening, 24, 26, 28, 33, 35, 37,
56, 77–8, 94–5, 97, 114, 138, 159, 177,
181, 183, 187; white (album), 35
butter (butirum), 298, 305, 349, 454–5,
541, 561
buttons (botons), 20, 103
C (centum, centena, centenarium)
-, (a) a measure of weight, either decimal
or the hundred-weight of 112 lbs. For
'great wares', i.e. woad, madder,
alum, wax, dates, soap, copper, pew-
ter, etc., C. was equal to 112 lbs. For
'subtle wares', i.e. pepper and other
spices, Spanish grain, etc., C. was
equal to 100 lbs.
-, (b) a measure of number varying with
the commodity. The 'long hundred' of
120 was used for stockfish, eels, and
most other fish, and certain other com-
modities such as bowstaves and rabbit-
skins. For certain linen cloths, e.g.
Herford and Osnabruck, C. appears to
equal 200 ells (q.v.) in this account.
The 'short hundred' (100) was used
for Holland and some other varieties
of linen and many small manufactures.
The 'great C' of clapholt contained 24
'short hundreds'
cable, ship's (cabill' navis), 99
caddis (cadas, cades), a worsted yarn, 56,
94; coarse (cors'), 174, 184
caddis webs (cadas webbes), worsted tape,
139
Caen-stone (canestone), building stone
from Caen in Normandy, 70, 80
calaber furs (calabr'), squirrel skins, orig-
inally from Calabria, S. Italy, but later
from other parts of southern and
central Europe, 37, 184, 186–7, 189,
192; wombs (wombes), belly fur, 189;
see also boots
calamine (calmyn'), zinc ore for use in
making brass alloy, xxxv, 30, 82
cade, a cask of herring holding five long
hundreds (600), twenty to the last
(q.v.)
calfskins (pelles vitulorum), 487; tanned
(tanette), 250, 256, 262, 310, 332, 489,
495, 588
camlet (chamelott', chamelet), a long-
haired cloth made of such materials as
camel and goat hair, 33, 121, 156;
long, 156; short coarse, 156
candles (candele), 220, 225, 237, 243, 266,
277, 279, 293, 295, 298, 302, 305, 312–
13, 317, 332, 342, 344, 354–6, 360, 385,
404, 423–4, 454, 478, 504, 508, 516,
527, 538, 542, 548, 551, 553, 557, 561,
594
candles, pipes for (pipes pro candels, can-
dell' pipes), 139, 178, 184; see also
candlesticks
candle-snuffers (candell' snoffers), 122,
139, 176, 184; see also snuffers
candlesticks (candelstykk', candylstick',
candelstikk', candelabrum), 25, 93,
121, 135, 139, 159, 183, 368, 467;
brass, 527; 'iron stickyng', 33; tin
(tyn), 35; wire (wyron), 174
candle-wick (candellweke, candelewek,
candelwyk), 35, 159, 168–70, 181, 197,
204; candle yarn (candell' yern') 184
cans (cannys), 170
canvas (canvas, kanvas), 4, 32, 45, 70, 89,
93–4, 159, 166, 179, 182, 184, 206; bar-
ras (barowe), coarse linen cloth
imported from Holland, 95, 183;
Brabant (braban'), 94; Burgundy
(burgon'), 186; spruce (sprewes), of
Prussia, 32, 169–70
canvas linen cloth (telum lineum canvas),
4, 29
caps (cappis, capelle), 34, 157; double,
with double turn-ups or facings, 34,
93, 103; single, 34, 93, 103; worsted,
205
capers (capres), 156
card-boards (carde bord'), boards for
wool-cards (q.v.), 23
card heads (card hed), 157
cards
see wool-cards
carpets, (carpett'), 156
caskets (caskett', kaskett', kark'), 26, 30,
33, 40, 93–4, 106, 117, 120, 147, 152,
174
cassia fistula (casa fistola), a laxative
derived from senna leaves and cassia
pods, 156
cats fur (catte furr'), 28; wild (furres wild
catt'), 139
cat-skins (pelles mureligorum), 454, 504–5,
508
chafing-dishes (chafyng disshes), 139, 183;
earthen (erthe), 113; latten (latonis),
121
chalcedony (calcedons), a precious (or
semi-precious) stone, with a lustre like
wax, 30, 35, 184–5; imitation (counter-
fet), 27–8, 45, 82, 92, 94, 183, 186
chamfron (chamfre), armour for a horse's
head, 93
chasing balls (chasyng ball'), 27
cheeses (chesis, casei), 205, 225, 237, 243,
266, 290, 298, 305, 308, 312, 349, 508,
541, 544, 550, 561, 565, 574–5; Suffolk
(Suff), 538
chess boards (ches bord'), 27
chess-men (chesmen), 174
chests (cista), 165, 197
cinnamon (cynamonum, canella), 83, 156
citronade (sitrenade, citrenade), candied
citron or orange peel, 156
clapholt (clappholt), small split timber,
usually oak, for barrel-staves or panel-
ling, 32, 168–70, 197
clarions, shrill trumpets, 20
clasps (clapsis, clapsez), 1, 56, 82, 84, 92,
94, 184
clavichord wire (clavicord weir), 174, 185
cloth, woollen (pannus), broadcloth,
standard 1½–2 yds. wide and 24 yds.
long: with broad selvages (largus cum
brode lysts), 435–7, 498, 575, 577; half
grain (de dimidio grano), dyed partly
with the scarlet dye grain, 309, 319,
333–4, 368–594 passim; in grain (in
grano), dyed with grain, 228, 262–3,
309, 315, 319–593 passim; without
grain (sine grano), 69, 216–597 pas-
sim; see also cotton russet, 'forlaken',
frieze, Kendals, Northern, Welsh
straits, worsted
cloths, miscellaneous (panni), 34, 179, 182;
see also painted cloths, stained cloths
cloth of gold, 156
clout (clowt'), a measure of weight, of silk:
4 lbs.; also a piece of cloth containing
a number of pins, needles, etc.
clove, a measure of weight, used for wool:
7 lbs.
