Household Inventory of the Possessions of John Collan, Goldsmith, 1490

John Collan was a goldsmith of German origin, originally from Cologne, who lived and worked in York very close to the present site of Coffee Yard in the late 15th century, at the same time as William Snawsell was in Barley Hall.

COLLAN, JOHN, YORK, GOLDSMITH 1440.
[BIHR, DEAN AND CHAPTER OF YORK, ORIGINAL WILLS, 1383-1499)

Appraised by John Eston, cutler, and Robert Wilkynson, pewterer,

CASH Nil

Aula

Item	£	s	d
A hailing (tapestry or cloth) with flowers four yards long and one and a half yards wide		1
Another hailing with flowers, three yards long and one and a half yards wide		4
Another hailing, four yards long			8
Another green hailing with flowers, three yards long			8
A red banker (cover for bench or chair), three yards long			4
Another red banker, three yards long			4
Another red banker, three and a half yards long			4
Another red banker, two and a half yards long			2
Six cushions and an old chair			8
Another old chair			3
A counter		5
A small aumbry (cupboard for food or tableware)			4
A haggaday (latch for door or gate)			1
A form			2
Another form			1
A maund (wicker basket with handles)			2
TOTAL		14s	3d

 

Parlour

Item	£	s	d
An old hailing with the Trinity three yards long			3
Another with an image of Saint George and of the blessed Mary			4
Two forms			3
A table with two trestles			4
A folding table			5
Another folding table			8
A stool with cords			1
Another stool with cords			1
A small chest			4
A board			1
A bed with four boards			5
A tester with an image of the blessed Mary			6
Two red curtains with a border		2
A marble stone and a mallet			8
TOTAL		6s	5d

 

Boutling-house

Item	£	s	d
A boulting (sifting) ton			8
A trough			4
An old barrel			2
An old tub			4
Another tub			4
Another old tub			4
Another small tub			2
Another small tub			2
Another tub			2
An old stool called a stool-of-ease			1
An iron fork			1
A wand bushel			2
An old board			1
A bird cage and two old boards			1
A square board			1
A scuttle			1
A grindstone, a trough and tackle			6
A stool and a cage			1
Two stone pans			1
A barrow, a peck and an old maund for coals	1	1	2
A stone trough		11	2
An iron rake			1
A stone mortar with a pestle			4
An old sack			2
Two little old pokes			3
Eight boards with a stanchion (upright bar, stay or support) standing between the kitchen and the boulting house			8
Two small scales			2
A barrel for crab-apple juice			1
TOTAL	1	18s	1d

 

Kitchen

Item	£	s	d
A lead		1	4
A water jar			8
Two small stands			1
A jar for beer			1
A chopping stool with a board			1
A pair of iron gallons		1
Two small crooks			2
Two pairs of kilps(detachable pot hook or handle)			2
A fire scomour (shallow ladle for skimming liquid) and apair of tongs			6
A chopping knife			2
An old frying pan and a meat hook			1
An iron spit			2
A broach			2
A caul (kitchen dresser with a cage for hens)			3
An old frying pan			4
An aumbry			4
A pair of old cobirons (an iron on which a spit turns)			4
A roast-iron			3
Bronze jar weighing 16 pounds		2	8
Another bronze jar weighing 12 pounds		1	8
Another small bronze jar weighing 8 pounds		1	4
A cruet with a start weighing 4 pounds		8
Two old pans weighing 3 pounds			6
A large chain			6
Two chains			8
A copper pan		1
A flat basin weighing four and a half pounds		1	½
Another flat basin weighing three and a half pounds			10½
A hollow basin weighing three pounds			8
A ewer weighing three and a quarter pounds			10
Another ewer weighing two and a half pounds			7
A candle-stick with two flowers			6
Another candle-stick with two flowers			4
A small candle-stick			3
Another candle-stick			3
A chauffer (small portable furnace)			6
A standing water jar (pottle) weighing five pounds			10
Another pottle (half gallon) jar weighing three and a half pounds			7
A quart jar weighing three and a half pounds			7
Another quart jar weighing two and a half pounds			5
A pint pot weighing a pound			2½
A pewter vessel weighing two dozen and nine pounds		6	10½
A ladder			3
TOTAL	£1	18s	1d

 

