Household Inventory of the Possessions of Robert Lokesmyth, Vestment Maker, 11th December 1531

Robert Lokesmyth was a vestment maker who lived and worked in York very close to the present site of Barley Hall in the early 16th century. Like William Snawsell, he rented his house from Nostell Priory.

The Inventory of Robert Lokesmyth, Vestment Maker of St.Michael le Belfry, 11th December 1531
(In 1496 Robert Lokesmyth leased from Nostell Preston the house in Stayngate in which Master Robert Cheston lived before; this was not Barley Hall)

In primis IN MONEY

15s

4d

 

The Hall

Item	£	s	d
In primis a counter		5
Item the covering thereof			4
Item a long board with a trestle			8
Item a form with a mat			3
Item 4 chairs		1	2
Item a cupboard		5
Item the hawlings (hall curtains)		2	8
Item 8 cushions with the old bankers (covers)		2	8
Item a falden (folding?) board			4
Item a shelf			1
Item an old cupboard		1
TOTAL		19s	2d

 

The Low Parlour

Item	£	s	d
In primis a furred gown		8
Item one old black gown		3
Item a feather bed and a bolster		10
Item one old mattress			8
Item two oods (pillows)			6
Item a blanket happynge (covering)		2
Item a twylte (quilt)		1
Item a covering of a bed		7
Item an old covering			6
Item three old coverlets		1	8
Item a pair of blankets		1	6
Item a feather bed and a bolster		8
Item one old mattress			6
Item three old sheets		1	4
Item pieces of sheets			4
Item one old tester (canopy over a bed) with fringes		1	4
Item a bed standing			6
Item a pair of bed stocks (the front and back part of a bedstead across which the rungs were laid)			4
Item an old counter		2
Item one old chest			4
Item a chest			8
Item the hawlings (curtains)there		1	4
A tester with the border			4
Item a basin with Adam and Eve and one ewer (jug) without lid		1	8
Item a basin with the rose of it and the ewer		2
Item a basin with one ewer		1	8
Item a quarter weight of meselyn (mixture of grains, especially rye and wheat)		4	8
Item a little vat of meselyn			6
Item two candlesticks		1	8
Item three candlesticks		1	6
Item two candlesticks			6
Item a candlestick with three flowers and one other with two flowers.			8
Item a chafing dish		1	6
Item a chafing dish			6
Item a chafing dish			10
Item 27 pounds weight of pewder (pewter?)		9
Item Four spits		1	2
Item two pots and a posnett (metal pot for boiling) weighing 2 doosen		3	4
Item a kettle and a pan		1	4
Item a chopping knife			2
Item a spruce chest (This could be a chest made of spruce but at this date may be a chest from Spruce land — that is Prussia)		1	8
Item a chest with lock and key		1	8
Item a board cloth		1	2
Item a diaper table cloth (linen fabric woven with a small simple pattern)		1
Item one old diaper table cloth			6
Item a linen table cloth			10
Item a linen towel			6
Item two linen towels			6
Item one old linen table cloth			8
Item a linen towel			2
Item a pair of old linen sheets			8
Item a linen sheet			10
Item a long linen towel		1	4
Item a sheet and little towel			5
Item a chest and a Coffer			8
Item a little buffet stool			1
Item a pair of cob irons (fire dogs - metal supports for logs in the fireplace)		1	4
Item a Chafing dish		1	8
Item a fire louvre		3	4
Item in linen yarn (unwoven thread)		1	4
TOTAL	£5	5s	10d

 

The High Chamber

Item	£	s	d
In primis one old covering of a bed		3
Item a standing bed		1	4
Item A tester (canopy over a bed) of wainscot (wood panels)			10
Item two curtains with fringes		2
Item one old Covering for a bed		3	4
Item a pair of blankets		1	4
Item a feather bed and a bolster		12
Item one old standing bed			6
Item three little forms			2
Item one old iron bound chest		1
Item a tester and a fringe			10
Item the hawlyngs (curtains)		1	4
Item two old chairs			4
Item a Coverlet			10
Item on old bolster and one old cod (pillow)			6
TOTAL	£1	9s	4d

 

The Fore Chamber

Item	£	s	d
In primis a bed Covering		4
Item a Coverlet		1	4
Item a pair of sheets		1	8
Item one old blanket			6
Item a feather bed with the bolster		10
Item a piece of a mattress			4
Item a standing bed			8
Item one old tester with fringe			6
Item six old Coverlets		5	8
Item a pressor (?)		1	8
Item a poke (bag) with feathers and a bolster		1
Item a Coverlet			10
Item a mattress		2
Item one old bed and a trundle bed			8
Item a tester with blue fringe			10
Item one old broken Counter			6
Item one old chest			4
Item three little forms			3
Item two old broken chairs			3
TOTAL	£1	13s

 

The Shop

Item	£	s	d
In primis a cupboard		2
Item a Chest		2
Item a little stool			2
Item a little Chest			4
Item two little old hawlynges (curtains)			6
TOTAL		5s

 

