Supplies the Colonists took to Virginia

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Supplies the Colonists Took to Virginia
Early 1620s

Tooles for a Family of sixe persons,
and so after the rate for more.

Five broad howes [i.e. hoes] at 2.s. a piece		10.s
Five narrow howes at 16.d. a piece		6.s.	8.d.
Two broad Axes at 3.s. 8.d. a piece		7.s.	4.d.
Five felling Axes at 18.d. a piece		7.s.	6.d.
Two Steele Hand-sawes at 16.d. a piece		2.s.	8.d.
Two two-hand-sawes at 5.s. a piece		10.s.
One whip-saw, set and filed with boxe, file and wrest		10.s.
Two Hammers 12.d. a piece		2.s.
Three shovels 18.d. a piece		4.s.	6.d.
Two Spades at 18.d. a piece		3.s.
Two Augers 6.d. a piece		1.s.
Six Chissels 6.d. a piece		3.s.
Two percers [i.e., piercer, a tool for starting holes in wood or metal] stocked 4.d. a piece			8.d.
Three gimblets [i.e., gimlet, a small boring tool] 2.d. a piece			6.d.
Two hatchets 21.d. a piece		3.s.	6.d.
Two froves [i.e., froe, a wedge-shaped cleaving tool] to cleave pale [i.e., pallisades] 18.d.		3.s.
Two hand-bils [i.e., a hook-bladed tool used for clearing brush] 20. A piece		3.s.	4.d.
One Grindestone 4.s.		4.s.
Nailes of all sorts to the value of	2.li.
Two pickaxes		3.s.

[total]

6.li.

2.s.

8.d.

Household Implements for a Family of six persons,
and so for more or lesse after the rate.

One Iron Pot	7.s.
One Kettle	6.s.
One large frying pan	2.s.	6.d.
One Griddiron	1.s.	6.d.
Two skillets	5.s.
One Spit	2.s.
Platters, dishes, spoons of wood	4.s.

[total]

1.li.

8.s.

For Sugar, Spice, and fruit at Sea for six men		12.s.	10.s.
So the full charge of apparell victuall, armes, tooles and household- stuffe, and after this rate for each person, will amoung unto about the sum of	12.li.	10.s.
The passage of each man is	6.li.
The freight of these provisions for a man, will be about halfe a Tun, which is	1.li.	10.s.
So the whole charge will amount to about	20.li.

Nets, Hookes, Lines, and a Tent must be added if the number of people be greater, as also some Kine [i.e. livestock].

And this is the usuall proportion that the Virginia Company doe bestow upon their Tenants which they send.

1. Were these the types of items that you would expect to see on the list? What, if anything, was missing? What, if anything, was a surprise?

2. Do you think this list is adequate? What would you have added?

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