Edward I. with lead. In all likelihood this was meant for A.D. 1272. travelling, but it must have been ill-suited to the roads of those days. Litters, or covered couches, Men travelled on Horses let out by hackneymen; Litter. (From Royal MS. Brit. Mus., 16 G. vi. page 32.) supported by horses, were also made use of, and must have been more convenient than wagons on wheels, on most of the roads. The usual mode of travelling, therefore, was on horsehorseback. back, and the number of horses wanted by the nobles was very great. Thus, in the year 1265, when Simon de Montfort was at Odiham, with his wife, the Countess of Leicester, he had the surprising number of 334 horses in his stables, for himself and his retinue, and not for military purposes. Those who had no horses of their own, hired horses of 'hackney-men.' Thus, a traveller, going from London to Dover, hired one horse as far as Rochester, for which he paid 1s. 4d., being about 16s. of our money; the same from Rochester to Canterbury, and so on in like proportion to Dover. It was far from uncommon for travellers to steal these hired horses, and to cut off their ears and tails to prevent their being recognised. This practice hackhorses often stolen. was carried to such a length, that in the following Edward I. century a law was passed to put a stop to it.* A.D. 1272. carrying goods. There were other men who let out carts for carrying Carts for luggage. The hire of one cart with four horses, was about 1s. 6d. a day, or about 18s. of our money,† but the state of the roads, in some districts, was so bad, that the cattle had to rest four days, after travelling two. The general custom was, to travel for four days and then rest for three. At night, travellers used to lodge at farms, or religious houses, where they were able to buy any food they wanted. in which from London. As an illustration of the travelling at this time, I The way may describe the way in which a large sum of money was money was carried from Chester to London. The carried sum of 1000., which meant 1000 lbs. weight of Chester to silver, was due to Prince Edward from his Barony of Chester. It was packed by the Prince's cook, in ten panniers, which were put on five horses, and thus carried to London, under the charge of two knights, attended by sixteen armed men on foot. Two cooks went with them, to provide them with food, for there were no inns except in towns. It took the guard eight days to reach London, and six days to return without the heavy weight. The houses of the barons, and indeed the King's Houses, palaces, were, most of them, very simply built. The hall was the great place of assembly, where all ate together, and except at the daïs, where the nobles sat, the dwelling rooms on the ground story were seldom boarded over, the floor being nothing more floors than the natural soil, well rammed down, with litter seldom See Note, p. 334. † An explanation of the principles on which the money of past times is converted into an equivalent sum of the present day, will be given in the reign of Edward the Second. boarded. The floor of the hall was called "The Marsh." Edward I. spread over it. The tables were stuck into the A.D. 1272. ground. This part of the hall therefore was often damp, and it was sometimes called the marsh of the hall, a name it no doubt well deserved. An idea of its state, even in a royal residence, may be gathered from the fact, that, at the King's palace at Winchester, the doorway was widened to let in carts. This rude condition of the houses is very remarkable, considering the luxury and splendour with which the ladies were often dressed. Carpets very uncommon. Houses seldom built of bricks; plastered washed. The upper floors were generally boarded, but carpets were uncommon, and were looked on as a luxurious innovation. Thus, on the arrival of Eleanor of Castile, to be married to Edward, the Londoners were angry at "the very floors being covered with costly carpets." As a general rule, the houses were built of timber, but sometimes of wood and stone. Bricks were very uncommon. In the hall the fire was in the middle, and the smoke escaped through the roof, but, in the kitchen, the fires were in large fireplaces built in the walls, and there was a hole in the roof to let out the smoke. Whether the houses were built of wood, stone, or and white- rubble, they were almost all plastered and whitewashed both inside and out. Wainscoting was not much used in domestic buildings, but the royal chambers and chapels, and probably also the large and wealthy monasteries, were generally wainscoted. Fir was generally used for this purpose, and Norway planks were brought into England in great quantities. The wainscoting was sometimes worked in patterns, but it was usually painted with subjects from sacred or profane history. Wainscoting. Wardrobes very large. To the King's houses there were always attached apartments, called "wardrobes," where the heavy and Edward I. costly stuffs and cloths, wanted for the dress of the A.D. 1272. King and his household, were kept; and where also the royal tailors worked. When it is remembered, that the summer and winter dresses of the King's attendants were furnished at his cost, and made under his roof, and that it was difficult to buy any large quantity of the cloths and furs, necessary for the clothing of a numerous retinue, except at the great fairs, it is easy to see that the wardrobes needed. ample room. In the wardrobe were also kept the rare productions of the East, which then found their way to England; such as almonds, ginger, the rosy and violet coloured sugars of Alexandria, and other stomachics" as they were called. The privy chambers were also called garderobes, and every house of any pretension was well provided with them.10c used to A large wood-cellar was also a necessary part of a Woodlarge house, and, on one occasion, Henry the Third cellar ordered the wood-cellar at the palace of Clarendon sleep in. (three miles east of Salisbury) to be fitted up as a chamber for the knights in attendance on his person. for Glass for windows was but little used. The windows No glass were usually simply closed by wooden shutters, iron windows, stanchions being sometimes added for greater safety. Canvas or some such material was often used to keep out the weather, and to admit a dim light. Glass for windows was a luxury, barely known to except in kings; and it seems, that no glass was made in this King's country until much later times. Window glass was chapels. one of the things we got from the Flemings, in exchange for our wool; and so scarce was it, even in the next century, that the King ordered as much palaces and A.D. 1272. Edward I. glass, as was needed for the repairs of the windows of one of his chapels, to be searched for in the counties Windows of Norfolk, Northampton, Leicester, and Lincoln. let in the The wooden shutters cannot have afforded much defence against rough weather, and charges were often made, "for making the windows shut better than usual." Draughts of cold air were somewhat weather. House, with Shutters to Windows. prevented, by putting the windows nearer the roof The entrance to the manor houses was usually by |