The Chronicle
April 1354
1 April 1354
Nicholas of Ashby, a Dominican friar and a learned preacher on his way to the priory in the town, came in off the road on a clear 1 April. The priest gave him a bed for the night.
3 April 1354
A storyteller came through on a clear 3 April: Maud of Stanton, who knows Guy of Warwick and Robin Hood by heart, walked in off the road and stayed the night at the inn. Beatrice Shepherd also took the Brewers a peck of meal, to repay their kindness.
5 April 1354
A stranger slept in the church porch tonight: Alan of Norton, a groom who went to France with a knight and came back without him. It was another clear spring day, with Palm Sunday tomorrow.
6 April 1354
A clear Palm Sunday, and a dispute settled. Thomas atte Well and Roger Warrener made a loveday, a private peace between neighbors, with Beatrice Shepherd standing between them, and they drank on it. Roger paid the lord 2d for permission to agree, and Thomas withdrew his complaint. Agnes Fletcher also dropped her request to the lord for a hand, now that she has John Carter working for her.
7 April 1354
A pedlar named Adam of Thornbury came in off the road on a clear 7 April, his pack full of needles, pins, ribbons, laces and little knives, and took a bed at the inn for the night.
8 April 1354
The manor court sat in the hall on a clear day, and the Coopers asked the lord's mercy and were refused. Elena Brewer and Beatrice Shepherd were each fined 4d and Edith atte Well 2d for selling ale against the assize, the rules on its price and measure. Thomas atte Well's rent for the empty holding by the mere, Alan Shepherd's meadow ground for hay, a pig in the garden between Thomas and Roger Warrener, and a furrow over the mere between Peter Miller and Stephen Brewer have all gone to the lord for his word. Henry of Thornbury, a pedlar with combs, thread, spoons and cheap brooches on his tray, took a bed at the inn, and Henry of Kingsley, John Carter's father, came over for the day and slept by the Fletchers' hearth.
10 April 1354
Clear skies for Maundy Thursday, three days before Easter. Two pedlars came in off the road together and took a bed at the inn: Geoffrey of Fairford, with combs, thread, spoons and cheap brooches on his tray, and his wife, Isabel of Fairford, who sells lace and thread from a tray of her own. Joan Brewer walked a dozen eggs each to the Coopers and the Millers for past kindnesses, Sir John said a Mass for the Shepherds in return for theirs, and John Carter lent the Fishers a hand of rushes for the floor.
12 April 1354
Roger Warrener, the lord's warrener, caught Henry Cooper in the warren before light with one of the lord's coneys (rabbits, and they're the lord's alone). Henry will have to answer for it at the manor court. On the eve of Easter, 5 old grievances in the village were eased, but two stayed open: Edith atte Well wouldn't make peace with Roger, and Roger wouldn't make peace with Thomas atte Well, so neither Edith nor Roger took communion.
13 April 1354
Easter Day, and Lent is finally over: every house sent the lord its Easter eggs, and there was meat on the table again. Thomas atte Well and Roger Warrener settled with a loveday, a peace made between neighbors out of court, with Beatrice Shepherd standing between them. Roger paid 2d damages and 2d for the lord's licence to agree, Thomas withdrew his plea, and they drank on it; Edith atte Well and Roger made their own loveday at the inn, Beatrice between them again. Ralph of Bradwell, a pilgrim bound for Compostela with a scallop shell sewn on the hat and a year on the road ahead, slept in the church porch.
14 April 1354
A pedlar, Robert of Hatherley, came in from the road on 14 April with combs, thread, spoons and cheap brooches on his tray, and took a bed at the inn for the night. It stayed cloudy all day. Agnes has seen Kit go to the well with Meg and Amy, and kept Jack off her.
15 April 1354
Drizzle on 15 April, and Alan Fisher, 17, is in bed with the ague, the shaking fever that comes and goes.
16 April 1354
Isabel of Kingsley is in bed with the ague, the fever that comes and goes in chills. It was a day of April showers, with the fields greening up in between.
17 April 1354
A day of showers on 17 April. Roger Warrener took a peck of meal over to the Fletchers, to repay their kindness.
19 April 1354
Henry of Ashby came in off the road today and took a bed at the inn. He's a chapman, a traveling seller, working his way round the villages with cloth, girdles and purses. Agnes Fletcher lent the Coopers a spade.
20 April 1354
Peter Miller and Stephen Brewer settled things today with a loveday, a friendly agreement made outside the court, with Adam Brewer standing between them. They drank on it. Stephen paid 2d for the lord's licence to agree, and Peter's plea was withdrawn. William of Milford, a tinker who mends pots, kettles and pans, came in from the road with his little brazier and took a bed at the inn.
22 April 1354
Margaret of Elmstead, a pilgrim, walked into Ambermead barefoot on 22 April. She made a vow on a sickbed to go to St Thomas, and she's keeping it on foot. The priest gave her a bed for the night.
23 April 1354
Two more travelers came through on a cloudy 23 April. Thomas of Norton, a pilgrim with a scallop shell sewn on his hat and a year on the road to Compostela still ahead of him, had a bed at the priest's. Roger of Stanton, a tinker with his little brazier and a bag of patches for pots and kettles, took a room at the inn.
24 April 1354
A minstrel named Thomas of Bradwell walked in on a clear 24 April with a fiddle, working the inns between the fairs, and took a bed at the inn for the night. Sir John also said a Mass for the Brewers, in return for their kindness.
25 April 1354
A traveling cooper, Alan of Thornbury, stopped in today with new staves to sell and tubs and buckets to mend. He took a bed at the inn for the night, and the good weather held for another day.
26 April 1354
Alan Fisher, 17, is up and about again after his bout of ague, and it's a clear spring day for it.
28 April 1354
Hocktide came in wet, with rain all day, but Hock Monday went ahead. The women caught the men and tied them up until they paid a forfeit, which brought in 1s 2d for the church.
29 April 1354
Another day of rain, and the ground is sodden. The men got their turn on Hock Tuesday, catching the women and raising 11d more for the church. Thomas atte Well is in bed with a fever. The manor court sat in the hall. The steward's answers came down on two asks: Thomas atte Well's about rent for the empty holding by the mere, and Alan Shepherd's about meadow ground for hay. The old terms stand on both. Elena Brewer and Beatrice Shepherd were fined 4d each for brewing and selling ale against the rules. Henry Cooper came up for being in the lord's warren by night, his second time this year, and John of Thornbury brought a complaint against Thomas atte Well over beasts in the corn. The steward has put all of that to the lord.
30 April 1354
Isabel of Kingsley is back on her feet after the ague. It rained all day for the fourth day running, with May Day tomorrow.