Poser 349 - Inventory of Elspet Clark, 1664
This poser is an extract from the inventory of the testament of Elspet Clark recorded in the Commissary Court of Caithness in 1664 (Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland, CC4/3/1, page 207). The handwriting is fairly typical, hastily-written 17th century handwriting. Many of the letters are sloppily formed, so knowing secretary hand letters is only half the battle. Those of you experienced in reading this kind of writing, especially in testament inventories, will not have too many problems, but if you think that applies to you, you will be in a minority.
Question (which combines palaeography, mental arithmetic and knowledge of pre-decimal money):
Using the values of various livestock given in the inventory, what would be the price of a ewe which had no lamb?
Bear in mind that there were 12 pence in a shilling, and 20 shillings in a pound. The abbreviations for pounds, shillings and pence were respectively, l~, s~ and d~, from the Latin coins libra, solidi and denarii.
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