Moore’s account book

Bishop Moore’s account book
Norwich,1691–1700

Moore’s household was a smoothly run ship: this volume of his account book, covering his time as Bishop of Norwich, gives weekly details of expenditure on domestic purchases, entertaining, almsgiving, and, of course, his voracious book-buying. A storehouse of information for historians, it gives a remarkable degree of insight into the life of a provincial household. The volume came to the University Library with the deposit of the records of the Diocese of Ely, where Moore was later Bishop.

EDR D5/19, f. 118

Account books such as this provide a huge amount of information for researchers into many aspects of contemporary life. This one provides the wages paid to Moore’s staff (the account keeper earned £20 a year, the cook £9, and the laundry maid £4) as well as occasional visitors and staff relating to the children; on 7 January 1691 one shilling was paid “to the man that plaid to the children on the pipe”. Useful comparators for Moore’s book expenditure include the cost of 6 bottles of claret – six shillings – and half a year’s schooling for his daughter Molly, twelve shillings.

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