Melcombe Mill: A Fourteenth Century Building Account

MELCOMBE MILL : A FOURTEENTH CENTURY BUILDING ACCOUNT By FELIX HULL, B.A., Ph.D. AMONG the DareU of CalehUl MSS. is a single sheet of paper, approximately 11 in. by 8 | in., the right hand edge being somewhat tattered, which bears a sixteenth century endorsement " I understand not the use of this."1 How, in view of such a statement, it managed to survive is a mystery, yet this smaH item is of quite unusual interest. In the first place it is the earhest piece of paper in the Kent Archives Office, being more than twenty years earher in date than the first Canterbury register of wUls of 1397. There is, of course, no water mark though the lining of the page is clearly evident. Certainly it came from the Continent though its actual country of origin might be more difficult to determine. It bears in Anglo-French the payments for buUding the miU of Melecombe in the year 1374. These are set out as weekly accounts and are confined, in the main, to labour charges with occasional detaUs of the work done. As might be expected there are many deletions and alterations and not a few obscurities in the text. Unfortunately the evidence is insufficient to determine whether a wind or water mUl was being constructed, neither do we know whether this was a replacement or an entirely new mUl. In the first place the name Melecombe presents difficulties. Hasted and WaUenburg both refer to a lost place-name Melcompwood in Wye. In the Inquisition post mortem on Stephen de Bocton in 1286, reference is made to MeUecompe meadow in Boughton Aluph and the internal references to Socombe Chalkpit, the parson and the manor of Boughton are aU in favour of the mUl being situated in that parish. At Domesday the manor of Boughton had two mills, in 1286 there was but one worth 40s., whUe in another inquisition taken in 1336 a water mUl and land is referred to though not by name. Rentals of the manor show that about 1720 Clement Hobson was paying 4s. lOd. a year for a water mUl near Potters Corner, but that surely would have been Hothfield MUl and outside the parish at least.2 The only place name in the account which has been identified is Socombe now Soakham but there is no direct evidence to relate the mUl with that situation. In fact if the mill lay within the parish of Boughton Aluph there would only appear 1 K.A.O., U386 A7. » K.A.O., U55 M236. 54 MELCOMBE MILL to be four or five possible sites. If it was a water mUl it could have been on the Stour near Buckwell, but BuckweU was a separate manor and one feels the name might very weh have appeared somewhere in the text if that was the position. Further south two smaU streams flow in a south-easterly direction to the Stour. Either of these might have supported a mill and either could have been reasonably near meadow land thus linking with MeUecompe meadow of 1286. In this case Park Barns Farm or Spring Grove are possible sites. It is always possible, too, that evidence of the whereabouts of MeUecombe or MeUecompe has been obhterated by the eastern end of EastweU Park. Another possibility, probable enough if a wind mUl was involved, is in fact Soakham Down. On this northern border of Boughton lies the woodland of King's Wood, a detached portion of Wye and a suitable enough position for Melcomp Wood. Without additional references, however, identification is impossible and these numerous alternatives must remain. In addition it must be admitted that situation within the manor does not determine situation within the parish and the mill might he in any parts of EastweU, WestweU, Kennington or Wye over which the manor of Boughton claimed authority.1 In addition to the place-name Socombe, there are references twice to Couless, where evidently clay was readUy avaUable possibly for brick or tUe: that name has not been identified.2 It is of some interest that in the inquisition of 1286 referred to above a weU attested place name in Boughton was Stockmede, whUe in 1374 a man employed in this constructional work bears just that name. The information given is insufficient to buUd up a detaUed picture of the construction. Each day with three exceptions a number of labourers are employed, usuaUy on unspecified duties and in addition certain people appear to play a special part at different times and to be paid a rate commensurate with skiU. The standard labourer's wage throughout is 4d. a day, but WeUere, who first appears half way through the