ANONYMOUS.
REPORT TO LORD BURLEIGH OF THE COST OF DELIVERING A 'TUN OF GASCOIGNY WINE IN ENGLAND IN NOVEMBER 1583.
[Lansd. MS. 37.]
It may please you Right Honourable. Understanding that it was your Lordship's pleasure to be advertised of the prices of the Wines of Gascoigny this year: upon the occasion of a Proclamation intended by your Lordship thereon: and having now upon the arrival of four or five ships from Bordeaux, as well as upon the sight of merchants' letters as otherwise; taken intelligence thereof as much as in me lieth, I do present the same to your honourable understanding as followeth.
Imprimis. The price of a Tun of the best
wines there is 20 crowns: the Crown by
means of the exchange to be accounted
at 6s. 6d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £ s. d.
6 10 0
The charges there. One Crown to the
Tun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 6 6
The freight, primage, and Dover money on the Tun 1 13 0
The impost, subsidies, and charges for the service
of Her Majesty, on every Tun . . . . . . . . . 2 11 0
The lighterage, carriage and porters' due . . . 0 2 8
The hooping, cellarage and gauging of every Tun 0 6 8
The leakage on the seas and waste on land . . . 1 5 0
-
Sum of the price and charges of a Tun of Wine:
besides the adventure and forbearing of their
money is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12 14 10
-
The last year, Her Majesty's proclamation was at £13 the Tun when the wines bare price at 22 and 23 Crowns the Tun: the charges then as now. And herein the Merchants humbly beseech your honourable consideration towards them.
The Queen's annual proclamation issued upon this Report, reduced the price
of Gascoigny wine from £13 a Tun, as had been fixed for 1583; to £12 for the year
1584. From which it is clear that some of the above items of cost were largely
ostensible: otherwise the importers would have had no profit, except by adulteration
&c. The Tun, Old Wine Measure, was equal to 210 Imperial gallons; or, at
six to the gallon, to 1260 of our ordinary wine bottles. £12 the Tun=l3½d. the
Imperial gallon, or about 2¼d. a bottle; i.e. in present value, is. 4d. or is. 8d.
