Elizabeth I
Her Involvement with Grafton

PRO E 351/3337
Honor of Grafton.
Account of William Hicklinge gentleman paymaster of the works and reparacons done there so appoynted and authorized by order from the right honorable Sir Walter Mildmay knight chancellor of the courte of the exchequer, works and reparacons and for the carreadge of the same to and from sondrie places and for wageis of sondrie artificers, woorkemen and laborors servinge in the said workes from the fourth daie of February 1572/3 annoque xv domine Elizabethe untill 27th July 1574 annoque xvj eiusdem regine being by the space of one whole uere one hundrethe fortie and tow daies, as by neyne severall bookes subscribed with the hands of the saide accoumptaunt and William Spycer surveyor.
No arrears from previous year.

Michaelmas term.
Received of Richard Hodgeson deputy to Henry Killegrewe est. in part payment of Dclxvj (£666-13s-4d - henceforth all figures in modern form, not Roman) by vertue of the prevy seale £300.

Easter.
Received as well of Richard Hodgeson in full payment of the aforesaid £666-13s-4d as also of Richard Stoneley in full payment of works there and in full discharge of a prevy seal dated 7th June 1572 £333-6s-8d in all £700.

Easter 1574
Received of Richard Hodgeson in full payment of a prevy seale £500.

Michaelmas 1574
Received £180 in part payment of the prevy seale 28th February 1573/4 Robert Petre clarke of the Peale.
Oak boardes 1,736 foote at 4s-8d the hundred £4-0s-6d and deale boordes 92 at 12d farthing le peece £4-14s-4d, in all £8-13s-10d. Lathes 25,700 at 5s.-10d the thousand £7-9s-11d.
Freestone: viz. 11 toun at 3s-4d. and 5s the ton 46s-8d and 296 ton at 4s le toun £55-12s, total £59-18s-8d

Roughe stone: 49 ton at 2s.-6d. the ton £6-2s-6d.

Lyme: 31 quarters viz: 4 quarters of chanke lyme at 3s-4d. the quarter 13s.-4d and 27 quarters of stone lyme at 2s.-2d three farthings the quarter 60s, total 73s.-4d.

Tyles: 27,30: viz. 20,000 at 9s the thousand, £9 and 7,300 at 12s the thousand £4-7s. Total £13-7s.

Ridge tiles: 25 dozen at 2s the dozen 51s.-10d

Haire: 73 quarters, 5 strikes at 16d the quarter £4-18s-2d.

Plaister: 26 ton at 4s le toun 104s.

Allabaster: 15 lodes at 4s-8d le lode 55s.

Leide: 20 cwt at 10s le cwt. £10.

Sowther: 272 lbs worth at 7d le lb. £8-17s-8d.

Glasse: 2,272 foote at 8d and a half penny le foot £6 1-10s-8d.
More at £11-4s-9d.

Armes wrought upon glasse 40 at 6s-8d. le pece £13-6s-8d.
Woordes of Dieu Mon Droit wrought likewise 60 at 2s le pece £6

Total: £315-7s-6d farthing.

Pypes of wood: 2, 5s.

Tylepynnes: 3 boz' at 20d le boz' 5s.

Riddles: 8 at 3d le pece 2s.

Ropes: viz. One gable rope and 4 smaller ropes and 20 peces of corde 69s.

Other necessaries: viz: one ffat (vat), two tubbes, 6 bucketts and 6 hoopes 24s.-7d.

Nailes of sondrie sortes: viz: lathe nailes at 15d le thousand, sexpenny nailes at 4s-7d le thousand and eight penny nailes at 5s-10d le thousand with diverse other sortts of nails of soundrie prices. £34-12s-2d

Iron Work: hammers, truells, chesils, hooks, crowes, locks, casements, clampes, fylinge and tyning ryvatt nailes and and for ryvatt nailes £20-10s for one and a half tons at 20s the cwt £61-5s-6d farthing.