work commands a wage of 12d. Carts normally cost a shilling a day for whatever purposes, but it is of interest that altogether 1 Since this article was prepared a map of Boughton Aluph, Wye and Godmersham, 1720, which had belonged to the late Mr. A. J. Burrows of Ashford, has been received in the Archives Office. This bears two important pieces of evidence [K.A.O., U614 PI]: (a) that in Wye, south of Olantigh and in a bend of the Stour, there was a small triangular meadow called ' Melcommead'; (b) that the boundary between Boughton and Godmersham leading to the river was formed by an old roadway described on the map as ' An old Fulling Mill Way now decayed'. This, surely, was Meloombe mill. If so, the problem of situation and type of mill has been solved and once more the importance of early estate maps for topographical evidence is apparent. 8 There was a Coulese in Brabourne in 1324, see Kent Place Names, p. 339 and Cal. I.P.M., vol. VI, Edward II, p. 321. 55 MELCOMBE MILL the parson of Boughton provides carts for timber on six days, and is paid at a rate of Is. 8d. a day. The work was carried out between 16th October and 24th November, 1374, and begins with six carts and four labourers being at " le Chalkpette de Socombe " and on " le Clay de Couless ". In the first week also a certain " MUde " receives a shilling as a nightwatchman and later in the week 9 labourers appear to lay the foundations, if the obscure word " lewe " or " legge " means that. There is also a reference to " servays " but the document is defective at that point and the reading therefore difficult to estabhsh. During the second week work continues on the foundations and also on " le Way " presumably a cart road to the mUl. Stokemede appears for the first time accompanied as always " et son compaynon ", the parson of Boughton hires out his carts and a cooper is needed to fix the mUl stone. The third and fourth weeks see activity carrying timber and also " bord " though twice during the third week a day passes without any progress or charge. Was work dependent upon the weather ? This seems hkely as the whole labour scheme is clearly on a day to day basis. It is interesting to note that the Saturday half day is not a modern feature. On each of the first four Saturdays payment is made for a half day only. The fifth and sixth weeks show the highest regular return of day labour apart from the period of digging foundations. The timber carts are stUl busy and both " bord " and " spykynges " are purchased at Wye. WeUere, clearly a high grade craftsman, who first appeared on the Friday of the third week and had his half day on Saturday, is almost continuously at work. The mUl one can only suppose was completed on the Friday of the sixth week for the account ends " Samadi ryn," i.e. Saturday nothing. A further paragraph, however, indicates that certain manorial dues were yet to be paid and these fell due on 8th December, perhaps an additional reason for completion by the end of November. These payments are difficult to define. 24s. 8d. is paid " pour le delivere de le manair de Bocton " and in addition there is 5s. " pour le Fyn de Heyr." The supposition is that a rent and an admission fine were charged but additional medieval evidence for the manor is needed before this can be estabhshed with certainty. The whole miU cost 7 li. 13s. 6d. paid by John de Leycester who kept the record. The text is much abbreviated and as with the vernacular the endings of medieval Anglo-French words are often uncertain. An edited translation is therefore appended with notes whenever the. reading was obscure or affected by deletions or alterations. Place names and any difficult words are given as in the original. 56 MELCOMBE MILL Made a remembrance of the_ expenses and payments which were paid by the hands of John de Leycestr'. for the mUl of Melecombe in the forty-eighth year [i.e. 48 Edw. I l l , 1374-5], In the first place the Monday immediately before the feast of St. Luke the evangelist [16 Oct.], given for 6 carts [?], 4 labourers being on the " Ohalkpette " of Socombe and on the Clay' of Coul[?ess] for 2 days, 17s. 4d. Item given to MUde [by my Lady struck through] for 3 nights,1 12[d]. Item given2 to the carpenters for a reward by my lady, 4d. Item given to 9 labourers working on the " lewe "3 for 2 days, 6s. Item paid by my lady for (?) " servays " [—] to labour,4 3d. Item paid to Stephen Gybbe for one morning [at] Conless, ld. Monday before