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Home » The Domestic Sphere » Household management » Domestic accounts

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Page 1

Household accounts of the steward of Lady Myddleton, Chirk Castle, 1729 [image 1 of 4]
  • There is very little information available about the dress of women from the lower levels of society during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This manuscript sheds some light on the subject. The manuscript is a list of payments by Ieuan ap Rees ap David of Wigfair, Denbighshire, to his maid 'Elin vawr'. Many of the payments were made not in cash but in goods such as clothing or material for making clothes. The prices paid by Ieuan for the clothing and materials are noted on the list. The most comprehensive list is in Welsh, but some of the items on this list are also on a shorter list in English. According to a note at the beginning of the list it is a copy of the original list that was made because of a court case where Ieuan ap Rees ap David was the defendant and Elin and George Gruff[ydd] ap D[avid] ap M[ered]edd were the plaintiffs. It appears, therefore, that the lists were copied after Elin had departed from her position and married. Ieuan ap Rees ap David was a member of the Lloyd family of gentry and his son, John Lloyd, was the recorder of Denbigh. Ieuan died sometime between 1600-1610. Because of the number of items of clothing on the list it is likely that it was produced over a number of years. It appears that Ieuan was a fairly generous employer - some items were made from his own cloth and no charge was made for these. It is interesting to note the prices of various items, e.g. 3d for a pair of gloves and 8 shillings for a felt hat from Chester. Aprons and smocks were usually made from linen but jerkins and petticoats were made from cloth or flannel. As well as the utilitarian items such as smocks and petticoats, Elin was also provided with more ornamental items such as collars and a ribbon to tie back her hair. [Further reading: Megan Ellis,' Dress and dress materials for a serving maid, circa 1600', National Library of Wales Journal vol.1 (winter 1939). Aberystwyth : National Library of Wales]
Payments to a serving maid, c.1600, page 1 of 6
Receipt book owned by Taliesin James, 1800s
  • Reckoning Counters were widely used in the calculation of accounts, in conjunction with a reckoning table or cloth. They look very much like coins, but do not show a value, as the value in terms of the calculation depends on its position on the reckoning table. This was how calculations were made before the use of modern mathematical methods, involving the use of Arabic numerals, became widespread. The first British jettons were made during the reign of Edward I, but by the mid 16th century they were imported rather than manufactured in Britain, and the principal supplier was Nuremburg in Germany. This token is one of the commonest found in Britain, featuring the 'reichapfel' or orb on one side, and three crowns and fleur de lys surrounding a central rose on the other. They were also used as gaming tokens, before the introduction of chips specifically for that purpose.
Jetton, or Reckoning Counter, 1550-1630 [image 1 of 2]
  • Reckoning Counters were widely used in the calculation of accounts, in conjunction with a reckoning table or cloth. They look very much like coins, but do not show a value, as the value in terms of the calculation depends on its position on the reckoning table. This was how calculations were made before the use of modern mathematical methods, involving the use of Arabic numerals, became widespread. The first British jettons were made during the reign of Edward I, but by the mid 16th century Britain was importing them rather than manufacturing them, and the principal supplier was Nuremburg in Germany. This token is one of the commonest found in Britain, featuring the 'reichapfel' or orb on one side, and three crowns and fleur de lys surrounding a central rose on the other. They were also used as gaming tokens, before the introduction of chips specifically for that purpose.
Jetton, or Reckoning Counter, 1550-1630 [image 1 of 2]
Charles II farthing, unearthed at Llancaiach Fawr Manor, 1675, front [image 1 of 2]