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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: prmt86 on Monday 16 September 24 11:57 BST (UK)

Title: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: prmt86 on Monday 16 September 24 11:57 BST (UK)
I'm struggling with both the transcription and the meaning of the highlighted words on these five lines of a 1537 inventory. I have:

Item a cawe [=cow?] . . . xij s

Item a caple [or caphe? =calf?] . . . v s

Item xxt [=20 plus how many?] shepe . . . xxvi s viii d

Item in redy money . . . x d

Item xv pece [=pieces?] of pewter . . . v s


The will is from 1537.

Many thanks
Title: Re: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: Vance Mead on Monday 16 September 24 12:24 BST (UK)
a cawe is a cow
a caple is a horse. From Spanish caballo
xxt I think must just be twenty. A shilling each is about the right price for sheep at that time.
and pieces of pewter
Title: Re: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: horselydown86 on Monday 16 September 24 16:13 BST (UK)
Regarding the last question, it should be transcribed as pec(es).

See the es brevigraph as described on this page:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01tex/ 

I'm puzzled by the number in the entry for the sheep.  Normally we might see a superscript o in that location, indicating the last letter of vicesimo.

Could this apparent t possibly be from vingt?
Title: Re: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: BillieJeanSiddoway on Monday 16 September 24 16:45 BST (UK)
I think "pote" is pot.

I've seen references in my ancestors' wills to "my best brasse pote" among other household items such as "silver cup". Also, the surname Pot was sometimes spelled Pote. So, I think it is a pot.
Title: Re: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: Bookbox on Monday 16 September 24 20:41 BST (UK)
Quote from: horselydown86 on Monday 16 September 24 16:13 BST (UK)
I'm puzzled by the number in the entry for the sheep.  Normally we might see a superscript o in that location, indicating the last letter of vicesimo.

Could this apparent t possibly be from vingt?

Vicesimo means 'twentieth'. Isn't it just xxt for viginti, meaning 'twenty', with the penultimate t superscript?
Title: Re: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: horselydown86 on Tuesday 17 September 24 01:40 BST (UK)
Quote from: Bookbox on Monday 16 September 24 20:41 BST (UK)
Isn't it just xxt for viginti, meaning 'twenty', with the penultimate t superscript?

Yes, you are right, of course.  I must have been recalling the usage from dates, where it is "twentieth day".
Title: Re: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: prmt86 on Tuesday 17 September 24 11:09 BST (UK)
Thank you to everyone who replied.

I’m going with xxt = viginti as it makes the most sense. I have never seen that kind of “thinking in Latin” before on an inventory.

I now know what a caple is.

The last line is definitely pec(es) although it does look like pote! The key was the es brevigraph which was new to me, thanks for the link for that one.
Title: Re: Counting sheep - 1537 will inventory
Post by: Bookbox on Tuesday 17 September 24 11:32 BST (UK)
Quote from: prmt86 on Tuesday 17 September 24 11:09 BST (UK)
I’m going with xxt = viginti as it makes the most sense. I have never seen that kind of “thinking in Latin” before on an inventory.

It's quite commonly found with roman numerals - e.g. ivor = quattuor = four.