medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: Revd Gordon Plumb <[log in to unmask]>
>[log in to unmask] writes:
> "Stone was always transported as far as possible by water. Land transport
was incredibly expensive as well as difficult."
>> L F Salzman in his Building in England down to 1540, OUP, 1952, makes it
abundantly clear how expensive this could be. In chapter XXII "Carriage" he
cites the fact that in three years building works at Vale Royal Abbey nearly
£350 was spent in carriage out of a total expenditure of £1,526 - ie over
20% of the total costs in this case. He reiterates John's point that water was
preferred for transport of stone and very heavy timber.
you've left out the part about whether this was land or water transport,
Gordon.
at one site the cost of "carriage" might be 20%, at another twice that, or
half that, depending upon the distance from quarry to building site, the
topography and other factors.
as i said previously, the *stone* is *free* --just dig it out, work it and
cart it to the site.
in any case, i have no quarrel with either John or Salzman (an excellent
collection of primary sources, btw) on this issue.
the question is not a theoretical one in the abstract but rather a practical
matter within the context of a specific topographical situation: how to get a
*lot* of building stones from the quarries at Bercheres-les-Pierres en plien
Beauce to the citadel at Chartres.
c
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