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Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2

Agreements for Bread and Meat1
Massachusetts Bay Company Winthrop, John Keene, Thomas Stretton, Mr. London, Novemb: 19: 1629.

It was agreed betweene the persons heervnder named beinge of the Companye of the massachusetes in Newe England, and Thomas Keene of St. Olaves in Southwark Baker as followethe viz:

1: The said mr. Keene is to provide for the said Companye 15000 of Biskett of the Courser sorte, and whereof 300 to be of the white Biskett, and 5000: of the white Biskett bothe of sweet and good wheate, well baked and accordinge to the patternes deliuered to the said Companye.2

2: He is to provide for the said Companye so muche white Ruske as will fill two Hoggesheades.

3: He is to putt vp all these in Caske to be brought to his house, and he is to kepe it safe till the Shippe be readye.

4: He is to have all these readye by the last of Januarye.

5: He is to have of the said Companye for the Browne Biskett 14 s. the C: 1000: and for the white 18 s. the 1000 cancelled and C written in above C and for the Ruske by the dozen, 13: to the dozen of penye bread accordinge to the Cytye weight, and to have for the dryinge.

6: He is to have 50 li. in hande and the rest when he hathe deliuered his ware.

Two lines blank.

172
Nov: 18:

It was Agreed betweene the persons herevnder named beinge of the Companye of the Massachusetes in N: E: and Stretton of East-cheap London butcher as followinge viz.

1: The said mr. Stretton is to provide for the said Companye so muche Beife, as will fill 30: Hoggesheades, and Pork for 6: hoggesheades and 200: neates tounges:

2: This beife is to be of the best steere beife of betweene 5, and 600: weight the 4: quarters, the Pork to be of sound and fatt hogges of betweene the Carcasse. the tounges to be of the best and largest.

3: He is to give the said Company convenient notice when he is to kill, and to provide for the Cuttinge out the beife and Pork, and to be assisted for the puttinge them vp accordinge to the Common vse in such Cases.

4: He is to have 19 s. the C: for his beife and 20 d. a stone for his pork and 14 d. a peece for his neates tounges, and 2 s. 8 d. a stone for the suett which he deliuers vs before Christyde.

5: He is to have his monye as he deliuers his meate.

1.

From the Waterston Collection in the Massachusetts Historical Society. In the hand of John Winthrop. See Savage (1826), II. 339–340; (1853), II. 415–416, and infra, pages 274–275.

2.

The order for the 5,000 white biscuits may have been an afterthought — in which case the Company actually received 14,700 brown biscuits and 5,300 white biscuits.