cloves (clowes), 156
coal-fish (coll'), allied to cod, 163
cocks, 181
codfish (pisces cod'), 197
codsheads (cod' hed'), 71–2, 74
coffers (cofers, coffers), 20, 25, 30, 32–3,
36, 82, 84, 103, 106, 121, 147, 152,
156, 169–70, 181, 184, 197, 205, 207;
covering of, 487; of cypress (cipres),
156, 184
Cologne thread (filum Col'), a linen yarn
normally dyed blue, 1, 2, 27–8, 30, 33–
7, 54, 56, 58, 77, 94–5, 97, 147, 151,
154, 174, 177, 181, 183, 185, 187, 189;
white and blue (album et blodium), 78
coloquintida (coloquintica), the bitter-
apple used as a purgative, 156
combs (pectina, combys, kombes, kom-
bis), 2, 4, 23, 26, 40, 46, 70, 79, 84,
109–10, 140, 176, 181–2, 184, 191;
ivory (yvery, every), 40, 45, 185;
wooden (treen, ligni), 93, 114, 165; see
also kempsters' combs
compasses, 1, 24, 28, 56, 84, 139, 174, 176,
183–4, 205
confections, mixed drugs or comfits, 156
coopers' irons (couper irons), 103
copper (cuprum, coper), 32, 125–6, 147,
168–70, 185, 311, 324, 356, 544, 581;
beaten (bet), 94; broad (brod), 169;
split (spliter), 169–70, 181, 185, 190
copper gold (coper gold), ?red gold, gold
with a small alloy of copper to enhance
its colour, 26, 92, 94, 100
copper plate (plate coper, cupri), 32, 94,
169–70, 177, 183, 544
copper rolls (roll' coper), 28, 30
copperas (coprose), sulphate of copper
used in dyeing, tanning and making
ink, 10, 13, 125–6, 168, 423
'coppyn' (copin) hats, probably high-
crowned hats of the form of a sugar-
loaf (O.E.D. sub copintank), 17, 23,
27, 30, 84, 89, 91, 94, 96, 144, 179,
181, 184
coral (corall'), 156; white (album), 35; see
also beads
cords (cord'), 120
cordwain (cordewyn'), Spanish leather, 1
cork (corke), 14, 16, 77, 101, 107, 111, 116,
138, 140–1, 165; for slippers, 116
corses (corsys), ribbons or bands used as
girdles; of Oudenarde thread (filum
Outenard'), 58; worsted, 37
corslets (corsett'), light half-armour cover-
ing the upper body, 94, 96, 114
cottons, woollen cloth, 1, 34, 159
cotton russet, cheap woollen cloth, 308,
385, 465, 469–595, passim; see also
Welsh straits
couch-bed (couche bed'), 141
counters (countours), pieces of metal or
other material used in counting or
keeping accounts, 27, 92, 94, 174, 178;
of horn, 178
counters (countours, counters tables),
tables or desks for counting money,
32, 169–70, 172, 177, 185, 197
coverings for pots (couveryng' pro pott'),
33
coverlets (coverlet', coopertoria), 34, 77,
94, 103, 124, 183, 204, 290, 324, 349,
487, 566–7, 574, 576; tapestry (tapstry,
tapserye), 56, 83, 139, 175, 567
cow and calf
see arrow-root
crane, an upright revolving axle with a
horizontal arm, fixed by a fireplace,
for suspending a pot or kettle over the
fire, 56
crocks, earthen (erthen crock'), 163
cropling
see stockfish
crossbows (cros bowes), 25, 184; see also
thread, trusses, windlass
crosses, 139; copper (coper), 147; latten
(latonis), 94; mother of pearl (modir
perle), 174; tin (tynne), 131
crucifixes, 178
cruets (cruett'), small vessels for sacramen-
tal wine, holy water or chrism, 27, 94,
100, 183–4; tin (tyn'), 33
cruses (crusys, cruc'), earthenware pots or
jars, 5, 20–1, 23, 31, 55, 87, 96, 138,
140–1
cuirasses (curas), 93
cupboards (copbord), 93, 135, 147, 172
curtain rings (cortein ryng', curteyn'), 94,
181, 185
curtains (corteyns), 155
cushion-cloths (quisshon clothis, quosshyn
clothis, quoisshon leves), 77, 135, 139,
181, 183
cushions (quysshons, quysshyns, ques-
shons, cusshyns), 139, 141, 324;
leather (leddir), 30, 56, 181, 184;
round, 204; skins for (pelles pro), 181
cypress cloth (cipres), 93
Cyprus kerchiefs (cipers kerchieff'), 156
D, a measure equal to 5 C. (q.v.)
daggers (armicudia), 20, 23, 25, 30, 33, 37,
45–6, 90, 93–4, 103, 106, 117, 121, 139,
152, 171, 174, 176, 183–6; sheaths for,
165
damask (damaske), costly figured silk, 184
dials, sundials, clocks or compasses, 184
dates (dactuli), 12, 156, 198, 203
diaper, a linen cloth, woven with small,
often geometric, patterns, 26, 106,
175, 177, 204; see also napkins, table-
cloths, towels
dicker, a measure of ten, used here for
razors
dishes (dic', dischis, dys), 79; pewter (elec-
tri), 446; wooden (ligni), 588
distaffs (distaves), 23, 178–9; cases for
(cases pro rokk'), 103; coverings for
(coveryng pro distaves), 165
dog-hooks (dogk hok'), 100
dog-stones (dog' stonn', dogstonys), stones
used for millstones, 1, 30–1, 147, 150,
183
dolls
see puppets
Dornick linen cloth (telum lineum
dornyk), a fine linen cloth taking its
name from Doornik in Flanders, 23
dossals (dusshels), ornamental cloths to
cover the backs of chairs, 205
dripping pans (drepyng pann'), 21, 176
Ear-pickers (ere pikers), 184
eels (anguille), the meaning of most of
these varieties is uncertain: dole, 204;
fresh (recences), 49–53; kive (kyve),
49–53, 56, 58–9, 77, 105; pimpernol
(pympernell'), a broad-nosed variety
of the common eel, 49–50, 53, 56, 58,
62, 87; stub (stoble, stuble), 49–51, 53,
56, 58–9, 77, 204
elk skins (elk pelles), 204
ell, a measure of length, 45 inches
enamel (amellum), applied as a decoration
to metal or glass, 156, 162
ermines (ermyns), 169
euphorbium (euforbium), a gum resin used
as an emetic and purgative, 156
ewers (euer, ewours), 121, 368
'Fac', ? fasculum, a small vessel, 178
falls (falles), pointed peaks of helmets,
139; mail (maile), 196
farts of Portugal (fart' de Portingale), light
pastry or sweetmeats, 16
faulds, mail (fold' maile), skirts of metal
hoops, 139; see also aprons, mail
feather-beds (fedyrbedd', fedirbed'), 21,
34, 124, 134, 139, 141, 155, 173, 178,
180–4, 196, 204, 206, 213, 215
feathers (pluma, fethers), 20, 58–9, 125–6,
168, 178, 204, 206; double, 117; for
hats (fethirs pro hatt'), 56; single, 117;
see also ostrich feathers
figs (fygys, fici), 42, 61, 112, 116
files (viles), 156
filings (filyng', fyling'), 27, 30, 34, 40, 82,
86, 93, 118, 122, 147, 179, 208; of iron
(de ferr), 25
fire-irons (feir' yron', fyre irons), 27, 174
fish, salt (pisces salci), 10, 13, 44–5, 50, 55,
57–9, 62, 65–6, 73, 77, 88, 114, 120–3,
128, 132, 134, 142, 147, 167, 199, 213,
285; see also coal-fish, codfish, eels,
gull-fish, haddock, herring, ling,
mackerel, plaice, sprats, staplefish,
stockfish, sturgeon, whiting
fishing hooks (fisshing hokes), 205
flanchards (flancard'), armour for a horse's
flanks, 139, 196; 'falland' flanchards,
159
Flanders lace (Flaundr' lac', lac' Flaun-
dres), 60, 139, 186
Flanders scouring stones (Flaundres
skoryng stone), 68
Flanders tiles (Flaundres tyle), 127
flaps, mail (flappis mail, flappetts), 117
flax (linum), 5, 8, 10–11, 13, 20, 23, 26, 30,
32, 34, 37–8, 68, 77–8, 82–4, 89, 91,
93, 102, 118, 122, 125–6, 134, 138, 140,
143, 147, 155, 163, 165, 168–71, 175–9,
181, 183, 187, 189, 197, 202, 204, 206,
208, 210–13, 215, 447
Flemish linen cloth (telum lineum Fl'), 1,
20, 25–6, 34, 45, 83, 93, 95, 97–8, 106,
135, 156, 174–5, 177–80, 182, 206, 215
flour, 454
flowers of horn and silk (floures de home et
sylk), 45
forcers (focers, forsers), chests or coffers,
20, 26, 56, 103, 152
'forlaken' cloth, made from the first crop
of wool, 125
fother (fodr'), a measure of weight for
lead: 19½ cwt.
fox-skins (pelles vulpium), 398, 419, 424,
454–5, 470, 476, 504–5
frail, a basket made of rushes, that could
generally hold between 30 and 75 lbs.
