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What
was meant by 'ferd corn' or 'third corn'?
The ferd corn (literally 'the fourth
corn'), and the third corn were estimates
of the value of a measure of grain sown, that
is, they multiplied the value of the amount sown
to take account of the eventual yield.
The example below comes from the inventory of
a seventeenth century testament:
Extract from 17th
century testament showing use of the phrase 'ferd
corne'. The text reads:
thrie f[irlottis] beir estimat to the ferd
corne pryce of the
boll with the fodder v li~ Inde xv li~ . . .
That is:
in the barnyard the sowing of 10 firlots oats
estimated to the third corn ( X 3 ) = 30 firlots
(that is, 7.5 bolls) @ £3 6 shillings and
4 pence per boll (including fodder) = £25
and the sowing of 3 firlots barley estimated to
the ferd corn ( X 4 ) = 12 firlots (that is, 3
bolls) @ £5 per boll (including fodder)
= £15
Background
and Further Reading
Distance and
Area
Weight
Dry and Liquid
Capacity
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