CHAPTER IX.

A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY IN 1319.

In the Record Office in London are preserved some money accounts[27] concerned with a visit of the scholars of King's Hall to York at Christmas in the year 13 Edward II, that is, in 1319. The following analysis gives the route followed by one section of the party and the expenses of the journey: it is a valuable record of the method and cost of travelling in medieval times.

By way of preamble, I may say that the origin of King's Hall is to be found in the establishment at Cambridge, in 1317, by Edward II, of a body of Scholars or King's Children; that they were regarded as part of the royal household; and that the nominations to the office of warden and to scholarships were reserved to the king. King's Hall was dissolved in 1546, and its buildings and property assigned by Henry VIII to Trinity College.

Early in December 1319, the warden and scholars were ordered to spend the coming Christmas with the court, then at York, and the sheriff of Cambridgeshire was directed to provide for their journey. During the preceding Michaelmas term thirty-three members of the House had been in residence, and all of them went to York.

The names of the members of the House in 1319 are immaterial to our story, but I venture to give them, for these students lived here nearly six centuries ago, and doubtless had hopes, plans, and ambitions at bottom much the same as we have. They were, in order of seniority, John de Bagshot the warden, Nicholas de Durnford, Nicholas de Rome, David de Winchester, William Pour, Richard Pour, Nicholas Pour, John de Aston, John de Torterold, James de Torterold, Robert de Immeworth, Thomas de Windsor, Walter de Nottingham, Roger Parker, John de Kelsey, John de Hull, Edward de Kingston, Hugh de Sutton, Philip de London, John de Salisbury, Richard de Salisbury, Robert de Beverley, John Fort, Ralph de Gretford, Henry de Gretford, Nicholas Parker, Nicholas Pull, Richard de Berwick, Andrew Rosekin, Thomas Griffon, John Griffon, William Draghswerd, and John de Woodstock. It will be noticed that some of the students are designated by surnames which were already coming into use and some by place names: the latter show from what a wide area the scholars were drawn.

For the purpose of travelling the Society was divided into two sections, both of which started from Cambridge on Thursday[28], 20 December. One party, comprising the warden, John de Bagshot, and six of the scholars, went on horseback, and arrived at York on Christmas eve. Their journey thus occupied five days and they covered about thirty-five miles a day; of it we have no particulars, save that the warden paid £1. 3s. 4d. for the hire in Cambridge of seven hackneys, and was allowed £1. 9s. 2d. for the other expenses, namely 10d. a day for each member of the party. The remaining twenty-six scholars travelled under the care of one of their number, John de Aston, and arrived at York on 28 December. They took with them seven and a half lengths of cloth with the furs thereto belonging, and four grooms, but whether the grooms went the whole way is not clear. It is with this nine days' journey that I here deal.

The cloth and furs which had been purchased on behalf of the crown from merchants at Bury were valuable. The former was red in colour (_de blodes mixto_) and had cost £21. 2s. 6d.: the latter comprised twenty-one lamb skins, bought for £2. 19s. 6d. and six budge skins, bought for £1. The carriage of these goods must have been a serious hindrance to rapid travelling.

The first two days, Thursday and Friday, 20 and 21 December, were occupied in the journey from Cambridge to Spalding. This was made in two hired boats (with the services of six men), for which the charge was 5s. On 20 December, the travellers paid 2d. for porterage of their goods to the boats at Cambridge, 1s. 7d. for bread, 2s. for beer, 1s. for herrings, 1s. 4d. for hard fish and codlings, and 4d. for fuel. On 21 December they paid 1s. 5d. for bread, 2s. 2d. for beer, 1s. 7d. for herrings and other fish, 3d. for cheese, 2d. for porterage from the boats at Spalding, 5½d. for fuel and candles, and 8d. for beds at Spalding.

On Saturday, 22 December, they travelled to Boston. On this day, they paid 2s. for hiring two carts for carrying the cloth and fourteen of the scholars, and 3s. for twelve hackneys for the rest of the party. They also spent 1s. 4d. for bread, 1s. 11d. for beer, 2s. 3d. for herrings and other fish, 5d. for fuel and candles, and 8d. for beds at Boston.

The next two days, Sunday and Monday, 23 and 24 December, were occupied in the journey to Lincoln which was performed in a single large boat. On 23 December, they paid 5s. for the hire of this boat, 4d. for straw to spread on it, 2d. for porterage to the boat, 1s. 6d. for bread, 2s. 7d. for beer, 2s. 4d. for meat, 1s. 6¾d. for eight hens, and 6d. for fuel. On 24 December, they paid 1s. 2d. for bread, 2s. for beer, 2s. 1d. for herrings and other fish, 9d. for eels, 3d. for porterage from the boat at Lincoln, 6½d. for fuel and candles, and 8d. for beds at Lincoln.