(Zupko)
frankincense (frank ensence), 156
frieze (fryse, frice), coarse woollen cloth
made especially in Ireland and Wales,
235, 290, 296, 305, 349, 356, 373, 383,
385, 398, 446, 451, 455, 503, 518, 542,
557, 567–70, 574–5, 588; Welsh
(Wall'), 508
frying-pans (frying pann'), 20, 45, 143, 176
full, a measure of kettles, three in 1507
(Gras, 699)
fullers' handles (fullers handl', handles pro
fullers), 20, 45
furs
see beaver, budge, calaber, cat furs,
ermines, grey skins, lamb furs,
leopards' wombs furs, lettice, marten,
miniver, mink, red skins, schönwerk,
shanks, spruce skins, squirrel, white
skins; see also skins
fustian (fustyan), cloth of cotton and flax
made principally in Italy and south
Germany, 28, 30, 33, 35–7, 56, 97,
134, 139, 141, 147, 151, 154, 177, 179,
181, 183–5, 189–90, 206; ? Augsburg
(osborons, osburn), 177–8; Tournai
(Torney), 20; Ulm (hosmys), 177
fustic (fostyk), a wood used for dyeing yel-
low, 20
Galley pots (galy pott'), small earthen
glazed pots used by apothecaries for
ointments or medicines, 544
gardbraces (gard brases, gardebrace'),
reinforcing armour plates on the
shoulder and elbow, 82, 94, 114
garlic (alleum), 9, 11, 20, 55, 63, 85, 89,
209–10
gauntlets (gauntlett'), 139
Gelder linen cloth (telum lineum Gelder),
184
Ghentish Holland cloth (Gent' Hod'), a
linen cloth, 36, 77, 184, 186
Ghentish linen cloth (telum lineum Gen-
tish), 6, 81, 181, 183; coarse, 174
gilt cases, 60
gimlets (gemelott', gemelett'), 46, 174,
181
ginger (gynger, zinziber), 35, 147, 156;
green (viride), 56, 60, 114, 143, 156
gipsers, purses, pouches or wallets sus-
pended from a belt or girdle, 93: with
rings (cum ryng'), 93
girdles (zone), xxxvii, 27, 94, 114, 117, 165,
181, 187; gilt (deaurate), 156; latten
(latonis), 2, 26–7, 35, 56, 94, 120, 147,
165; leather (leddir'), 23, 26, 33, 37,
46, 56, 100, 102, 147; silk (serice), 178;
thread (fili'), 82, 92, 94; wire (weir'),
23–4, 26–8, 37, 82, 94, 140, 174, 183–4,
186; with aglets (cum aglett', auglett'),
100, 174, 184; see also corses
girdle hooks (zone hok'), 140
girth-webs (gerthe webbes), woven
material of which girths are made,
90
glass (vitrum, glasse), 10, 87, 109, 125–6,
131, 141, 159, 166, 178–9
glasses (glassez, vitra), 34–5, 46, 56, 83,
117, 156, 172, 178, 180–3; 'cole', 20;
crystal drinking (drynkyng cristall'),
162; drinking (drynkyng), 21, 23, 35,
94, 156, 173, 176, 178–9; foot (fote),
87, 179; great (magna), 23, 93; table,
215; ivory (yvery), 33; ? pouring
(pere), 91; standing (stondynglassez),
174; see also looking glasses, pots,
'trumpe' glasses
gloves (cirotece), 1, 25–6, 30, 40, 45, 56,
82, 91, 93–4, 114, 117, 120, 147, 166,
174, 183–4, 207, 215
goad, a measure of cloth, 4½ ft.
goatskins (gote pelles), 139, 204
gold, rolls of, 2
gold pipes (gold pippes), tubes or rolls on
which gold thread was wound, 35
gold skins (gold' pelles), 5, 96, 156, 184
gold thread (gold' filum), 184
gold weights (gold weyght'), for weighing
gold, 46, 79; latten (latonis), 46;
wooden (treen), 4
gorgets (gorgett'), collar of armour enclos-
ing the neck and extending down over
the top of the chest and back, 24, 60,
85, 93–4, 106, 114, 117, 121, 139, 159,
196; Dutch (douche), 196; mail
(mayle), 93, 139
grain (granum), scarlet dye for cloth made
from the dried body of the grain-like
insect kermes: of Portugal (Port-
ingale), 16, 201; of Seville (Civile), 12,
37, 198; of Spain (Hispanie), 16, 130,
152, 198, 203
graters, 26, 139, 178, 182
graving hafts (gravynghaft'), handles of
engraving tools, 91
grey skins (pelles grey, greywork), the grey
backs of winter squirrel skins, 1, 34,
146–7, 170, 190, 192, 204; coarse
(cours), 126, 139, 168
griffin's egg (grypes hegg'), 156
gull-fish (gull'), small fish allied to the cod,
128
gum (gumma), 12
gunpowder (gunne poudir), 181
guns (gonnys), 150
gunstones (gonnestones), cannon-balls,
173, 176
gussets (gussett', gossett'), pieces of mail
or plate filling up spaces at the joints in
a suit of armour, 93, 114
Habergeons (habergons, habergens),
sleeveless coats or jackets of mail or
scale armour, 24, 58, 93, 103, 114, 121,
183, 196, 205
haddock, dry (hadd' drie), 160
hafts, 139
Hainault linen cloth (telum lineum Hene-
goys, Henoud', Hennoud', Henogos),
1, 10, 13, 95, 97, 184
hair (here), 2, 37
Hamburg linen cloth (telum lineum Ham-
burgh'), 126
hammers (hamers, mallys), 1, 27, 136
hangers, type of short sword originally
hung from the belt, 46, 176, 187;
blades, 94
Hannovers (hennovers), linen cloth, 13,
34, 125–6, 140, 168, 181, 186–7
hare skins (har' pelles), 146
harness, coarse (cors harneys), ? cheap
armour, 106
harness, complete (complet harneys,
harnes), probably a light half-armour,
(cf. Blair, 118–9), 82, 89, 121, 129, 139
harness barrel (harnes bar'), for storing
armour, 23
harp-strings (harp stryng', harpstring'), 33,
92, 186
hart skinv (hert' pellis), 26
hastrey linen cloth (telum lineum haustr'),
28, 33, 35, 37, 77, 94, 97, 178, 181,
183, 187
hatbands (hatbond'), 26, 82, 100, 185
hats (hatt'), 34, 124, 567; boys' (pro
pueris), 124; children's (childr'), 117;
double (dowble), 117, 124; felt, 23, 26,
63; rolls for, 175; single, 117, 124;
split, 213; see also coppyn, St. Omer,
straw hats
hatters' cards (hatter card', halt' kard'),
instruments for raising a nap on hats,
20, 30, 93, 103, 121, 147
hatters' stocks (hatter stockys), 93
hawks' hoods (hauk' cappis), 174, 184
hearts (hert'), ? heart-shaped ornaments,
26, 94, 185
helmets (helmett'), 85, 114
hemp (canabis), 23, 25–7, 30, 38–9, 45, 60,
68, 77, 82, 84, 86–7, 89, 91, 94, 96,
102, 117, 135, 138–41, 144, 147, 151,
159, 173–4, 176, 178–9, 181, 183–5,
187, 189, 196, 206–7
hens (galline), 156
Herford linen cloth (telum lineum Hert-
ford, Herford, Hereford), 1–3, 7, 22,
30, 58, 77–8, 90, 94–5, 114, 126, 138–
40, 147, 150, 159, 174, 182–5, 187,
189–90, 204, 207
herring (allecium), 9, 55, 59, 62, 68, 73–4,
77, 86–8, 92, 142, 149, 212; red
(rubrum), 368; shotten (shotyn), her-
ring that have spawned, 62; white
(album), 40, 44, 49–50, 56–7, 60, 65,
68, 71–6, 87, 145, 368
histories (historic, istorie), 1, 23, 30, 34–5,
58, 82, 139, 174, 178, 181, 184
hogshead, a measure of capacity for wine
etc.: 63 gallons