Chardge of carriage. Stone frome sondrie quarries beinge aboute twenty or thirtye miles distaunte from the foresaid house of Grafton at 3s.-4d and 5s the lode and other stone, bricke, tyle, wood, bords, gravell sand and other necessaries for the said beildinge beinge but one, two three, and fower myles distaunte at 1d, 1d and a half, 2d, 3d, 4d, 6d and 8d le lode. £98-14s-9d.

Water with a carte at two horsses at 2s per diem £11-17s. Total of carriage and water £110-11s-9.

Money by him issued, paid and defraied for workes and reparacions done upon the foresaid house.

Free masons and rough masons at 9d., 10d and 12d per diem and hewing asler at 1d. and 1d farthing le fote and also workinge by greate viz: crests at 3d le fote and severall tabule at 2d le fote with £145-2s-8d for laying 2177 perches of rough walles and ashler at 16d le perche and with £103-7s for working 4,134 fote for windowes at 6d le fote and also with £15 for rough casting thold house £497-12-5d and a half.

Carpenters at 10d, 11d and 12d per diem and workinge by the ton at 15d le ton and workinge by great with £19-6s-8d for making two floores and 4 rooffes in the new buildings and with £9 for taking down and making the rooffe and floure over the gate house £103-5s.

Clarke of the worke there viz: William Daukes at 8d per diem, 68s, and William Savage 49s at 12d per diem at severall tymes £6-7s.

Sawyers at 16d, 18d and 19d per diem the paire £21-4s-9d and a half.

Bricklayers, tylers and plaisterers at 10d per diem and by greate with £65-15s for mending 23 ton of chymnes, new laying tyle over the old buildinge £20, plaistering and mending diverse faultes in the said old building £20 and plaistering all the new building and with £25-13s-8d for making two ranges £11 over the greate kitchyn, 22 ton of chynmes £8-16s and laying 117 perch -11ft of brick at 12d le perch 117s-8d £100-14s-2d

Wages of artificers and labourors: viz: lyme burners at 6d., 7d, 10d and 12d per diem and by the quarter at 10d le quarter £30-17s-8d.

Slaters: at 10d per diem £8-11s-8d

Plumbers: at 12d per diem £15-15s

Paynters: paynting barres of windows and casements by the dozen at 8d le dozen £4-14s.

Pavyors: at 12d per diem 36s.

Joiners: at 8d and 12d per diem and by greate £9-6s

Glaziers: with £11-15s for making cleane and newe setting 940 foote of glasse in lead and fyndinge leade and sowther £9-18s-2d.

Makers of lathes at 2s-6d the thousand £10-8s-9d.

Quarrie men: at 6s and 8d per diem and diggers of ruffe stone at 3d le lode £8-9s-8d.

Watchers of the lyme kylne in the night at 4d per noctem 53s.

Laborors at 6d, 7d, 8d and 10d per diem £91-17s-3d farthing.
Worke done by greate and paid: John Holmes slater for coveringe 4 roomes £40 in the new buildinge and for three other short rooffes in the said new building £11, findinge slate and carreadge at his own proper costs and chardges according to severall bargaines made with him in that behalf. £52.

Chardges of William Spicer surveyor of the worke there rydinge into sondrie the Queenes Majestys shiers with a Commission to preste workemen and laborers to worke in the foresaid works at diverse and sondrie tymes 3s.-4d per diem £24-3s-4d.

Conduct money gyven unto the saide workmen and laborers being preste to work at Grafton £18-15s.-10d.

William Kentt towards the dischargin of diverse and sondrie fellors and squarers of tymber and other workes working in the foreste and Perry Parke £44-6s-2d.

So remains in the hands of the accomptaunte upon the determination of this his accompte £9-4s-9d farthing which is paid 4th December 1574 unto Launcelett Yonge the Queens Majesty's glasier for the price of 341 foote of glasse at 6d and a half the foot.

PRO E. 351/ 3338
Account of William Spicer from 1st March 17 Elizabeth 1574/5 until the 18th day of June being the space of one hundreth and nyne days.
By accoumpte of William Hickline last paymaster.
No arrears from previous year.
Robert Freke one of the tellors of the receipte ymployed uppon the workes at Grafton, Robert Peter clarke of the peale.
Emptions, provisions and carriadges as for wages of workmen ymployed in new making of a butterie, six haulf paces before chemnes 140 foot of battlement, thre dores of freestone, 8 leightes for wyndowes, a payre of staires, a hatch and joystes for the seller, 36 steppes of stone and a new paire of staires of stone in the little courte by the tarreis as also in mending tarras and the roofe in the hawle together with plaisteringe 18 roomes under foot gravelinge the same.

