fractions of a pound weight expressed in shillings and pence." Thus an Act of 51 Henry III (1266-7), enacted that "when a quarter of wheat is sold for xii d., then wastel bread of a farthing shall weigh vi pounds and xvi shillings." The weight of the farthing white loaf (at the same price of wheat) was to be vi pounds and xviii shillings; that of the halfpenny white loaf 13 pounds and 16 shillings; that of the halfpenny wheat loaf xx pounds and xiv shillings; and that of the horse-loaf xxvii pounds and xii shillings. So the price of the loaf did not vary, but it purchased a varying weight.
When the price of the quarter of wheat was 4s. a loaf would have to weigh as much as 36 shillings: when the price rose to 6s., the loaf should weigh 22s. 8d.; and when the price was 11s. the loaf was to weigh only 12s. 412d. In 1357 the Guild Merchant ordered that bakers should bake four wastells for a penny, and two wastells for a halfpenny, and also of cocket bread, and similarly of all kinds of bread, under pain of a heavy fine. A century later, in 1467, it was again enacted that all bakers should bake "symnell, wastell, coket lovys,iiii for a penyof good pastegood bulture," (i.e. well-boulted meal) "and well baken and of rynged and of temsed" (sifted) "breed iiii lovys for a peny and of all other kyndes of breed sesonable and of good weyght and pryse after the forme aforsaid and iiii lovys for a peny of hors breed made of clene peyse and benys in his kynde suyng the pryse and weyght."
Wastell, it may be explained, was the best bread. (Old French, 'wastel, gastel, modern, gâteau). Cocket bread was slightly inferior. Simnell, (Old French, simenel), was cake of fine wheaten flour. Horsebread was the common artificial food of horses in the Middle Ages. "The modern dog-biscuit is its nearest equivalent." In 1521 it was ordered that bakers selling horsebread within the houses at Leicester to every guest should sell but two loaves for a penny. In the time of Queen Elizabeth the assize was three loaves a penny, and thirteen penny-worth, (a baker's dozen), for 12 pence, everyone of the three loaves to weigh the full weight of a penny white loaf.
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