Holland linen cloth (telum lineum Hod'),
1, 24, 26–8, 30, 33–5, 37, 58, 77–8, 90–
1, 94, 96, 121, 125, 139, 141, 152, 159,
165, 174, 177–8, 181–7, 204–5, 207,
215; coarse (cors, cours), 28, 35, 103,
117, 156, 159, 181
holy-water sticks (holy water styck'),
sprinklers, 176
holy-water stoups (holy water stoppys,
stock'), 174; latten (latonis), 33
honey (hony, mel), 15, 66, 298, 302, 385,
408, 454, 516, 565
hood, mail (capron mayll'), 114
hooks (hokes), 40, 102, 140; see also fishing
hooks, marking hooks
hops (hopp'), 21, 23, 40, 68, 86–7, 96, 106,
115, 118–21, 137–40, 143–4, 147, 159,
165, 171–3, 175–6, 178–9, 182, 184,
194–6, 208
horns (hornys, homes), 392, 423; see also
blowing horns
horse-combs (hors komb'), 46
Imagery (ymagery), carved figures or
decorations, occasionally pictures
(O.E.D.), 33
images (imag', ymage, ymagine), pictures
or carvings, 30, 139; of the Blessed
Mary (Beate Marie), 103, 204; parch-
ment (parchemyn'), 30; ? plaster
(parket), 30; stone (stoon), 178; see
also tables with images
indigo (ynde), 156
ink-horns (inkhornes, ynkhornes, hynck-
hornes), 25, 30, 37, 60, 91–2, 94, 103,
181, 183–4, 186, 206
inkle (inkyll'), a kind of linen tape or the
thread or yarn from which it is made:
inkle chest (cista), ? linen chest, 169;
counters (countours), 169
'iperling'
see 'Yperling'
iron (yron', ferrum), 32, 61, 107, 139, 165,
169, 175, 178
iron plates (yron plate), 184
irons (yrons): butchers' (bocher), 205; cob-
blers' (souters), 205; for weavers (pro
wevers), 28; see also coopers' irons,
marking irons
ironware, 174, 178, 180–1
Japes
see toys
'Jesus', ? badges with the figure of Christ,
33
Jews' harps (jue harpes, jue trumpes), 147,
183
'Kateram', not identified, 156
kempsters' combs (kempster kombis,
kemster kombys), for combing wool
or flax, 96, 178
Kendals (kendale, kendall), a woollen
cloth from Kendal in Westmorland,
296, 414
kerchiefs
see Cyprus kerchiefs
kettles (ketyll', ketill'), 20–1, 23, 26, 34,
135, 159, 176, 178–9, 182–4; brass
(enea), 446, 475, 487; copper, 204
key-bands (kai thongs, key thong', kay
band'), 17, 20, 103, 140, 169, 174, 178,
205
kid skins (kydde pelles), 45
kilderkin (kyndirkyn), a cask for liquids,
fish etc., half a barrel in capacity
kip (kippe), a measure of fifty gold skins
knives (cultelli), 1, 17, 20, 23, 25, 27–8, 30,
33–5, 37, 40, 45–6, 56, 58, 60, 70, 79,
82, 90, 92–4, 100, 108, 117, 120–1, 135,
139–40, 147, 152, 156, 159, 165–6, 174,
178, 180, 182–5, 205, 207; bowyers'
(bower), 205; folding, 1, 56; ivory
(yvery), 40; painted (depicti), 40; par-
ing (paryng'), 205; patten (patyn'),
205; 'prage', 114, 178; standing, 1, 46;
see also pen knives, pot knives
Laces (lac'), 20, 28, 35, 56, 174, 181–2;
flat, 93; hair (her'), 140; leather (led-
dir'), 23, 26–7, 33, 46, 84, 94, 165, 190;
long, 165; red (rubea), 183, 186, 189;
silver, 114; thread (fili), 1, 2, 23, 26,
Laces (lac') cont
30, 33–4, 37, 46, 82, 92, 94, 103, 140,
147, 165, 181, 183–6, 190; worsted, 37,
139
lamb furs (furres lambe), 146, 178
lambskins (pelles lambe, agnorum), 146;
black (blak), 181; Irish (Irissh'), 204;
'mesandes and passlades', 595; tanned
(tannete), 296; tawed, 574, 578, 588
lampreys (murene, lampres), 29, 101, 107,
111–12, 116, 440
lamps (lampes, lampede), 37, 183
lasch
see red lasch
last, a measure, especially
-, (a) of fish: equal to (i) 12 barrels of her-
ring or salt fish, or (ii) M. (i.e. 1200)
stockfish
-, (b) of ashes, cork, osmund, pitch, soap,
tar: equal to 12 barrels
-, (c) of quern stones: 12 pairs
lasts for shoemakers(formers pro
sotularibus) , 215
lath-nails (lathe naill'), 147
latten (lato), metal alloy identical with or
very like brass, 181, 183; broken, 35;
see also buckles, girdles, plate, wire
laver, vessel for washing, 527
lawn (lawen), a fine linen, 1, 33, 114, 177,
181, 196, 204
lead (plumbum), 226, 237, 269, 332, 356,
368, 544, 581, 588, 622n.
leather (ledd'): black (nigrum, blak'), 139,
174; diverse colours (diversorum col-
orum), 130; red (rubeum), 139, 174;
white (album), 174; see also basan
leather, Brussels leather, cordwain,
ox-hides, red hides, red lasch, red
skins, sheeps' leather, split skins
leg-harness (legharnes, legg' harnes,
legharneis), armour for the whole leg,
85, 89, 93, 114, 129, 139
'Lemagois' cloth, ? cloth of Limoges, 126
lemons (lymons), 156
leopards' wombs furs (lybert wombes), 161
lettice (letewis), skins of the snow-weasel,
102, 106, 120, 126, 134, 147, 161, 169–
70, 177, 192
linen cloth (telum lineum), xxxv–xxxvi;
brown, 124; narrow (strictum), 10,
125–6, 166; raw (rawe), 206; see also
Brabant, Brunswick, Brussels, diaper,
Dornick, Flemish, Gelder, Ghentish,
Hainault, Hamburg, Hannovers,
hastrey, Herford, Holland, lawn, min-
sters, 'Niperfeld', Osnabrück, pick-
ling, soultwich, spruce, tuke, 'Ulsom',
Zeeland
ling (lyng'), 123, 149
linseed oil (lynsed oleum), 182
litmus (lytmos, litmose), a blue dye
obtained from lichens, 19, 20, 23, 111–
12, 116
locks (lokk'), 1, 23–4, 26, 28, 30, 56, 84,
89, 92, 94, 96, 139, 147, 153, 174, 178,
181, 183–6, 206; 'button lokk', ? door
catches, 1; of Nuremberg (Norbour',
Norborgh), 28; see also padlocks
looking glasses (locked glassez), 23
lutes (lutez), 170; for boys (pro pueris), 170
M (mille), ten hundreds or hundredweights
and therefore varying according to the
size of the hundred, see C
mace (mas'), 156, 190
mackerel (makerell'), 18, 57, 63
madder (mader, madir'), a red dye, 1, 23–
4, 33, 35, 54, 56, 58–9, 63, 77–8, 82,
90, 94–5, 97, 134, 138, 140–1, 147,
177–8, 181–4, 187, 196; mull-madder,
the lowest of the four qualities of
Dutch madder, 178, 196
mails (mayles), metal rings or plates of
which mail-armour was composed, 26
manacles, 20
mantle of furs, a number of skins sewn
together to form a fur lining
mark, a measure of shears, scissors,
ironware etc. Cf. 'sheres for sempsters
the mark conteyning two dozen' (Wil-
lan, Rates, 53).
marking hooks (markyng hokes), 205
marking irons (markyng irons), branding
irons, 28, 84, 185, 205
marline (merlyng'), a small line of two
strands, 170
marten fur (furr martrons), 190
maslin (mistelyn', mystlyn), mixed grain,
usually rye and wheat, 61, 305; see also
meal
mast, a measure of gold, weight 2\ lbs.
