1665 - Inventory of John Brooke, Chair maker of St Martin's Parish, Lincoln

This inventory lists the contents of a late 17th century Lincoln chair maker's house and workshop.

"A true and perfect Inventory of all the Good and Chatt[els] of John Brooke late of the parish of St Martin in Lincoln Chaire maker deceased taken and appraised this 15^th day of July 1665, by Us whose names are here under written

	£	s	d
Inprimis His Purse and his Apparell	1	0	0
Item, Wood great and small in the house and yard	2	0	0
Item 9 Rakes and other similar one implemts in the shop	0	10	0
Item white Rods	9	10	0[]
Item Coine in the little Chamber nixt the sheets	0	5	0
In the Great chamber
Item one dozen of Napkins, one pair of lyn sheets, fr pillow      }
Cases, 2 Table cloths, 2 long Towels, 3 paire of Course sheets,  }	2	15	0
One Silver Cup and two silver spoons in a seeld chest nigh the  }
Window, and the Chest                                                                 }
Item one course Covering, one Blanket, one pillow and  }
one pillow case with a trundle bed                                    }	0	5	0[]
Item one paire of Curtaines and Vallance, One Coverlet        }
one blanket, one paire of sheets, one pillow, one pillow case }	0	10	[]
and a Chaff bed                                                                        }
Item two Covered Stooles	0	2	[]
Item one Table Cupboard with a Carpet, one Cradle }
one Chest and one Stoole                                           }	0	6	0
Item One wanded Chair, † one standing Close presse	0	6	0
Item One Seeing glass	0	0	6
In the Back Shop
Item one dozen of Chaires	0	6	0
In the house
Item Two flaggons, one pinte can, and one Gill can     }
8 pewter dishes, one chamber pot & two Candlesticks }	0	17	6
Item one Brass pott, 3 brasse pans, one warming                   }	0	9	0
Pan, one Brasse Chafin dish, & one Brasse morter & pestull }
Item one high Cupboard	0	10	0
Item 3 little Tables and one Carpet	0	4	0
Item One Salting Kit, †† three Water Kits†† and }
one drink stand                                                      }	0	3	0
Item one andiron§, one Spit, One paire of Cobirons§§ }
one ffire skummer, one paire of Tongs, one dripping    }
pan, Two End irons§, one Tallow Cawk, & hooks         }	0	10	0
one frying pan and other old iron                                   }
Item one Mare and a foale and one foot (?) follower	3	0	[]
Item Bumble Reed ‡	0	5	[]
Item Stallbords blocks and other implements	0	0[]	[]
Total of this Inventory	23	[13]	[]
Roger Clark [x] his mark John Goodinn [x] his mark
Samuell Booth Robert Burmoster
1200 [] E[] fuit huiu[] .. apud Lincoln 12° Aug[] & pri[?]o [..] sub & S[]

[ ]: the original has losses at the margin where not all of the document remains. 

† Wanded chair: chair made of wickerwork or with wickerwork seat and back rushes (Glossary, p. 152 ‘Probate Inventories of Lincoln Citizens 1661-1714’ edited by J.A. Johnston, Lincoln Record Society & The Boydell Press 1991)

†† Kit: tub (p. 149, ibid.)

§ Andiron; also End iron: a device for raising logs above hearth level (p. 145, ibid.)

§§ Cobiron: a small version of an andiron, usually with hooks on the front to support spits  (p. 146, ibid.)

‡ Bumbles are woven bull rushes (p. 145 ibid.)  See also entry from ‘The English Dialect Dictionary’  Joseph Wright, OUP 1898:  “BUMBLE, sb.⁶ Yks. Lin. [bu-ml.]   1. The bulrush, Scirpus lacustris, with which chairs are bottomed. Also used attrib.   Lin. The chair's got a bumble bottom (R.E.C.). n.Lin. N. & Q.  (1852) 1st S v. 375 ; n.Lin.¹ I can't abide them bumble-seated  chairs ; it's makkin' onessen like a Paapist to set doon 'e one  on 'em. sw-Lin.¹   2. Comp. Bumble-barfan, a horse-collar made of reeds  or rushes as distinguished from the leather bargham (q.v.).   n.Yks. 12 ne. Yks. ¹ The bumble-barfam was specially used for  young colts and fillies when first yoked (s.v. Barfhame). m.Yks.¹  VOL. I.     [Bull-rushes ... in some countries . . . are called  bumbles, WESTMACOTT Script. Herbal (1694) 32.]”

Reference Name INV/165/41

Name: Brooke, John

Profession: Chair Maker

Place: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Date: 1665

Repository: Lincolnshire Archives [057]

© Julian Parker 2020