In this yeare (saith he) was a great dearth in all parts of England,
and this dearth or scarsitie of corne began vnder the sickle, and
lasted till the feast of saint Peter ad vincula, to wit, till the time
of new corne. This scarsitie did greatlie oppresse the people, and
chieflie the commoners of the poorer sort. For a man might sée infants
and children in stréets and houses, through hunger, howling, crieng,
and crauing bread: whose mothers had it not (God wot) to breake vnto
them. But yet there was such plentie and abundance of manie yeares
before, that it was thought and spoken of manie housekéepers and
husbandmen, that if the séed were not sowen in the ground, which was
hoorded vp and stored in barnes, lofts, and garners, there would be
inough to find and susteine all the people by the space of fiue yeares
following. But the cause of this penurie, was thought to be the want of
monie in a great manie. For monie in these daies was verie scant, and
the principall cause hereof was, for that the wooll of the land lay a
sléepe and hoong heauie in some mens hands by the space of two yeares;
and in others thrée yeares, without a chapman. For it was enacted in
a certeine parlement, that the merchants of England should not passe
out of the land with wooll and other merchandize, but should bring
the same vnto twelue places within the realme appointed for the same
purpose, that the merchants strangers might haue recourse thither with
their commodities and so by exchange should transport our merchandize
for theirs. By meanes whereof the merchants of England did forbeare to
buy wooll and other wares vntil the next parlement insuing, wherein it
was granted them to traffike whither they would with their commodities.
In these daies wooll was dogcheape: for one stone of good wooll of the
chosen and piked sort, was sold for thrée shillings, and in Leicester
and Kent at some times for two shillings or two and twentie pence. This
scarsitie of victuals was of greatest force in Leicester shire, & in
the middle parts of the realme. And although it was a great want, yet
was not the price of corne out of reason. For a quarter of wheat, when
it was at the highest, was sold at Leicester for 16 shillings 8 pence
at one time, and at other times for a marke or fourteene shillings: at
London and other places of the land a quarter of wheat was sold for ten
shillings, or for litle more or lesse. For there arriued eleuen ships
laden with great plentie of victuals at diuerse places of the land, for
the reliefe of the people. Besides this, the citizens of London laid
out two thousand marks to buy food out of the common chest of orphans:
and the foure and twentie aldermen, euerie of them put in his twentie
pound a péece for necessarie prouision, for feare of famine, likelie
to fall vpon the citie. And they laid vp their store in sundrie of the
fittest and most conuenient places they could choose, that the néedie,
and such as were wroong with want, might come & buy at a certeine price
so much as might suffice them and their familie: and they which had not
readie monie to paie downe presentlie in hand, their word and credit
was taken for a yeares space next following, and their turne serued.
Thus was prouision made that people should be relieued, and that none
might perish for hunger.
[Sidenote: A dolphin taken at London bridge.
1392.