Troy.
mattresses, 470
mazers (masers), 156; wooden (trees,
tries), 32, 170, 177
meal (mele), 266; maslin (mystelyn) meal,
298; rye-meal, 516
mease (mec'), a barrel, also a measure of
copper, 1, 200 lbs.
meat, salt (carnes sake), 243, 266, 277,
295, 298, 302, 305, 309, 312, 317, 354,
454, 508, 553, 561, 565, 577–8
millstones (myllestonys, milstones), 4, 113,
131, 193; see also dog-stones
miniver (menyver), a variety of squirrel, 1,
146; coarse (cors), 1
mink (mynk'), 161, 170, 192; coarse (cors),
134
minsters (minstrys, mynstres), a linen cloth
originally manufactured at Munster,
24, 28, 33, 35, 183
mirrors (specula, merrours, mirrours), 23,
25–6, 35, 45, 56, 79, 82–3, 89, 93, 102–
3, 121, 139, 152, 165, 174, 176, 184–5,
205, 215; barbers' (barbours), 184; of
Nuremburg (Norburgh, Norborough),
23, 37, 60, 84, 94, 178–9
mistletoe (mystelyn), 35
mistletoe beads (mistell' bed', mystell'),
26–7, 82, 94, 103, 147, 181, 186;
imitation (conterfet), 147, 153, 207
mittens (mitt'), 25
mortars (mort'), 185
mount (monys), a measure of plaster, 30
cwt.
musk-balls (muske ball'), receptacles for
musk, 17, 35, 82, 207
mustard (cenapium), 368
mustard-querns (mustarde quernes), small
hand-mills for grinding mustard seed,
147
mustard seed (mustardsede, semen
cenapii), 237, 523
mustard stones, stones on which to pound
mustard seed, 193
Nails (clavi, nayll', naile), 11, 23, 90, 93–4,
96, 100, 102–3, 114, 134, 147, 154, 159,
176, 180–2, 187, 189–90; brigandine
(brigandyn'), 56, 94, 117, 156, 183;
card (carde), for wool-cards, 147; lat-
ten (latonis), 147, 174; patten (pat-
tyn'), 27, 159; red (rede), 147; see also
lath-nails
napkins (napkens), 1, 85, 93; diaper, 26, 85
needle-cases (nedil cas'), 183, 185
needles (nedles, nedyll', nedels), 24, 33,
139, 153, 156, 174, 180, 184–5, 190;
tack (tak), 187; see also pack-needles,
sail-needles
nest, a measure (three) of counters, cof-
fers, chests, bits etc.
nets (rethis), 305, 455, 508, 561
'Niperfeld' linen cloth (telum lineum
Niperfeld'), ? of Nivelles, 13, 125–6,
168
Northern cloth (North'), a cheap woollen
cloth produced in the West Riding of
Yorkshire, 377; straits (stricti), single
width (1 yd.), 378–9
nutcrackers (notcrakkers, notte crakkers),
174, 205
nutmegs (notmyg', notmug'), 156, 185, 187
nuts (nuces, nott'), 156; filberts (avelana),
61, 67, 70, 85, 92
Oars (orys), 68, 125, 171, 330
oats (avena), 409
oil (oleum), 12, 16, 59, 82, 97, 100, 112,
137, 150, 156, 201; see also linseed oil,
rush oil, train oil
oil of spikenard (oleum spike, oleum de
spyke), 79, 117
olives, 68
onion seed (semen caparum), 35
onions (cepe), 14, 55
oranges (oreng', oryng'), 42, 101, 107,
111–12, 116, 440
orchil (orgyll'), a purplish red dye obtained
from lichens, 121
orpiment (orpyment, orpyn'), yellow
arsenic, used as a pigment, 156, 544
osier rods (virge de osyer), 164
osmund (osmond'), high quality iron, 10,
13, 32, 58, 77, 94, 125–6, 150, 168–70,
197
Osnabrück linen cloth (telum lineum Osyn-
brug'), 1–3, 24, 28, 33, 35, 37, 58, 77,
95, 139, 141, 147, 168, 183, 204,
207
ostrich feathers (estrich fethers), 474
Oudenarde thread (filum Outenard'), a
linen thread, 1, 23
oxen, live (boves vivi), 513
ox-hides, 604n.
ox-tongues (lingue bovium), 508; salt
(salce), 368
Pack-needles (pak nedels, nedles), 92, 103,
147, 181, 185
packthread (pak filum, packyng thread),
11, 23, 45, 60, 89, 100, 159, 165, 176,
178, 181, 184, 204
padlocks, 184, 190
'pailes', ? spangles, 20
painted cloths (panni depicti), hangings for
a room, painted or worked with
figures, mottoes or texts, 25, 30–1, 34,
77, 83, 93–4, 97, 103, 121, 130, 144,
147, 174, 176–8, 180–2, 184, 205,
215
pane, a number of skins sewn together to
form a fur lining
pans (pannys), 33; copper, 35, 184
paper, 26, 30, 43, 46, 60, 79, 84, 178, 184,
204, 215; black (nigrum), 118, 182;
brown, 5, 23, 86, 208; painted (depic-
tum), 23, 26, 30, 33, 45, 144, 174, 180,
184; silver (silv'), 34, 114; white
(album), 23, 78; wrapping (spend-
able), 24, 179; writing (scribable,
skrybable), 12, 178; see also printed
papers
papers, paper packets of pins, points etc.
papers of the Passion of Christ (papers de
passione Christi), 184
Paris cloth, imitation (conterfet), 159
Paris thread (parys thred'), 28
pavingstones (pavingston', pavyngstones),
9, 23, 68, 85–6, 96, 119, 172, 176, 179;
white (alba), 118, 178
paving-tiles (pavyngtyle), 11, 55, 57, 63,
138, 144, 175, 182, 194, 202, 204, 206,
208; white (alba), 182
paxbreds (pax bred', paxis), tablets bear-
ing a representation of the Cruci-
fixion, kissed at Mass, 82, 94; ivory
(yvery), 33; tin (tynne), 46
pearls, imitation (conterfet perles), 93
peas (pise), 399, 409
pen-cases (penners, calamaria), 20, 25, 30,
37, 82, 84, 92, 94, 140, 183–4, 186, 206
pen knives (penne cultelli), 1, 17, 56, 94,
102
pepper (piper), 156, 237
pepper querns (peper quernes), 169, 197
pewter (electrum), pieces of, 467, 475, 487,
567, 576, 581; pots (olle electri), 368,
446, 464, 467, 475, 487, 566–7; vessels
(vasa electri), 243, 290, 302, 305, 309,
324, 349, 354, 356, 366, 368, 385, 421,
470, 472, 503–4, 508, 527, 542, 565–7,
573, 575–8, 588, 622n.
pickling linen cloth (telum lineum pyghl-
ing, pightlyng'), 10, 58, 117, 125–6,
168–9, 178, 183, 204
piece (pecia), a measure of fruit, three to
the sort (q.v.)
pieces (pecia), ? chess-men, 33
piercers (persers), 30, 182
pillows (pilows, pilowes, pelowis), 34, 60,
124, 139, 141, 155, 159, 163, 178,
183–4
pin-cases (pyncas', pyn casez, pynne cas'),
23, 60, 82, 84, 89, 91, 94, 181, 184–5,
190; gilt, 92
pincers (pynsons), 35, 205
pineapple kernels (pyneaple camels), the
edible seeds of the pine-cone, 139
pinpillows (pyn' pilowes), pincushions, 165
pins (pynnes), 1, 25–6, 30, 33–4, 37, 40, 82,
85, 92, 94, 96, 108, 117, 119, 122, 139,
165, 174, 181, 183–4, 186, 189–90, 208,
349; 'dressyng', 152; eyelet (oylet), ?
