Bits of old sheepskin

Part one of a potentially very dull series, in which I post a membrane from a surviving medieval document and the accompanying translation.

The document is C 47/2/4, the payroll for the royal army of West Wales in 1282/3. Parts of it are in very bad condition, but the translator (Professor Jonathan Mackman) did what he could by placing the fragments under ultraviolet. It may look like a mouldy bit of old sheepskin, and indeed it is, but this is primary source material; the closest we can possibly get to actual events.

The first two fragments are separated from the bulk of the roll. Membrane 1 is below. The text is an account roll for wages of troops raised by the Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare, to campaign against the supporters of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in the west.

 [The top of this fragment is badly damaged, and only small sections of the text remain there.]

 [...] [...] for himself, 2 standard-bearers and ?672 foot-soldiers of [...]sk for the said 3 days. [...] days, £14 5s. [...] of ‘Mach’, for the said 3 days, £6 10s. [...] foot-soldiers of [...]ntloogh[ Possibly Wentloog?] for the said 3 days, £7 12s [...][ Large gap, possibly room for two or three lines of text. One may have been a heading?] [...] covered and 2 uncovered horses, and 220 foot-soldiers of ‘Tha[...]’, [...] £6 18d. [...] covered horse and 3 uncovered horses, for himself, 1 standard-bearer and 360 foot-soldiers of ‘Lang[...], for the aforesaid 3 days, £9 17s 6d. Item, for one constable with ?1 uncovered horse, for himself, 1 standard-bearer and 282 foot-soldiers from Neath, for the said 3 days, £7 10s 6d. [...]th. Item, 10 ?covered horses and 20 foot-soldiers of ‘Th’, 40s 6d. Ruthin Item, 1 constable with 1 un-armoured (‘nudo’) horse, for himself and 77 foot-soldiers from Ruthin, for the said 3 days, 42s. ‘Landevoddoc’ Item, 2 constables with 2 un-armoured horses, for themselves and 76 foot-soldiers from ‘Landevoddi’, for the said 3 days, 43s. Kibbor Item, 1 constable with 1 uncovered horse, for himself, 1 standard-bearer and 157 foot-soldiers from Kibbor, for the said 3 days, £4 4s 6d. Caldicot Item, 1 constable with 1 uncovered horse, for himself and 20 foot-soldiers from Caldicot, for the said 3 days, 12s. Forest of Dean Item, 12 men from the forest, for 5 days, 15s, namely for each 3d per day. ‘Aven’’ Item, 2 standard-bearers and 160 foot-soldiers from ‘Aven’’ for the said 3 days, £4 6s. ‘Koytif’ Item, 1 constable with 1 un-armoured (‘nudo’) horse, for himself, 1 standard-bearer and 369 foot-soldiers from ‘Coytif’, for the said 3 days, £9 16s.