Duties of the Granger of St Andrew’s Priory, Rochester, c.1235
The granger was responsible for receiving fodder and distributing it along with bedding to the guest houses, for sowing barley and all the seed in Priestfield with the ploughman, watching the hay in the barn at night, and for dividing up the winnowed wheat with the granary keeper.
Transcription
55v (select folio number to open facsimile)
De Grangerio quid facere debeat. GRangiarius debet recipere totam auenam que
pertinet ad prebendam. Debet eciam distribuere fur-
ragium et prebendam equis hospitum. Ipse debet semi-
nare omne semen in Prestefeld. Et cum perseminaverit
ordeum habebit sportellam de qua seminavit plenam
ordei. Similiter de frumento. Si nescit seminare, debet
interim dum carucarius seminat carucam tenere.
Habebit etiam corredium suum de cellario a prima
die falcationis prati, quousque fenum sit delatum in
curiam. Et a prima die qua incipiunt metere in Preste-
feld usque extrema garba de autumpno sit in horreo
recondita. Domuncula illa que de feno honusta est,
quamdiu noctibus circa senum vigilant, dum foris
est, Grangerii erit. Solebat enim olim ad accubi-
tum celerarii semper esse. Ipse eciam debet talliare
contra Gerentarium totum Bladum postquam ventila-
tum est, antequam introeat in granarium.
Translation
Concerning the granger, what he ought to do:
The granger must receive all the oat straw pertaining to fodder.
He must also distribute bedding and fodder to guests’ horses. He himself must sow all the seed in Priestfield.
And when he sows the barley he will have a small basket full of the barleycorn which he will sow; likewise with the wheat. If he does not know how to sow, he ought to hold the plough while the ploughman sows.
He will also have his allowance from the cellar from the first day of the mowing of the meadow until the hay is brought into court. And on the first day that they begin to reap in Priestfield until the last sheaves of autumn, he retires to the barn.
This, which is laden with hay, is the lodging of the granger for as long as they are watching the hay during the night, while it is outside.
He was indeed formerly used to always being at the table of the cellarer.
He himself must also, face to face with the granary-keeper, divide up all the grain after it is winnowed, before he goes to the granary.