for inserting into an eyelet-hole, 205;
iron (iren), 34
pipe, a cask, hence a measure
-, (a) of wine: equal to 126 gallons
-, (b) of woad, fish, fruit etc.: varying with
the commodity
pipes (fistule, pipes), 2, 46, 84, 174, 191;
see also gold pipes, tabor pipes
pippins (pepyns), 99
pitch (piche), 10, 32, 125, 136, 168–71, 178,
197, 206, 212–14, 237, 268, 324, 332,
356, 360, 368, 392, 423, 510, 544, 581
plaice (plais, plays): dry (drie), 176, 178
plaster (plaistrum), 131
plate, metal plates or plated ware, 58;
black (nigrum), 28, 139, 180, 182, 184,
204; double (dowble), doubling was a
normal method of strengthening metal
plates, 96; latten (latonis), 28, 139,
184, 190; white (album), 26, 28, 139,
180, 184, 204; see also iron plates
plates for horses' heads(plates pro hors
hed', hed plat' pro equis) , 114, 121
platters (platers), 446; wooden (treen), 197
playing-cards (playing card', cardys), 4, 23,
25–7, 38, 46, 58, 79, 93, 174–6, 178,
206
playing-tables (playng' tables), playing-
boards for dice, chess etc., 169–70
points (poyntez, ligule, puncta), laces or
cords used to tie one garment to
another, 4, 25, 27, 34, 46, 70, 84, 93–4,
152, 181, 227, 349, 498; leather
(ledd'), 165; silk (serici), 93; thread
(fili), 140, 165
pomanders (pomambres), 156
pomegranates (pomegarnett'), 34
Portuguese skins (pelles Portyngale), 101,
107, 111, 116
pot ashes (pott ashes, aisshes), a mordant
for fixing dyes, 1, 34, 170
pot knives (pott' cultelli), 27, 30, 120, 147,
174, 207; standing (standing), 56
pots (potte), 55, 527; brass (bras, enea),
34, 82, 159, 467; drinking (drynkyng),
163, 178, 196; gallon (galon), 567;
glass (glasse), 156; pint (peynt), 567,
576; pottle (potell), holding half a gal-
lon, 566–7, 576; quart, 566–7, 576;
stone, 35, 176, 183; see also galley
pots, pewter pots, stew pots
potters' earth, white (potters erth album),
565
pouch rings (pouche ryng', powche ryng'),
4, 23, 37, 182
pouches, 1, 23, 25–6, 30, 33–5, 40, 45–6,
56, 58, 60, 82, 84, 92, 94, 100, 103,
108, 117, 120–2, 137, 139–40, 147, 152,
165, 174, 178, 181–4, 206–7, 215; bar-
bers' (harbours), 1; leather (ledd'), 1,
33, 181; shoulder (shyldyr), 174; with
rings (cum ryng'), 34
powder-boxes (pouder boxes): of painted
wood (tree pented), 156
presses (pressis), 172
printed books (prentyd' bok), xxxvi, 144
printed papers (prented papers), 144
prunes (prunys), 156
pullets (pultez, pultz), 169–70, 197
puppets (popetf), children's dolls, 24
purses (burse), 20, 34, 119, 147, 165, 169,
177
purse-wire (burs' weyr), 82
Quartern (quartron'), a weight or measure
-, (a) of salt: 28 lbs.
-, (b) of fruit: 12 quarterns to the sort
(q.v.)
querns (quernys): hand, 183; see also
mustard-querns, pepper-querns
quilts (quilt', quylte), 26, 56, 60, 155, 159,
178, 181
quintal (quintall'), a weight of 100 lbs. or a
hundred-weight (112 lbs.); probably
112 lbs. for wax
Rabbit-skins (pelles cuniculorum),
seasoned (sesinate), from animals
taken in winter, 349, 354, 385, 398,
419, 421, 424–5, 440, 454–5, 469–70,
472, 476, 504–6, 508, 565; summer
(stages), out of season, 233, 243, 273,
295, 298, 349, 354, 385, 398, 419, 421,
424–5, 440, 454–5, 469–70, 472, 476,
504–6, 508, 565
raisins (racemi, raysons), 12, 42, 61, 112; of
Corinth (Cor'), currants, 48, 156
rattles (ratell'), 178
razors (rasours, rasers), 4, 24, 30, 33, 46,
56, 70, 94, 114, 139, 153, 174, 178,
180, 184–5
red hides (hid' rubra), 5, 23, 56, 58, 60, 82,
139
red lasch (lassh, lois rubra), a fine kind of
red leather, perhaps morocco, 94, 102,
139
red skins (pelles rubra), summer squirrel
skins or red leather, 1, 27, 45, 120,
138–9, 147, 169–70, 174, 177–8, 183–4;
? for bowyers (russe pelles pro
bowers), 16
resin (rosyn'), 127, 163
rests (rist'), lance-rests, 114, 197
ribbons (rybans), 156, 181, 184
rings (ryng'), 147, 183, 207; black (nigra),
82, 94, 139, 184; copper with stones
(coper ryng' cum lapidibus), 156; iron,
120, 147; latten (latonis), 24, 26, 30,
117, 147, 184, 196; tin (tynne), 46;
white and black (alba et nigra), 35; see
also bag rings, curtain rings, pouch
rings
roasting pans (rosting pann'), 21
rods (rodd'), 127; see also osier rods
ropes
see bast ropes
Rumney (romney), a sweet wine of Greek
origin, 360, 544
running glasses (rynnyng glasses), hour-
glasses, 26, 184
rush oil (russhe oile), 169
rye (sigalum, selignus), 61, 412, 421; rye-
meal (rye mele), 516
Sack, a measure of weight used for wool:
364 lbs. For customs purposes 240
woolfells were equated with one sack
sacring-bells, small bells rung at the eleva-
tion of the host, 94, 180–1, 185
saffron (crocus), 61, 77, 178, 180
sail-needles (sayle nedyll'), 92
sail thread (sayle filum), 32
St. Omer hats (Sertomerhattes, Sentomers
hattes'), felt hats, 1, 24, 26, 30, 93,
106, 134
sallets (saletf), a light head-piece of
armour without visor, 93–4, 96–7,
102–3, 106, 114, 129, 139, 196; leather
coverings for (koveryng' led' pro
salett'), 129; see also archers' sallets
salmon (samon), 57, 64, 120, 123, 134, 166
salt (sal): Bay (de Baye), cheap salt from
Bourgneuf Bay, Brittany, 29; Berflete
(barflet), 214; white (album), 148, 163
salt-cellars (salt', saltsalers), 27, 100, 508;
pewter, 527
saltpetre (saltpetir), 59, 121, 168, 177, 200
sanders (saundrz), an ointment made from
powdered sandalwood, 156
sarcenet (sarcynet), a very fine and soft silk
material, 184
sarcocolla (circacola), a gum resin from
Persia or Arabia, used in medicine, 156
satin (satan', saten'), 184; black (noir),
156; green (vert), 156; red and black
(rubrum et nigrum), 33; tawny
(tawney), 33
saws (saues), 205
says (sayes), a light-weight cloth usually
made from worsted and woollen yarn,
179; fine (fyn'), 156; see also thread,
yarn
schönwerk (skonewark), the finest and
most highly priced squirrel skins,
presumably from the far north, taken
at the height of the winter, 170
scissors (cisours, sesers, sisoures, sisers,
sesours), 79, 84, 181, 184–5
'scone Jesus', ? scones stamped with the
figure of Christ, 23
scouring tiles (scowryng tyle), 215; see also
Flanders scouring stones
seam of herring (heryng' sayme), fish oil or
grease, 135
sendal (syndale), a fine silk cloth, 156
setwall (sedevall'), the root of the valerian
plant, used in medicine, 156
shafts, 184
shanks (shank'), furs made of skins from
legs of budge (lambskins), 37, 45, 134,
139; budge (bogy), 146; tavelon, often
used to indicate a bundle of four skins
of black budge but sometimes mean-
ing the individual skins, 33, 189
sheaf, a weight or measure
-, (a) of iron: 5–6 lbs.