Wode: 1 ton £8-10s

Bordes: 837 foot, viz: 63 ft. at 4s the hundred foot, 20s-8d and 324 foot at 3s.-4d. the hundred 10s-10d, in all 31s.-6d.

Plaister: 42 ton at 3s le ton £8-8s.

Tyle: 46,300 viz: at 9d the thousand £13-10s and 16,300 at 10s the thousand £8-3s, in all £21-13s

Roofe tyle 190 at 1d and a half le pece 23s.-9d

Hayre: 6 quarters at 16d the quarter 8d.

Hurdles: 4 dozen at 3d the dozen 12s

Glasse: 883 and a half foot at 6d and a half the foot bought of Launcelett Younge £23-18s-6d three farthings.

Stone viz: Pendleton 16 lodes at 12d the lode 6s and freestone 25 ton at 4s le ton 100s, 106s in all

Tawreis: 22s

Jammes for dores and chynnes 32s-4d and a half.

Diverse other smale necessaries: 44s-7d and a half.

Stocke lookes: 9 dozen at 14s le dozen £6-6s, plate lockes 24, at 10s le pece £12, doble casements 17, at 6s.-4d le pece 101s-4d, ryvett nayles 22 dozen at 16d le dozen 26s.-8d, for hinges, hookes, crampe irons, staples, handles for doors and necessaries £18-19s-5d., in all £43-13s.-5d.

Nayles of sondrie sorts and prices viz: doble ten penny at 9d the hundred, eight penny nailes at 5s-10d the thousand, single ten penny nailes at 8d and a half the hundred, laith nailes at 15d the thousand, six penny nailes at 4s-7d the thousand, extending in all at the foremost rates £11-8s-3d.

Chardges of carriadge viz: sande, of stone, plaister, tymber, tile loam, sande, haire, hurdles from diverse and sondrie places at 1d and a half, 2d, 3d, 4d and a half, 6d., 8d, 10d, 12d., 14d, 2d. and 4s the lode after the rate of 2d for every myle. £35-10s-6d.

Free masons: at 12d per diem £8-17s.

Sawyers: at 16d the couple and by the cwt at 13d. For sawing 60 poll of paile at 3s le poll £5-11s

Carpenters: at 8d and 10d per diem and by the ton £13-3s

Roughlayers: at 10d per diem 52s-10d

Plaisterers: at 12d per diem £6-9s-4d

Joiners: 10d per diem £7-18s-2d

Bricklayers: at 12d per diem 5s

Labourers: at 7d per diem £30-19s-8d.

Richard Richardson purveyor at 8d per diem 56s

John White clarke of the works at 8d per diem 40s

John Dollyn the surveyor's clarke of the Quene's Majesty's works for his riding charges and attendance ther 48 days at 10d per diem 74s-8d.

Worke done to taske by diverse artificers:
Carpenters: for making a rose for the paisterie containing 30 ft and another rose for the kitchine 60 foot £13, for making 9 particons and a passag goinge from the sellor to the shrauntes lodginge and for bording 11 roomes underfott and sawing of the same £13, for making and setting up 60 rodes of payle at 2s-4d per rode £7 and for making 17,000 of lathes at 2s-6d the thousand 42s-6d. In all £35-2s-6d.

Roufe masons: viz: for 305 ft. of paving stone for the flooring of 3 new ovens in the paisterie, finding the stone and carriadge 101s-8d, for new making of the south wall of the gallerie with roufe stone, coping the same with bricke from the gate going into the parke untill the gate going into the house £13-6s-8d, for mending and copinge of the notyh wall in the gallerie £6, for making the rough wall in the new staires 26s.-8d, the rough wall in the linerie, kitchen and boyling house 60s, the wall joining uppon the church 73s, mending the sincke in the gallerie 6s.-8d, paving the greate kitchine and makinge a sincke 25s., paving the linerie, kitchine 13s-4d and mending the wall called the parsonage wall 6s.-8d, in all £21-8s-4d. The whole £45-16s-8d.