Store Room

Item	£	s	d
Three boards			3
Two rennets (inner membrane of the stomach used for making cheese)			1
A jar for beer			1
An old chest			1
An aumbry		1	4
A latten searce (sieve)			1
A bowet (small lantern)			2
TOTAL		2s	1d

 

Great Camera

Item	£	s	d
A pruce (fir tree wood) chest		2	4
A small chest			8
A red and yellow cover		1	4
Another green cover		1
Another green cover		1
A white cover			8
A counterpane of new white cloth			8
Another counterpane			6
Another counterpane			6
An old counterpane			4
A feather bed and a bolster		8
A bed with boards			10
A mattress and a bolster		2	2
An old feather bed and a bolster		1	1
An old mattress		1
A cider-press		1	6
A tester with a border		1	4
A hanging cloth with an image of the blessed Mary of mercy			8
A blue tester with a hanging at the head		1
A bed with boards			6
A square chest		1	4
A harness-barrel			4
Three pairs of linen sheets		6	9
Another pair of linen sheets		2
A pair of sheets of sameron (cloth similar to linen & hessian)		1	8
Another pair of sameron		1	8
A pair of sheets of harden (tough linen cloth)		1	4
Another pair of harden		1	4
Another pair of harden		1
Another pair of harden		1
Another pair of harden		1
Two pillows			8
Another two pillows			7
Another two pillows			8
A table cloth three yards long			10
Another table-cloth two and a half yards long			8
Another table-cloth two yards long			6
A small old table-cloth			2
A towel three yards long			6
Another towel three yards long			5
Another towel			4
Another towel			2
A trussing doublet and a paunce (large bellied doublet)		2
An old maund			1
TOTAL	£2	14s	1d

 

Another Camera

Item	£	s	d
Two old painted cloths			1
Four old boards for a canopy and an old bed			4
An old maund			1
A ladder			1
Two boards and a pair of trestles			4
A timber cart		1	6
A mett (two bushels) of coals			3
TOTAL		2s	8d

 

Clothes

Item	£	s	d
An old tunic of spruce leather			8
Another old worsted tunic			10
A pair of blue hose			8
A red jacket			1
Three old yellow quarters for lining a cloak			3
A green cloak		2
A blue cloak		5
TOTAL		9s	6d

 

Workshop

Item	£	s	d
A working board and a desk		1	8
Two stithies (anvils)		3	4
Two sparrowhawk-stithies (silver working anvil)			10
Six large forging-hammers		2
Five planching (planking or flooring) hammers		1
A hook-hammer and a straining hammer			3
Five small clinches (riveting tool)			4
Two spoon tayses (case or sheath)			10
Two stamps		1	2
Three swages (tool for bending cold metal)			6
A round stake, a flat stake and a nebbed stake			4
Four pairs of sherithez (shears)		1	4
A pair of spanne-tongs (grasping tongs?) and two pairs of pliers			3
Two pairs of tire tongs and a pair of small tongs			7
A shaving hook and a copper standard			5
A long locker with pounsons (punching tool for making holes)		1	8
Two drawing tongs with two drawing tools		1	2
Two pairs of hand-scales with accessories			4
A small stithy with holes in it			1
Two ingots and a pair of pounsons			4
A locker with gravers and shavers			4
A candle-stick and a fayn (candle shield)			1
A locker with files			8
Two other lockers with pounsons			4
A round brass stamp with two bosses			2
A small triblet (a rod for forging rings and tubes) and a pair of wooden spanne-tongs			½
Four pattern lockers with old pattems			8
A pile and three pairs of balances		2	2
Two pairs of balances for gold			4
A sarce-casket (receptacle for sieved material) and a rinspindle cutler’s tool for boring holes)			2
A gilding platter with accessories			4
An enameling locker			6
A fire with a pair of bellows		1
Three tin pieces			10
An old board and a desk			3
stones of slate			1
A large pile of weights and a pair of balances		5
A silver pax (a disc with a picture of the crucifixion on it) Weighing 12½ ounces at 3s 2d per ounce	1	19	7
Three bands of maple-wood and a foot of maple-wood Weighing 12 ounces at 3s 4d per ounce	2
A maple-wood band and a locker with small change Weighing 12½ ounces at 3s 4d per ounce	2	1	8
A silver bow with a silver arrow and a little bell of gold		5
A silver spoon without a knop (knob)			7
21 pearls		2
Two diamonds		8
Three sheets of book gold			3
A heft of a knife of green serpentine			1
A mazer (cup without a foot) shell		1
A pair of balances			1
A stamp			4
A primer			6
Two other old books			2
A tin cresset			2
A sarce-casket			2
A jet rosary			2
Sweepings from the workshop	1
TOTAL	£9	11s	1½d

