Prices of Miscellaneous Food
and Drink Items
Listed in the de Vesci Account Books at Abbeyleix,
1800-1805
(based on National Library of
|
Item |
Pounds |
Shillings and Pence |
|
Cock turkey
for Easter Sunday |
|
5s 5d |
|
6½ gallons
of ale |
|
7s 7d |
|
3 gallons
of spirits for mill-race |
₤1 |
19s |
|
10 barrels
of potatoes |
₤10 |
|
|
4 stone of
salt |
|
6s |
|
300 oysters at 2s 2d/100 |
|
6s 6d |
|
100 herrings |
|
6s 9d - 9s |
|
4 haddock |
|
4s 4d |
|
4 lobsters |
|
4s 4d |
|
Crayfish |
|
1s 1d |
|
Salmon |
|
7s 7d |
|
9 lb of eels
at 4d/lb |
|
3s |
|
16 lb of
beef |
|
4s 8d |
|
26 lb veal
at 8d/lb |
|
17s 4d |
|
Poor veal
(side, head and feet) for broth |
|
4s 4d (2s
2d/quarter) |
|
Best hunk
of veal for mop broth |
|
5s |
|
2 heads of
sheep for mop broth |
|
2s 2d |
|
4 lb bacon
at 10d/lb |
|
3s 9d |
|
¼ of lamb |
|
8s 11d |
|
2 pairs of
chickens |
|
2s 3d |
|
Tripe |
|
1s 1d |
|
1 hare |
|
1s 1d |
|
1 lb tea
(Congou) |
|
6s 6d |
|
3 quarts
of honey at 2s/quart |
|
6s |
|
2 stone best
Jamaican sugar |
|
16s |
|
Fresh butter |
|
5s 4d |
|
Bread |
|
2s 2d |
|
Barm |
|
1s 1d |
|
2 stone flour |
|
10s 10d |
|
2 oz nutmeg |
|
5s |
|
4 oz ginger |
|
6d |
|
1 lb sweet
almonds |
|
3s 3d |
|
3 dozen lemons |
|
8s 12d |
|
2 dozen oranges |
|
5s 5d |
|
300 apples |
|
7s |
Note the price
of luxuries such as nutmeg – a mere 2 oz of nutmeg cost as much as a turkey
and more than four lobsters! At this point tea was also expensive whereas
oysters were relatively cheap – 100 oysters cost 2s 2d, whereas 100 herrings
cost 6-9s.
Miscellaneous Food and Drink
Items Bought for Servants and Labourers
at Abbeyleix, 1800-1805
|
Item |
Pounds |
Shillings and Pence |
|
100 herrings
for servants |
|
8s 10d |
|
Eggs for
servants |
₤1 |
|
|
14 lbs sugar
for labourers |
|
11s 6d |
|
3 quarters
of poor veal for shearers |
|
6s 6d |
|
21 gallons
of ale for shearers |
₤1 |
4s 6d |
|
Spirits for
servants (at Halloween) |
|
16s |
|
Whiskey for
servants’ punch |
|
2s |
|
Bread, beer
and whiskey for men drawing hay |
|
19s 8d |