[300] Translated in Coulton, Med. Garn. p. 323. Compare another of Caesarius’ tales of the usurer who was taken by the devil through various places of torment: “There also he saw a certain honest knight lately dead, Elias von Rheineck, castellan of Horst, seated on a mad cow with his face towards her tail and his back to her horns; the beast rushed to and fro, goring his back every moment so that the blood rushed forth. To whom the usurer said, ‘Lord, why suffer ye this pain?’ ‘This cow,’ replied the knight, ‘I tore mercilessly from a certain widow; wherefore I must now endure this merciless punishment from the same beast.’” Ib. p. 214. Certainly the medieval imagination had a genius for making the punishment fit the crime.
[301] A nunnery in a large town would be far more dependent on buying food. Thus an account of the household expenses of St Helen’s Bishopsgate, in the sixteenth century shows that the nuns had to pay £22 for buying corn and £60. 13s. 4d. for meat and other foodstuffs. They were heavily in debt, and their creditors included a brewer, a “cornman,” two fishmongers and a butcher. V.C.H. London, I, p. 460.
[302] Baker, op. cit. I, pp. 281-3.
[303] The convent bought 4½ qrs. of salt for 25s. for the operation this year. Baker, op. cit. I, p. 280. Compare, for the operation at Gracedieu, Gasquet, Eng. Mon. Life, p. 174.
[304] The account of the cellaress of Syon for the year 1536-7 gives very full details of the income derived from the sale of hides and fells. John Lyrer, tanner, buys from her fifty-five ox-hides at 3s. 6d. each, and three cow-hides, two steer-hides, one bull-hide, and one murrain ox-hide at 2s. 4d. each, making a total of £10. 8s. 10d. The same John Lyrer buys 230 calf-skins for £3. 16s. 8d. John Cockes, fellmonger, buys 287 “shorling felles,” at 3s. the dozen, 190 “skynnes of wynter felles” at 6s. the dozen, 77 “skynnes somerfelles” at 8s. the dozen, for a total for £10. 18s. 1d. The different qualities of wool were always carefully distinguished and priced. Myroure of Oure Ladye, ed. Blunt, p. xxix.
[305] A few examples taken at random will suffice: “By the sale of wool 4 marks 11s. 8d. From Gilbert of Chesterton for the wool del aan ke est aveni 100s.” (32-3 Edw. I). P.R.O. Mins. Accts. 1260/1. “From the sale of 14 stone of wool, price per stone 7s., 4l. 18s.” (48-9 Edw. III). Ib. 1260/4. “Received for one sack of 20 stone of wool sold last year, at 4s. per stone, 13 marks, 10s. 8d. Received for one sack of this years wool, at 4s. 6d. per stone, 5l. 17s. 0d.” (either 46-7 or 47-8 Edw. III). Ib. 1260/21. “From John of the Pantry for 11½ stone of wool at 6s. the stone, 69s.” (1-2 Rich. II). Ib. 1260/7. In 1412 Romsey Abbey derived £60 out of a total income of £404. 6s. 4½d. from the sale of wool. Liveing, op. cit. p. 194.
[306] See, for this very interesting document, Cunningham, Growth of English Industry and Commerce (1905 ed.), I, App. D, pp. 628-41. The nunneries mentioned, with the amount of wool obtainable from each annually, are Stainfield (from 12 sacks), Stixwould (from 15 sacks), Nuncoton (from 10 sacks), Hampole (from 6 sacks), St Leonard’s Grimsby (from 2 sacks), Heynings (from 2 sacks), Gokewell (from 4 sacks), Langley (from 5 sacks), Arden (from 10 sacks), Keldholme (from 12 sacks), Rosedale (from 10 sacks), St Clement’s York (from 3 sacks), Swine (from 8 sacks), Marrick (from 8 sacks), Wykeham (from 4 sacks), Ankerwyke (from 4 sacks), Thicket (from 4 sacks), Nunmonkton (number missing), Yedingham (do.), Legbourne (from 3 sacks). A similar Flemish list mentions Hampole, Nuncoton, Stainfield and Gracedieu (33 lbs.). Varenbergh, Hist. des Relations Diplomatiques entre le Comté de Flandre et l’Angleterre au Moyen Âge (Brussels, 1874), pp. 214-7.
[307] “The Libel of English Policie,” in Hakluyt’s Voyages (Everyman’s Lib. edit.), I, p. 186.
[308] See, for instance, a petition from the nuns of Carrow asking to be allowed to appropriate the church of Surlingham, of which they had the advowson, “qar, tres dute seignour, lauoesoun ne les fait bien eynz de les mettre en daunger de presentement en chescune voedaunce”; P.R.O. Anct. Petit. 232/11587. It appears that the prioress had letters patent to appropriate the church, probably in answer to this petition in 22 Edw. II; Rye, Carrow Abbey, App. p. xxxvi. It may be useful to give a few out of very many references to the appropriation of a church to a nunnery on account of poverty: Clifton to Lingbrook (Reg. R. de Swinfield, p. 134), Wolferlow and Bridge Sollers to Aconbury (Reg. A. de Orleton, pp. 176, 200), Rockbeare to Canonsleigh (Reg. Grandisson, II, p. 698), Compton and Upmardon to Easebourne (Bp. Rede’s Reg. p. 137), Itchen Stoke to Romsey (Reg. Sandale, p. 269), Whenby to Moxby (Reg. Wickwane, p. 290), Horton to St Clement’s York (Reg. Gray, p. 107), Bishopthorpe to the same (Reg. Giffard, p. 59), Dallington to Flamstead (Dugdale, Mon. IV, p. 301), Quadring to Stainfield (V.C.H. Lincs. II, p. 131), Easton Neston to Sewardsley and Desborough to Rothwell (V.C.H. Northants. II, p. 137), Lidlington to Barking (V.C.H. Essex, II, p. 119), Bradford, Tisbury and Gillingham to Shaftesbury (V.C.H. Dorset, II, p. 77).
[309] An analysis of the possessions of Carrow gives some good examples of this. The churches of Earlham, Stow Bardolph, Surlingham, Swardeston, East Winch and Wroxham were all appropriated soon after their advowsons had been granted to the priory, which also possessed the advowsons of four churches in Norwich, the moiety of another advowson, the moiety of a rectory and various tithes or portions of tithes in different manors and parishes. Rye, Carrow Abbey, App. X.