Inventory of estate of Richard Hunniset, Farmer of Herstmonceux
Inventory taken: 24 January 1732
Administration granted: 9 June 1738
A True and Perfect Inventory of all and Singular the Goods Chattells Cattel ready money Debts and all other the moveables of Richard Hunniset of the Parish of Herstmonceux in the County of Sussex farmer deceased Taken this Twenty fourth day of January 1732 by us Richard Bristed & John Dan
|
£ |
s |
d |
Wearing Apparrel & money in Pocket |
4 |
- |
- |
In the Kitchen |
|
|
|
One long Table and form, 6 Chairs, 1 Joynd Stool |
|
13 |
- |
A Clock & Case, a Cupboard, a Dresser, & an ovel Table |
2 |
7 |
- |
Fire Shovel and tongs, brandirons, Creepers & Slice |
|
10 |
- |
Two pair of potthooks, 1 spitt, 2 gridirons, 2 morters & 2 pestles, a Clever, a Chaffing dish, Stilyards. |
|
13 |
- |
A pair of bellows, 2 block Irons, a case Iron and three Candlesticks Iron |
|
3 |
- |
Eleven Pewter dishes, 28 pounds & 14 plates |
1 |
8 |
- |
A warming pan, a Small brass ladle, a brass Skillett, 18 Trenchers & Several small things |
|
10 |
- |
In the Brewhouse |
|
|
|
A brass furnace, a brew tubb, 2 tubbs, 3 keelers |
1 |
14 |
- |
A Cheese keeler, a Cheese press & weight |
|
8 |
- |
A porridge pott, an Iron kettle, one Iron fork & 2 pails |
|
9 |
- |
In the Milkhouse |
|
|
|
Three milk leads, a Charn, 4 milk boles, 3 milk pails |
1 |
4 |
- |
2 poudering tubbs, 2 barrels, 4 doz of bottles, a small bell brass pot & cover, Scales & 13 pounds of weights, a butter platter, a keeler, a Gallon, a milk dish, frypan, Iron Skillett, Earthen potts, a laun Seive, a lantern & Several small things. |
1 |
16 |
6 |
Twenty Cheeses, & pork in the tubb |
4 |
16 |
- |
One quarter of Oates & 4 Sacks |
|
16 |
- |
3 barrels, 1 Iron pott, 3 wooden bottles, one Ax, 2 handbills, 3 Scaffles |
|
12 |
6 |
In the Kitchen Chamber |
|
|
|
Two feather beds, bedsteds, Curtains & covering, One Table, 4 Chairs, 5 Chests, 3 deal boxes, One Trunk and other small things |
7 |
15 |
- |
In the Brewhouse Chamber |
|
|
|
One feather bed, bedsted, curtains and Covering & six Chairs |
3 |
5 |
- |
In the Outer Chamber |
|
|
|
A brass kettle, 2 Spinning wheels, one woolen wheel, a Tovett, a malt bag & other things |
1 |
8 |
- |
One Saddle, one pillion, 3 bridles & small things |
|
13 |
- |
Linnen |
|
|
|
Nine pair of Tow Sheets, 2 pair of flaxen Sheets, 4 flaxen napkins & 1 table cloth, 5 pillow Coats, 5 tow towells, 5 table cloths & small linnen |
5 |
13 |
6 |
Carried Over: |
40 |
14 |
6 |
|
£ |
s |
d |
Brought Over |
40 |
14 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
One Horse Court & harness |
1 |
4 |
- |
Five prongs, three rakes, 2 haye cutters, one Ladder, one Grindstone, a Hoghutch and hogtroughs |
|
13 |
- |
Wood & faggotts |
1 |
10 |
- |
For things unseen & forgott |
|
5 |
- |
Stock |
|
|
|
Four fatting Steers & a Stump of Hay |
33 |
- |
- |
Six Calves, 1 Cow & a Stump of Hay |
13 |
10 |
- |
Four threeyearling Steers |
16 |
- |
- |
Two twoyearling Steers |
4 |
10 |
- |
Four twoyearling heffers |
10 |
- |
- |
Five Cows & a Stack of Hay |
31 |
- |
- |
Hay in the Tongs |
2 |
- |
- |
Three Horses |
20 |
- |
- |
A Stone horse, Two Colts & an old mare |
22 |
- |
- |
Two fatting hoggs |
3 |
- |
- |
Six Sheals |
4 |
- |
- |
Money Owing |
8 |
17 |
- |
Money in the House |
20 |
- |
- |
|
232 |
3 |
6 |
Taken and appraised in the day and year above written and the whole amount to the sume of Two hundred thirty and two pounds three Shillings and Six pence |
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June 9th 1738 |
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This transcript was from a poor microfilm copy of the original. Some of it was difficult to make out, especially some of the values although most could be discerned and the rest inferred from the totals.
Richard Hunniset, born in 1679, was buried in Herstmonceux on 8 January 1732/3
Quite why the administration of the estate was not granted until more than 6 years after the inventory is not clear.
Richard’s widow, Anne, died in 1744 and left a will.
Value of stock:
From the items in the inventory it is possible to calculate the going rate for cattle at various stages in their lives as follows:
| Yearling calves | £1 |
| Two-yearling heifers | £2 10s |
| Two-yearling steers | £2 |
| Three-yearling steers | £4 |
| Cows | £6 |
| Fatting steers | £8 |
Relative values:
£1 in 1732 equates to about £168 in 2020
Total value of inventory £232 3s 6d which is equivalent to about £39k today, of which about £32k was the value of his business.
Explanation of some of the items in the Inventory
| Bell brass | Alloy of copper & tin commonly used for bells. |
| Brandirons | iron grid or trivet with short legs, sometimes with a long handle, for supporting cooking vessels over or in front of an open fire. |
| Chaffing dish | A vessel with an outer pan of hot water, for keeping things warm. |
| Court | A cart for carrying stones, bricks etc. Hence court-load. |
| Creepers | |
| Gridirons | a square or circular platform of iron bars, with short feet and a long handle, used for cooking meat over a fire. |
| Irons, block & case | Types of iron for pressing linen. |
| Keeler | A vessel for cooling liquids; a shallow tub used for household purposes |
| Lawn (or laun) sieve | A fine sieve, generally of silk. |
| Scaffle (or scavel) | A small spade. |
| Sheats | Pigs under a year old. |
| Slice | A long-handled flat cooking implement. |
| Skillet | A small metal cooking pot with a long handle and, usually, legs. |
| Steelyard | An uneven arm balance for weighing heavy loads. |
| Stone horse | A stallion, an uncastrated horse. |
| Tovett (or tuffet) | A measure of 2 pecks or half a bushel – ie 4 gallons. |
| Tow sheets & towels | Tow was a very coarse cloth made from short fibres removed from flax in the processing. Probably more like blankets than sheets. |
| Trencher | A wooden plate, a development of the earlier bread trencher. |
| Trivet | A three or four legged stand for positioning small pots over the fire. |