the feast of St. Jude [23 Oct.] paid to 6 labourers for the day, 2s. Tuesday paid for the six labourers being there,5 2s. Tuesday paid to Stoke [med] and his mate for the day, 8d. And given to the parson of Bocton for cartage for 3 days, 5s. Thursday paid to 4 labourers working on " legge " and on the " Way " 16d. And given to one cooper fixing the stone of the mUl, 5d. Friday paid to three labourers, 12s. Saturday to 2 labourers, 4d. Tuesday7 paid to Stokemed and his mate for the day and half a day, 12d. Thursday on the feast of AU Souls, given to Roger Cookes for carting of 2 horses,8 12[d]. A day carrying timber from Bocton to Melecombe, 8d. The Wednesday, nothing,9 Friday and Saturday paid to 3 labourers there,10 2s. and Wellere for the day's work on Friday, 12d. and for half a day on Saturday, 6d.u 1 "iij nuits " written above " ij nythe " struck through. 2 written' above " paye " struck through. 3 written above " legge " struck through and followed by " et autres bonsoins par le ordynaunce Joh 'Elys " all struck through. A " logger " was a stone layer, see Building in England, p. 30, and the word " legge " means " to lay down ", Halliwell, Dialect Dictionary, so that this may refer to laying the foundations. 1 written above " a Bocton par mayns " struck through. 6 The text gives " demoraunc' illegs ". The second word is a corruption of the Latin " illuc " ; " there ". 6 A former total, 9s. 10d„ is struck through. 7 written above " Lundi de vaunt le feste touz seynt3 mardi ensuant " struck through, the Monday would ne 30 Oot. 8 The words " son fur' et " have been struck through. 0 The scribe writes " ryn " which presumably stands for " rien." 10 See note 6 above regarding " illegs." •• 11 A further sentence is deleted, viz., " Et [deliverens written above done struck through] a ma dame par mayns John' Cookes vjs. viijd." 1st week Sum 25s. 2nd week Sum 13s. ld. 3rd week Sum 6s. 2d.6 57 MELCOMBE MILL 4th week Monday in the feast of St. Leonard [6 Nov.] paid to Sum lis. 2d. Stokemed and his mate for half a day, 4d. ItemWeUer for the same time, 6d. Tuesday paid to WeUere and his cart for 2 horses, 12[d].x Thursday paid to the 5 labourers, 20d. and for 2 carts, 2s. Friday paid to Stokemed and his mate, 8d. and WeUere for carriage of " Bord," 6d. Saturday paid to 4 labourers for half a day, 8d. And WeUere, 6d. 5th week The Monday after the feast of St. Martin [13 Nov.] Sum 23s. lid. employed 4 labourers, 22[d].2 Item Weplere], 12d. Tuesday paid to the said 4 labourers, 16d. And WeUere, 12d. Wednesday paid 2 labourers, 8d. And WeUere, 12d. Thursday paid to 4 labourers, 16d. And 4 carts, 3s. And for " Bord " bought3 at Wye by John Elys, 2s. 4d. and in " spykynges" bought there,4 9d. Friday employed 3 carts,5 3s. And employed 4 labourers, 16d. Saturday employed 3 carts, 3s. And on that day for John Barry, 6d. And for 4 labourers, 16d. •6th week Monday in the feast of St. Edmond [20 Nov.] employed Sum 29s. 10d.6 2 labourers, 8d. Item employed Stephen Cookes, Stephen Gibbe, 4d. Item WeUere, 12d. Tuesday employed the 4 labourers, 16d. Item WeUere, 12d. Wednesday employed the four labourers, 16d. Item WeUere, Richard HUles and Barry, 3s. And paid to the parson of Bocton for carriage of timber for 3 days, 5s. And paid to John Barry for half a day before, 6d. And paid to John Reymond for timber, lis. 3d.7 Thursday employed 2 labourers, 8d. And WeUere, 12d. Friday paid to 2 labourers, 8d. and for 2 carts, 2s. Saturday nothing.8 Item paid the Friday in the feast of the Conception of Our Lady [8 Dee.] to John Cobra [?] for the payment to the manor of Bocton,9 24s. 8d. And to Robert B[?]ndy 1 written above " vjd." struck through. 2 written above " xxiij " struck through. 3 and i The text reads " chate", possibly a corruption of " achete." 6 preceded by "iiij " struck through. 0 A former total, 16s. 6d., is struck through. ' ' This sum is followed by the following sentence all struck through: Et a lez Sayernt3', xjs. viijd. Et a William Edwynne'. 8 See note 6p. ' The text reads "pour le delivre de le manair de Bocton", possibly a relief •or a rent payment. 58 MELCOMBE MILL and his mate for " le Fyn de Heyr "x vs. And to WUham John', 10s. Sum 7 li. 13s. 6d.2 Endorsed in a 16th century hand: " I understand not the use of this." 1 The phrase " le Eyn de Heyr " presumably links with the previous payment as a manorial due and is in fact an admission fine. 2 A former total, 7 li. 5s. 2d., is struck through. 59 o