-, (b) of glass: quantity uncertain
shears (sheris, sherys), 1, 33, 46, 70, 84,
102, 139–40, 156, 159, 176; barbers'
(barbours), 1, 4; cappers', 20, 93, 103,
152, 205; sewers', 205; shearmen's
(sherman'), 45, 178, 181, 183–4;
tailors' (taylours), 1, 4, 79, 185
sheaths
see dagger sheaths
sheepskins (pelles ovium), 1, 91, 94, 147,
182–4; white (albe), 27, 120, 139
sheep's leather (shepis ledir), 207
sheets (linthiamina, shet'), 1, 26, 60, 89,
124, 134, 141, 155, 178, 181–3, 215; see
also shop sheets
shell, silver (coclear argenti), 156
shirts (camisie), 34, 152, 176
shock or stock (skok, stok), a measure of
quantity (sixty), used here for bast
ropes, 'blowers', cans, glasses, lutes,
marline (60 bundles), mirrors, soap
boxes, trenchers, troughs, and win-
nowing-fans
shoes, children's (sotulares), 45
shop sheets (shop shet'), ? packing sheets,
95
shoulder-plates (shuld' plat'), 114
shuttles (shetyll'), 17, 20, 23, 89, 93, 182;
linen (lynen), 122; narrow (narow),
20; wool (wolle), 122
sieves (bultella), 181
signets, latten (signett' latonis), 139
silk (sericum, seta, seda), 93, 156; for mak-
ing cauls (calle), 33, 36, 90, 139, 151,
183, 187, 190; Cologne (Col'), 33, 36,
90, 95, 134, 139, 151, 183, 187
skins (pelles), 93; cat, 454, 504–5, 508; col-
oured, 83, 93, 121; diverse colours,
205; elk, 204; hare, 146; hart, 26; kid,
45; Portuguese, 101, 107, 111, 116; red
leather, 103; spruce, 83, 169, 215; see
also calf skins, fox-skins, lambskins,
rabbit-skins, red skins, sheepskins,
white skins and furs, leather
skive, a measure of teazles, approximately
100 in number
skull, steel (sculle stele), 139
sleeves, mail (manise mayle, manice
mayll'), 93, 114, 130, 139, 196, 208;
coarse (cours), 117
slip (slippe, slypp'), clay for pottery, 25,
35, 86, 94, 97, 118, 147, 173, 179, 208
snuffers (snoffers), 56, 181; see also
candle-snuffers
soap (sapo), 4, 7, 36, 117, 156, 184, 204,
215, 332
soap boxes (sope boxis), 169–70
sort(s) (sortez), a measure used for fruit:
apparently about half a hogshead
(q.v.; 63 gallons); 3 pieces or 12
quarterns to the sort (Overseas Trade
of Bristol, 338)
soultwich linen cloth (telum lineum suit'),
probably from Salzwedel in Germany,
10, 26, 34, 37, 58–9, 114, 126, 147,
150, 168, 183, 190, 204
spear-heads (spere hed'), 46
spears (speris), 136
spectacle-cases (spectacle casez, brille
cas'), 17, 33, 37, 82, 84, 94, 159, 183–
4, 186
spectacles, xxxvi, 26, 30, 35, 60, 70, 85, 94,
139, 153, 157, 159, 179, 181, 184–5
spice-bread (spise bred), 169
spice-cakes (spice cakes), 23, 86
spindles (spyndell', spyndels), 93, 183
spits (spitte), 34
splints (splent'), simple form of vambrace
(armour) protecting the outside of the
arm only, 93, 114, 180, 187, 196; nar-
row (narowe), 129
split skins for hats (splitt pro hatt'), divided
skins of leather, 117, 124
sponges (spong'), 156
spoons (cocleares), 165; copper (cupri),
181
spouts (spowt'), syringes, 27
sprats (sprotf), 385, 398
spruce linen cloth (telum lineum sprewis),
of Prussia, 169
spruce skins (sprus pelles, spruis, pruse'),
of Prussia, 83, 169, 215
spurs (sporis, spors, calcaria), 2, 24, 28, 30,
33, 35, 56, 82, 84, 91, 114, 117, 134,
139, 147, 174, 179–80, 186, 204, 207
squirrel skins (squerell'), 169, 197; see also
grey, red and white skins, schonwerk
squirts (squyrt', squert'), 56, 174, 180–1;
latten (latonis), 147
stained cloths (panni stayned), 33, 174
stamin, a coarse cloth of worsted, 573
standishes (standisshes), stands containing
ink, pens and other writing materials,
46, 156
staplefish (pisces staple), fish, especially
cod, not thoroughly cured, 122; salt
(sake), 147, 149, 158, 160, 162–3,
199
starch (styrche, sterch), 309, 355, 451–2,
454, 467, 472, 508, 536, 542, 561, 565
staves (stavis), 136, 139, 178
stavesacre (stavisacr'), a plant, the seeds of
which were used as an emetic, 156
steel (calibs, stele), 1, 28, 33–5, 37, 40, 45,
59, 77, 88, 94–5, 97, 117, 147, 150–1,
154, 159, 177, 183, 189
steel bonnets (stele bonett'), 97, 106, 134
stew pots, earthenware (stew pott' erthyn,
stewyng), 210, 214
stirrups (styroppez, stirops), 2, 28, 30, 56,
114, 180; plate, 139
stock
see shock
stockfish (fungia), cod and other gadoid
fish cured by drying hard in the air, 1,
10, 13, 34, 40, 56, 58, 77, 88, 114, 117,
120, 122, 125–6, 168, 178, 199, 204;
cropling (croplyng'), an inferior kind
of stockfish, 19; titling (tytlyng'), a
small size of stockfish, 22, 59
stones (ston'): jet (geet), 185; white (albe),
23; see also dog-stones, millstones
stools (stolys), 197
straw, a measure of weight, used for wax,
usually between 8 and 11 quintals
(q.v.)
straw hats (hatt' straminis, strawen hatt'),
86–7, 90, 93–7, 134, 139–40, 143, 175,
178
string thread (stryng filum, streng'), 26, 56,
94, 184
stringing yarn (stringing yern', streng'
yern'), 26, 176
sturgeon, 10, 13, 32, 68, 117, 168, 206
succade, fruit preserved in sugar, either
candied or in syrup, 156
sugar (sugour), 12, 15, 16, 47–8, 107, 116,
201, 215; broken (broke), 215; loaves
(loves, pannes), 35, 156; of Messina
(Missene), 156; powdered (pouder),
15, 156
sum (somme), a measure of number (ten
thousand) used for nails: (Willan,
Rates, 41)
swords (gladii), 24, 37, 83, 93–4, 117, 120,
134, 139, 183; sheaths for (shethis),
197
Table-cloths (table clothe, mappa, pan-
nus), 152, 176, 183, 215; diaper, 28,
93, 155
table-mats (warnappis), 175
tablemen (tabilmen), pieces used in board
games, especially backgammon, 46
tables, 174, 181; painted (depicta), 93
tables with images (cum ymag'), pictures
painted on boards or other flat sur-
faces, 103
tabor pipes (taber pipes), pipe played
alongside a drum, 114, 181
taffeta (tapheta), 33, 177
tallow, rendered (cepum molton'), 225,
237, 243, 266, 277, 288, 298, 302, 305,
332, 342, 349, 356, 385, 454, 470, 504,
508, 526, 541, 553, 557, 561, 565, 571,
594
tapestry (tapstr'), 30, 159; see also
coverlets
tar (tarr', terr'), 10, 13, 32, 88, 125–6, 136,
138, 140, 169–70, 197, 204, 212, 332,
360, 368, 392, 423, 510
teazles (tasyh", tasell'), prickly flower-
heads of the fuller's teazle used to
raise a nap on the surface of cloth, 1,
20, 34, 45, 63, 83, 93, 103, 106, 130,
137, 140, 146–7, 152, 176, 178, 205,
215
terrets (terrett'), ring to which a string, rib-
bon or chain is attached, e.g. on a
dog's collar or to attach a leash to the
jesses of a hawk, 26
thimble-cases (themels casez), 84
thimbles (thymels, themels), 20, 26, 28, 56,
94, 156, 174, 176, 180–1, 184–5; latten
(latonis), 156
thread (filum), 94, 139, 176, 180, 184; blue
(blodium), 23, 25, 30, 45, 58, 77, 82,
93–4, 96, 103, 134, 140, 165, 179, 181–
2, 184, 186, 189; brown, 168; for cross-
bows (pro crossebowes), 120; for hats
(pro hatt'), 117, 124; raw (rawe), 103,
169; say, 181; sewing (sewyng), 169;
white (album), 77, 176, 179, 181, 184,
189; see also Bruges, Cologne, gold
thread, Oudenarde, packthread,
Paris, sail thread, string thread
ticks (tykes), linen bed coverings, 1, 21, 26,
70, 80, 91, 103, 178, 183, 185, 189, 204
timber, a bundle of forty skins
tin (stannum), xxxv, 295, 305, 349, 469,
471, 478, 556, 588, 622n.
