Duties of the Launderers of St Andrew’s Priory, Rochester, c.1235
A master and second-rank launderer worked with the chamberlain to keep the clothes of the monks clean and in good order, for sewing their names into their undershirts and underbreeches, for preparing soap for their shaving and bathing, and for the fire and summoning the blood-letter.
Transcription
59v (select folio number to open facsimile)
De Lavatoribus et quid facere debeant. IN domo lavendrie sunt duo ministri, unus magister
et alter secundarius. Ad magistrunt pertinet, quoticnscumque
manice staminarum fracte sunt, de camerario novas
accipere, et flaminis, corpus sufferre potest, debet fecun
darius plantare, et habebit vetustas manicas. Simi
liter videbit si stamine vel femoralia ponquam lota fuerint,
non possint cum honestate utentibus ea servire, antequam
tradantur camerario monistrare et ad lettos fratrum
cum subcamerario ponere. Stipendium istorum magissratres
IIII solidi. secundario III solidi. Et quando fratras vadunt
balncare, debent habere presto omnia que ad hoc sunt
necessaria. Saponem ministrant fratribus ad rasturam.
Ad garcionem pertinet lixivam facere. Eius est focum
facere contra quod fratres minuere debent, et minutorem
summonere, ut paratus sit fratres minuere. Consuet eciam
magister nomina fratrum in staminis et in femoralibus.
Habent isti duo ad natale Christemesse brand sicut far
trinarii.
Translation
Concerning the launderers and what they ought to do:
In the laundry house there are two servants, one master and also a second rank servant. It belongs to the master whenever the sleeves of undershirts are torn, to receive new ones from the chamberlain if the body of an undershirt can be re-used, the second rank servant must store it, and he will have the old sleeves.
Likewise, he will check if undershirts and under-breeches, after they have been washed, cannot with honesty be made serviceable, before they are handed over to show to the chamberlain and put at the beds of the brothers by the sub-chamberlain. Their wages: to the master 4 shillings, to the second rank servant 3 shillings.
And when the brothers go to bathe, they ought to have ready everything for this which is necessary.
They supply soap for the brothers for shaving.
It belongs to the lad-servant to make the lye1.
His role is to make the fire before which the brothers must be bled, and to summon the blood-letter, in order that he may be prepared to bleed the brothers.
The master also sews the names of the brothers in their undershirts and under-breeches.
These two have a Christmas fire for the Nativity, just like the tailors.
Footnotes
1 Lye: detergent/soap made from wood ash.
