| East Mersea Book: Owing to Cousin Jollye transcribed from Essex Record Office D/DRc M12)
Transcriber Trevor Hearn 16 December 2020
There is a translation to Modern English further down the page
[NB The whole page has been crossed through, but is mainly legible]
1592 : Owinge to my Cossen Jollyei viz. [3 lines of illegible words and figures]
| Fyrst borowed of the woman when she was wydow | xls |
| Owing for plowinge Edg [Note 1] : croaft [Note 2] iij tylth [Note 3] : ijs vjd a tylth | vijs vjd |
| Bss [Note 4] of wheat to sow pd wheat agayne | iiijs iiijd |
| half Buss of Oats | vijd |
| iij Bss of malt | \vs/ iiijd |
| Borowe in money | iijs |
| at an other tyme | vs |
| a qtr of veall | xvijd |
| wheat pd wheat agayne | xviijd |
| Borowed at Colchestr in money | ijs |
| at Crissinge recd | iijs iiijd |
| For barly straw | iijs vjd |
| the Som[m]e besyd the xls & the wheat is | 31s 9d |
| |
| wherof Answred | |
| |
| For ij loade of Fyrsen | vs |
| for half a calf | ijs vjd |
| for fellinge [Note 5] of tumbrell [Note 6] and castinge of pytts | iijs iiijd |
| for carienge of Oysters | vjd |
| for mowinge of grasse ijd | xvjd |
| for mowinge of Oats and barly iij days | ijs |
| owing for half a day at Convers | iijd |
| For iij bourds | xviijd |
| for o[ur] mayd reapinge j day & raking half a day | vjd |
| |
| Som[m]e | xvjs xjd |
Page 2
| So that both the small | } |
| soms cast and recoved | } Borowed to pay tas[??] - xxs } |
| one agaynst an other | } - liiijs xd } iijli xs iiijd |
| |
| ther remayneth to Jolly | } |
| - xiiijs xd , then | } we recoved. After mychellmas |
| put the - xls to it | } when she set seed wheat |
| The Some totall | } to sowe. Octob[er] / 1592 |
| pd - xlis : \owinge is <....>/ | }? |
| hearof | } pd at \o[ur] ladye/ 1593 xls |
| |
| 1593: | |
| |
| Owinge styll this year . 1593 . | s xd > |
| July xxxiiijs payd | pd |
Note 1 Oxford English Dictionary: "edge" to plough the soil up on an edge: to plough it into ridges.
Note 2 croft: a piece of enclosed ground for tillage or pasture - usually arable area near house (Source: The Local Historian's Glossary of Words and Terms by Joy Bristow)
Note 3 Oxford English Dictionary: "tilth": land under cultivation, as distinguished from pasture, forest, or waste land; tilled or arable land; a piece of tilled or arable land.
Note 4 Bushel: a measure of capacity; a standard bushel contains four pecks or eight gallons; here it represents one-eighth of a quarter of corn
Note 5 a "feller" is the round section of the wheel of a cart, usually made from ash (Source: The Local Historian's Glossary of Words and Terms by Joy Bristow)
Note 6 "tumbrel" is a two-wheeled farm cart for which the body tilts backwards to facilitate emptying the load carried (Source: The Local Historian's Glossary of Words and Terms by Joy Bristow)
Translation to Modern English by Trevor Hearn 16th December 2020
1592: Owing to my cousin Jollye [3 lines of illegible words and figures]
| First borrowed from the woman when widowed | 40s. |
| Owed for ploughing croft [Note 1] into ridges: 3 tilths [Note 2] at 2s. 6d per tilth | 7s. 6d |
| <12> bushels [Note 3] of wheat to sow - paid | 4s. 4d |
| Half bushel of oats | 7d |
| 3 bushels of malt | 5s. 4d |
| Borrowed cash | 3s. |
| Further borrowing | 5s. |
| Quarter of veal | 17d |
| <3 pecks> wheat - paid | 18d |
| Borrowed in Colchester in cash | 2s. |
| Received at Cressing | 3s. 4d |
| For barley straw | 3s. 6d |
| |
| Total (excluding the 40s. and wheat payments) : 31s. 9d | |
| |
| Following have been paid | |
| |
| For 2 loads of furze [Note 4] | 5s. |
| for half a calf | 2s. 6d |
| for wheel rims of farm cart and digging out pits [Note 5] | 3s. 4d |
| for conveying oysters | 6d |
| for mowing the grass at 2d per time | 16d |
| for 3 days harvesting of oats and barley | 2s. |
| owed for a half-days work at Convers | 3d |
| for 3 boards [Note 6] | 18d |
| for 1 days reaping and a half-day raking by our maid | 6d |
| |
| |
| Total: 16s. 11d | |
Page 2
| Offset between payments | |
| and receipts: | 54s. 10d |
| |
| Borrowed to pay [????] | 20s. |
| |
| £3.10s.4d |
| |
| Remaining outstanding to Jolly | 14s.10d |
| plus 40s | |
| |
| Sum total paid : 41s. | |
| |
| owing: 1s. | |
| |
| Paid after Michaelmas when wheat seed sown - October 1592 | |
| |
| Paid at Lady Day (25th March) 1593 : 40s. | |
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| Outstanding as at July 1593: 34s. Paid | |
| |
| Paid | |
Note 1 "croft": a piece of enclosed ground for tillage or pasture - usually arable area near house (Source:
The Local Historian's Glossary of Words and Terms by Joy Bristow)
Note 2 Oxford English Dictionary: "tilth": land under cultivation, as distinguished from pasture, forest, or waste land; tilled or arable land; a piece of tilled or arable land.
Note 3 Bushel: a measure of capacity; a standard bushel contains four pecks or eight gallons; here it represents one-eighth of a quarter of corn
Note 4 "Furze" : commonly known as gorse; used as a fodder for sheep and cattle
Note 5 "pits" could refer to wells, ponds or other holes for the purposes of collecting water or other materials
Note 6 flat wooden top such as a table top.
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