Tuesday, being Christmas Day, was spent quietly at Lincoln. Their expenses for the day were 1s. 4d. for bread, 2s. 1d. for beer, 2s. 3d. for meat, 1s. 1¼d. for five hens, 7½d. for candles and fuel, and 8d. for beds.

On Wednesday, 26 December, the party travelled to Torksey, making the journey in two boats hired at Lincoln. On this day, they paid 2s. 8d. for the hire of the boats, 3d. for porterage to the boats, 1s. 8d. for bread, 2s. 3d. for beer, 2s. 1d. for meat, 7d. for eggs, 4d. for fuel and candles, and 8d. for beds at Torksey.

The next two days, Thursday and Friday, 27 and 28 December, were occupied in the journey from Torksey to York, which was made in a large boat hired at Torksey. On 27 December, they paid 6s. for the hire of this boat, 2d. for porterage to the boat at Torksey, 1s. 7d. for bread, 2s. 6d. for beer, 1s. 10d. for meat. On 28 December, they paid 1s. for bread, 1s. 5d. for beer, 1s. 4d. for herrings and other fish, and 2d. for porterage of their goods at York.

The total cost of the journey came to £4. 5s. 8½d., and this was repaid to the warden from the royal exchequer on 31 December. On the opposite page is a summary of the daily expenditure described above.

|Dec. |Dec. |Dec. |Dec. |Dec. |Dec. |Dec. |Dec. |Dec. | 20.| 21.| 22.| 23.| 24.| 25.| 26.| 27.| 28. |s. d.|s. d. |s. d.|s. d. |s. d. |s. d. |s. d.|s. d.|s. d. Hire of Boats | 5 0| ... | ... | 5 0 | ... | ... | 2 8| 6 0| ... Straw | ... | ... | ... | 4 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... Porterage | 2| 2 | ... | 2 | 3 | ... | 3| 2| 2 Hire of Carts | ... | ... | 2 0| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... Hire of Hackneys| ... | ... | 3 0| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... Bread | 1 7| 1 5 | 1 4| 1 6 | 1 2 | 1 4 | 1 8| 1 7| 1 0 Beer | 2 0| 2 2 | 1 11| 2 7 | 2 0 | 2 1 | 2 3| 2 6| 1 5 Hard Fish, etc. | 1 4| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... Herrings, etc. | 1 0| 1 7 | 2 3| ... | 2 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 4 Eels | ... | ... | ... | ... | 9 | ... | ... | ... | ... Meat | ... | ... | ... | 2 4 | ... | 2 3 | 2 1| 1 10| ... Hens | ... | ... | ... | 1 6¾| ... | 1 1¼| ... | ... | ... Eggs | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 7| ... | ... Cheese | ... | 3 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... Fuel and Candles| 4| 5½| 5| 6 | 6½| 7½| 4| ... | ... Beds | ... | 8 | 8| ... | 8 | 8 | 8| ... | ... |-----|------|-----|------|------|------|-----|-----|----- |11 5| 6 8½|11 7|13 11¾| 7 5½| 8 0¾|10 6|12 1| 3 11

There are no records of the expenses of the Society during the time the members were at York; but presumably while there, they were treated as members of the royal household. Their visit, however, was not devoid of incident since a warrant was issued against one of them, Robert de Beverley, for having joined with the prior of the preaching friars of Pontefract in an assault on a certain William Hardy: the student was left behind at York, and there disappears from our history. Two other members of the House, Edward de Kingston and David de Winchester, were also left in the city, of whom probably at least one was concerned in this disturbance. One new member, Warin Trot, was admitted at York. These changes reduced the numbers to thirty-one. Of these thirty-one members, twenty-one, under the guidance of John de Aston, came back to Cambridge on the festival of St Fabian and St Sebastian (_i.e._ 20 January), while the warden and the remaining nine scholars, among whom Trot was included, arrived on 9 February, and from these dates their stipends in Cambridge during the Lent Term, 1320, were reckoned.

Why the king summoned the members of the House to York at so considerable cost I cannot say, but I think the detailed statement of how most of them travelled and their expenses on the journey are interesting.

[Footnote 27: _Exchequer Accounts_, 552/10.]

[Footnote 28: In my original paper the days of the week were given incorrectly.]