 

Utensils

Item	£	s	d
An old saddle			8
A goon staff			8
A Carlisle axe			4
An old spear staff			1
Two old dore bands of iron			6
An old riddle and an English womble (hayrope twister)			2
An old painted cloth			½
A bird-bolt			2
An old scythe and a bill			2
A rat-trap			2
A coat			1
An old bowl			1
A pair of old pitchers and bouges (bag or wallet)			1
TOTAL		3s	2½d

 

Debts Collected

Item	£	s	d
John Craucester		1	4
Philip Warde		1	2
The same Philip		1
The same Philip			8
Thomas Prest of Maltby close to the monastery of Leith		4
The warden of the vestry of the cathedral church of Saint Peter of York for repair of an English jug and a cruet			6
For repair of two candle-sticks			8
Master William Poteman			8
Taite of York, hosier		1	10
William Dobson of Dunington		1
Catherine Fynch		1	8
Robert Loksmyth		1	1
TOTAL		15s	7d

 

Bad Debts

Item	£	s	d
Dominus Gracestok	1	13	8
Domina Worsley of York for making an agnus-del		2	6
An allowance for weighing it			3
For gilding a buckle and a hanging for a belt		2
For making a small harness		1
For making two English aglets (metal point at the end of shoe or clothes lace)			4
TOTAL	£1	19s	9d

 

GRAND TOTAL of all goods and debts paid

£18

15s

1d

 

Debts Owed By The Deceased

Item	£	s	d
Robert Currier		10
William Bordale		1	8
Cuke Powderey			9½
Robert Wilkynson			4
The Prior and Convent of Saint Oswald for rent for his house		7
William Chandler of York		1	8
The same William			6
The clerk to the fabric of the cathedral church of Saint Peter of York		2	6
Arnaryk		2
William Chandler			2
John Blissyng			1
Master Gray			10
The wife of Steisley		1
For rent for his garden			7
Thomas Fynch of York		5
The same Thomas		18	9
Harmano Aldisleke	2
TOTAL	£4	12s	10½d

 

Bequests in the Will

Item	£	s	d
Paid to the rector of his parish church for tenths forgotten.			4
Paid to the fabric of Saint Peter.		1
Paid to the leper-houses of York.		1	1
A lantern, a balance (1s 8d) and all tools in his work shop (£l 6s 10½d), a goon staff; a spring garden. and 10s bequeathed to Margaret, his daughter.	1	18	6½
Paid to dominus Peter Danyell		3	4
TOTAL	£2	4s	3½d

 

Funeral Expenses

Item	£	s	d
Wax		1	4
Bread		4	8
Wine		1	11
lid. Beer		2	7
Meat iod. Two capons and two chickens		1	8
Cheese			5
Making the tomb			8
For ringing			8
For celebration of mass and requiem mass			4
Paid to the chaplains of the guild of Saint Christopher.		1	9
Paid to the bell-ringer.			8
Paid to the parish chaplain			8
Paid to two brothers			1
Paid to two boys			2
A spice plate		1	8
To three bedells (parish officers) of various guilds for carrying scabbards before him to the church		2
Paid for other items on the same day		1	4
TOTAL	£1	2s	7d

 

Will Expenses

Item	£	s	d
Proving of the will with a receipt		5s	6d
For writing the will, the inventory and a copy of the same		3s	4d
TOTAL		8s	10d

 

GRAND TOTAL of all of the goods with debts collected £18 15s 1d from which £4 12s 10½d has been deducted for common debts of the deceased, leaving £14 2s 5½d to be divided between the deceased, his wife and his son. Thus each portion is £4 14s 1½d with 1d left over. The executors have paid £2 4s 3 ½d from the deceased’s portion for bequests and £1 11s 5d for funeral and will expenses leaving 18s 5d of the deceased’s portion bequeathed equally to the executors. Agnes, his wife reports that she has received £1 16s from the goods of the deceased in part payment for her portion. Thus she is owed £2 18s 1½d for her portion.