Plasterers: loaming 13 floores and making 21 flores 43s

Tylers: lying the linerie, kitchynge and the new butterie £4-3s-4d

Joyners: for making 41 dores 50s-4d, setting upp battaynes 20s and other necessaries 6s.-8d. In all 76s-11d.

Grafton, as well certain other her Majesty's houses as noble men and other her Majesty's subjects tyme of her Progresses: £68-13s.-8d.

Letters of the Earl of Leicester to Lord Burleigh, 1575

" My good L. The great expectation I had of your being here before this tyme, hath caused me to be more silent to you then ells I had been; but finding your coming yet doubtfull (albeit I hope Kenelworth shall not mysse you), I will lett your L. understand such newes as we have, which ys only and chefely of her Majesties good health, which, God be thanked, ys as good as I have long knownyt; and for her lyking of this house2, I assure your L. I think she never came to place in her lyfe she liked better, or commended more; and synce her coming hither, as oft as wether serves, she has not been within-dores. The howse likes her well, and her owen lodings specially. She thinks her cost well bestowed, she sayth, yf it had been five times as much: but I wold her Majesty wold bestowe but half as much more, and then I think she should as pleasant and commodyus a howse as any in England. I am sorry your L. ys not here to se yt. Even by and by her Majesty ys going to the Forest, to kill some bucks with her bowe, as she hath done in the Park this morning. God be thanked, she is very merry. But at her first coming, being a marvelous hott day at her coming hither, not one drop of good drink for her, so ill was she provided for, notwithstanding her oft telling of her coming hither; but we were fain to send to London with bottells, to Kenelworth, to divers other places where ale was. Her own here was such, as there was no man able to drink it; yt had been as good to have drank malmsey; and yet was it laid in about three dayes before her majesty came. Hit did put her very farr out of temper, and almost all the company beside so: for none of us was able to drink either bere or ale here. Synce, by chance, we have found drink for her to her lykyng, and she is well again: but I feared greatly, two or three dayes, some sickness to have fallen by reason of this drink. God be thanked, she is-now perfect well and merry; and I think, upon Thursday come se'nnight, will take her journey towards Kenelworth, whear I pray God she may lyke all things no worse than she hath done here: I hope the better by the good newes. For the graunt of her Majesty touching the Concealed Wards, &c. as I have to thank your L. for the friendly dealings, so will I be no whit the less thankfull than I have promised; and thereof your L. assure yourself, though it please you to refer it to my consideration. It shall be even as I offered your L. at first, and so shall your own dealers be the doers as myne. And as I know your L. charge to be as myne, and as your place required, so wold it did lye in me, or may lye in me, to help to better yt; as you shall sone find, when the occasion shall offer, that I will deal no less, but more earnestly than for myself; for so I may do; and what your L. shall impart unto me at any time for the accomplishment hereof ye shall se how , ye shall se how willingly and carefully I will deal in yt. And so wishing you good health, and always well to do, with my most hearty commendations, will byd your L. farewell. In some hast, reddy to ryde, this Tuesday toward evening [June 18],

Your assured friend, R. Leycester.

Her Majesty has signed my other book also; but no years after death.

To the Right Honourable my very good L. the Lord Burley, L. Tresorer of England, &c.

² It is not very certain at which of the Royal Houses the Queen was then resident. Proably at Grafton; as she passed through Northamptonshire; and messengers were dispatched for ale both to London and Kenilworth.-Or was it at Havering?

J. Nichols, The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth (London 1822) vol. 2 p. 4

6th July 1576 Gilbert Talbot to the Earl of Shrewsbury, Synce my comynge hither to the cowrt there hathe bene sondry determinations of Her Majesty's progresse this Summer. Yesterday it was set down that she would go to Grafton and Northampton, Leicester and to Assheby by Lord Huntingdon's house and there to have remayned 21 days. Now at this present Her Majesty thynketh to goe no further than Grafton.