(Vol. ii., p. 298.; Vol iii., p. 153.).
From the following extracts from two of the "Bury Wills" recently
published by the Camden Society, it would appear that a dozen of bread
always consisted of _twelve_ loaves; and that the term "Baker's dozen"
arose from the practice of giving, in addition to the _twelve_ loaves, a
further quantity as "_inbread_," in the same manner as it is (or until
recently was) the custom to give an extra bushel of coals as "ingrain"
upon the sale of a large quantity; a chaldron, I believe.
Francis Pynner, of Bury, Gent., by will, dated April 26, 1639, gave to
feoffees certain property upon trust (_inter alia_) out of the rents,
upon the last Friday in every month in the year, to provide one twopenny
loaf for each of forty poor people in Bury, to be distributed by the
clerk, sexton, and beadle of St. Mary's parish, who were to have the
"_inbread of the said bread_." And the testator also bequeathed certain
other property to feoffees upon trust to employ the rents as follows
(that is to say):--
"The yerely s[=u]me of ffiue pounds p'cell of the said yerely
rents to be bestowed in wheaten bread, to be made into _penny_
loaves, and upon eu'y Lord's day, called Sonday, throughout eu'y
yere of the said terme [40 years or thereabouts], _fowre_ and
_twenty_ loaves of the said bread, with the _inbread_ allowed by
the baker for those _twoe dosens_ of bread, to be timely brought
and sett vpon a forme towards the vpp' end of the chancell of the
said p'ish church of St. Marie, and ... the same _twoe dosens_ of
bread to be giuen and distributed ... to and amongst fowre and
twentie poore people ... the p'ish clarke and sexton of the said
church, and the beadle of the said p'ish of St. Marie for the time
then being, shall alwaies be three which from time to time shall
haue their shares and parts in the said bread. And they, the said
clarke, sexton, and bedell, shall alwaies haue the _inbread_ of
all the bread aforesaid ovr and besides their shares in the said
twoe dosens of bread from time to time----"
And William Fiske, of Pakenham, Gent., by will, dated March 20, 1648,
provided twelvepence a week to pay weekly for _one dozen_ of bread which
his mind was, should "be weekly given vnto twelue _or thirteene_"
persons therein referred to.