The Boulting House

Item	£	s	d
In primis one old chest			4
Item a bushel (?)			3
Item a saddle with mail pillion (a pad at the back of the saddle to rest luggage or a second person on)			8
Item a swaulle (wooden plank)			4
Item one old chest			4
Item a kneading trough			2
Item a mail of harness			2
Item a tub a hogshead with other trumpery (rubbish)			8
Item a tub and a stand			4
Item a little broken sty (ladder)			1
Item a wirt tub (for brewing beer?)			2
Item a boulting tub (sitting)			2
Item a great board			10
Item a plank			4
Item one old almere (cupboard)		2
Item one old lede		4
TOTAL		10s	10d

 

The Kitchen

Item	£	s	d
In primis a Chest		1
Item a Shelf			1
Item one old almerey (cupboard)		1	2
Item one old cupboard			6
TOTAL		2s	9d

 

A Back Chamber

Item	£	s	d
In primis hay		1	4
Item a broken pressor (?) with trumpery (rubbish)			9
Item two pair of trestles and two little forms			6
Item a pair of tentbealmes (?)			6
Item two cloges with owt the door (two clogs outside the Door?)			8
Item a little nag (small horse or pony?)		9
TOTAL		12s	9d

 

Total of all the goods

£11

14s

 

Money Owing

Funeral Expenses

Item	£	s	d
In primis to the priest and clerks at the dirge and mass (funeral service)		3	6
Item for bred and ale spent in the house and at the dirge		8	4
Item for wax			7
Item for tallow Candles			5
Item to Matterdall’s wife for winding him (preparing Roberts body for burial and wrapping him in his grave clothes)			4
Item for writing the stuff in the house (making a list)			4
Item spent about the valuing of the goods and selling the same		3	4
Item for writing at the valuing and making the Inventory		3
TOTAL		19s	10d

 

Other Debts

Item	£	s	d
In primis to the landlord		15	6
Item expenses made in going to see the nag (little horse or pony)			10
Item for the grass of the same nag taken from him		2	4
Item to one for fetching of the same nag			4
TOTAL		19s

 

Item	£	s	d
Item for a letter of administration			6
Item for making of the Inventory in parchment and indented		3
Item for making of an obligation for the indemnity of the office			12
Item to the administrators of the goods for their labour		6	8
TOTAL		11s	2d

 

Item	£	s	d
In primis to William Wilson for a pair of silver beads, two basins, two Lavers (washing bowls) and two great candlesticks of seven groats (an amount of money) a couple	2	6	8
Item to Master Gabriel Warcope for three yards of bryges (made in the town of Bruges in Belgium?) satin		7
Item to Eliz. Walker daughter and executrix to James Walker fletcher (arrow maker) of York for wheat, rye, barley and hay which did grow on a farm lying in Middlethorpe	4
Item to Alice Leigh sometime wife to Michael Makkarell for fine hemming of embroidery	1	6	8
Item to Richard Bateman for one lez c (?) herynge (herring?) and two mettes (?) of collis (?)		2	8
Item to William Wightman for half a quarter of malt and there did remain unpaid of the half quarter that he had last and immediately before that and for horse grass a night and half a day		2	5
Item to Alan Aire servant to the duke of Somerset as doth appear by a bill of Robert’s own hand	11	5
Item to Richard Thickpenny barber for a whole years shaving		2
Item to John Whiteman for two pairs of cork shoes		1	8
Item to William Tailber for the workmanship of a little dark tawny gown and for three blaklamskynnys (black lamb skins?) and for a pursell (parcel) of shankes (fur from the legs of goats and sheep used for trimming clothes) and five taulynge (’?) of shanks		3	10
Item to James Wood for ale and wood taken at certain times		2	6
Item to Brian Tessemonde for shoes for Christopher and Sybbell and other as appears by his bill		3	1
Item to James Tailor his prentice for certain things as appears by a bill		2	2
Item to Master Thomas Water of the city of York notary 10s as appears by an obligation subscribed with the said Robert Lokesmyth’s own hand and sealed with his seal		10
Item to Christopher Lernuth clerk of the Belfry for certain things as appears by a bill		2	8
Item to Noel Mores for horse food and mans food that he laid for his servant in the country and for books that he sent to Byland Abbey and for hay and faggottes (bundles of wood) as appears b a bill		4	4
Item to Marmaduke Smyth for certain things that appear plainly by a bill	2	16	1
Item to Henry Straket of Newburgh for money that he lent him for silk that he had from Christopher Field of Wakefield for a quarter of wheat for horse grass to Mr Field that the said Roberte Loksmyth should have paid	4	10
Item to Richard Benson smith late dwelling in Bootham or to his executors for shoeing of horses as appears by his tail		4
Item to Agnes Hylton cremet (hermit?)of Saint Leonard’s in Lent money		16	6
Item to Sir Richard Dawson canon of Shap Abbey for a masor price (?)	2	13	4
Item to William Richardson for mustard			8
Item to Robert Drape for half a quarter malt horse bread and white bread as appears by a bill		9	6
Item to George Warkcope for a horse		11	4
TOTAL	£20	3s	6d

 

Total of all the debts

£22

13s

6d