tinfoil (tynne foyle), 182
tin-glass (tyn' glasse, ten glas), bismuth,
added to fine pewter to produce a
harder and more durable alloy, xxxv,
178, 183
titling
see stockfish
tongs, 181–2
tongues, salt (lingue salce), 305; see also
ox-tongues
towels, towelling (towell'), 85, 155; diaper,
26, 28, 166, 183
toys (japes), 33
train oil (trane), fish or whale oil, 10, 32,
107, 125–6, 165, 169–70, 179, 184, 197,
199
trays (treys), 126
treacle (triacle), a medicinal compound of
spices and drugs (Flemish) or a syrup
(Genoese), 114, 156
treillis (trilles, terlyson), a stout or coarse
kind of cloth similar to buckram, 157,
177
trenchers (trenchours), 169–70, 197, 595
trivets (trevett'), tripods, 181
troughs (trowes), 169–70
trowels (trowell'), 182
'trumpe' glasses, ? flared or trumpet-
shaped glasses, 156
trumpets (trumpes), 26, 181; latten
(latonis), 56
trusses for crossbows (trosses pro cros-
sebowes), 120
tucking hooks (tuckyng hok'), probably
tenter-hooks since tucking was a term
used for fulling, especially in the West
Country, 23, 26, 140, 184: latten
(latonis), 35
tuke, canvas or linen cloth, 23, 34, 77–8,
174, 178, 184
tun (dolium)
-, (a) a large cask, hence a measure for
wine and oil containing 252 gallons.
The measure varies for other
commodities
-, (b) a measure of weight equal to 2, 240
lbs., used for iron etc.
turbith (turbytt, turbit), a purgative
prepared from the root of the East
Indian jalap, 156
turnsole (tornsoll'), a violet-blue or purple
colouring matter, 93
turpentine (turpentyn'), 4
twine (twyn'), 34, 93
'Ulsom' cloth, ? a linen cloth from ülzen,
prov. Hanover, 126
Vambraces (vambras), a complete arm-
defence excluding the shoulder, 85,
89, 93, 139; half-vambraces (dimidium
vambras), 85, 89
velvet, 184
verjuice (vergis), acid juice of green or
unripe grapes, crab-apples or other
sour fruit, used in cooking or for medi-
cinal purposes, 542, 565
vine shoots (vyn' graffes), 131
vinegar (venegyr), 355
violet powder (pouder violet), ? sugar per-
fumed with essence of violet, 4, 46, 79
visors (visour), 187
'vryas', not identified, 332
Wainscots (waynskott', weynskott'), 10,
13, 20, 32, 57, 68, 125–6, 165, 168–70,
182, 196–7, 202, 206, 212–13
wallets (pauteners), 37
walnuts (walnott'), 46
wax (cera), 1–5, 8, 10, 13, 24, 28, 32, 34–7,
58–9, 77, 88, 92, 95, 97, 111, 125–6,
134, 139, 147, 150, 154, 159, 166, 169–
70, 174, 177, 180–90, 197, 203, 205,
207, 360; Moorish (morysh), 156
weavers' spools (wewer spol'), bobbins,
157
weights, 184; Troy, 56
weld (wold'), a yellow dye from the plant
reseda luteola, 208
Welsh cloths (panni vail'), 588
Welsh straits (stricti Wall'), a cheap wool-
len cloth of single width (1 yd.), usu-
ally only 12 yds. long, also known as
cotton russet (q.v.), 221, 235, 242–3,
267', 276–573 passim
wey (vaga), a measure varying according to
commodity
-, (a) of salt: 5 qrs. (140 lbs.)
-, (b) of cheese and tallow: 180 lbs.
(Zupko)
-, (c) of glass: 40–60 'bunches', weight
uncertain
wheat (frumentum), 61, 67, 99, 104, 302,
508, 511, 515, 520–2, 542–3
whipcord (whipcord'), 45
whips, latten (whippes lattonis), 93
whistles (whistels), 23, 33
white skins (pelles albe), probably white
squirrel skins, 1, 120, 184
whiting (merlyng'), 32
whorls (wharvels), small fly-wheels fixed
on the spindles of spinning-wheels to
maintain or regulate the speed, 23
wicker bottles (wekerid botell', wiker),
bottles encased in wicker, 99; glass
(vitri), 178
wimbles (wymell'), gimlets, 181; wimble
irons (wynnell' yrons), gimlet shafts,
181
windlass for a crossbow (wynlace pro
crosse bowe), 120
wine (vinum), xxxiv, 605–22
wine lees (wine lyes), 34, 82, 86, 121, 139,
144, 176, 179, 181
winnowing-fans (wynnyng'), 169–70
wire (weyr, weir'), 20, 98, 190; copper
(coper filum), 94, 120, 174, 183; gold,
183; latten (latonis), 17, 94; thread
(filum), 174; see also clavichord wire
woad (gualda), 12, 16, 43, 94, 144, 200;
Caen woad (gualda de Cane), 166;
Cologne woad (Coleyn' wood', guald'
Col'), 23, 59, 178, 181, 208; Gascon,
166; Portuguese (Portyngale), 166;
Rochelle, 166; Toulouse woad (Tol-
lowes gualda, Tollois wode), 109–10,
133, 571, 573
wool (lana), xxx, xxxiv–xxxv, 598–604
wool-cards (wollen kard, wolle card'), an
instrument with wire teeth used for
combing wool prior to spinning, 4, 20,
27, 34–6, 46, 61, 82–3, 93, 98, 103–4,
157, 174, 176, 181, 184, 215; small, 176
wool-combs (wolle comb'), 20
woolfells (pelles lanute), 598–604
woollen cloth
see cloth
worsted, a woollen fabric made of long-
staple combed wool: double (duplex),
1¼ yds. wide and 10 yds. long, 220,
297, 301, 308–9, 313–596 passim;
single (simplum), 1¼ yds. wide and 6
yds. long, 308, 312, 340–1, 400, 424,
441, 460, 573; see also stamin
writing tables (writyng tables), small
wooden tablets, coated with wax, for
writing notes with a stylus, 24, 26, 36,
56, 94, 147
Yarn (yern'), 91, 93, 168, 206; linen (linei),
10, 93, 215; raw (rawe), 205; say, 182
'Yperlings', 'iperlings', ? cloth of Ypres or
coverlets, 23, 96, 114–15, 118, 120,
178, 181, 208
Zeeland linen cloth (telum lineum Seland),
204