HERB - cost of herbs

[Kathleen H. Keeler]

A week ago Melandra asked about the relative costs of herbs

Clare posted
> in 1264 sugar was 2 s./lb  (10 p.)
> 1334 sugar 7d./lb (3p.)
> pepper sold throughout the Middle Ages for about 1s/lb (5 p)
> saffron (after 1349 14s/lb (70 p)  Hammond says that saffron was the most
> expensive spice used in the Middle Ages.
> other spices ran anywhere from 2s to 4s (10 p. to 20p) the prices varying
> from season and other variables.
>  from  Food and Feast in Medieval England by P.W.
> Hammond, pub by Alan Sutton, 1993.

For contrast:
in 1200  a huntsman in the King's service (King John) received 5 p./ day
plus food, the King's chancellor, the top paid official of hte King's
household, received
 5 s./day [and food, candles. probably clothes.)
Cooks and kitchen workers got 3 halfpence a day
A good yardlot was considered fairly rented at 5 shillings/year, the abbot
wanted   10 s/yr and the local jurors ruled against him
King John purchased garments for his steward and seneschal at 25-28 s. each
In 1176 34# of sugsar was bought for the King;'s table for 9 p./pound
For 27 shillings and 1p. the King fed 100 poor men bread, meat and ale.
(from D.M Stenton, English society in the early Middle Ages. 1961.  She
comments that money was 15-20x as valuable in 1200 than in 1960.  I find
that doesn't help because I can't relate 1960 values to 1998).

So the value of sugar has greatly dropped: it is not worth a huntsman's
day's work per pound.  A week's work for the kitchen workers.

Maybe we could set the kitchen workers as the equivalent of fast-food
workers so the 3 halfpence a day is 5-6$/hr x 8 = $45.  (Ignore the
benefits of the modern workers, the room and board that kitchen workers
probably got).  And ignore the Medieval kitchen workers' longer hours?

You can use a pound of sugar pretty fast, but a pound of pepper would last
how long for a modern household?  At 1 shilling a pound, spending a
shilling a year on it might be a manageable expense for those with some
cashflow.  (The huntsman for example, the kitchen workers might not think
it worth it. ) (But note that they didn't cook for themselves--somebody
else decided if spices were worth affording, I imagine it like dormitory
menu or group field trip decision making, since the eaters don't pay by the
item)

   Still, there is very little in my kitchen that is a once-a-year purchase
of several 100 $. (1 shiling a year for pepper compared to 5 shillings a
year rental of a yard lot (surely noone rents land for under $500 a year?),
or pays the Chancellor less than $100,000/year which comes to $275/day if
he's paid for 365 days.)

A reasonable estimate also needs to ask how much cinnamon or saffron you
use in a month or a year.  I can certainly get by with 1/16 pound (1 oz) of
most spices so _if_ 1 shilling = $160, then I'm only spending $10 an oz. of
cinnamon or saffron,
still 3x the current value.  I think a more reasonable rate of usage tho
would be 2 oz per person per year--we eat out a lot which saves my
spices--so it would add up quickly for a household for 4 (let alone the
20-50 of a noble's manor.)

I'd appreciate people who are more attuned to the values of things
reworking my calculations.

Agnes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mistress Agnes deLanvallei, O.L. (herbalism), Mag Mor, Calontir
Dedicated to promoting the study and safe re-creation of the uses of plants
in the Middle Ages:  if I can help you with your investigations, I'd be
honored..
kkeeler1 at unl.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



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