The people in the entourage
rode horses or walked. The other two specialized administrative
bodies were the Exchequer, which received most of the royal
revenue and kept accounts at Westminster, and the Chancery, which
wrote royal writs, charters, and letters, and kept records.
The chief functions of administration in the 1300s were performed
by the council, chancery, wardrobe, chamber [room off wardrobe for
dressing and for storage], and exchequer. Many of the chancellors
had come from the wardrobe and chamber. In time, the chancellor
ceased to be a part of the king's personal retinue and to follow
the court. The chancery became primarily a department of central
administration rather than a secretarieat and record-keeping part
of the royal household. The king used a privy seal to issue
directives to the chancery. Edward III made some merchants earls
and appointed them to be his ministers. He did not summon anyone
to his council who did not have the confidence of the magnates
[barons, earls, bishops, and abbots].
There was a recoinage due to debasement of the old coinage. This
increased the number of coins in circulation. The price of wheat
went from about 7s. in 1270 to about 5s. per quarter in 1280. Also
the price of an ox went from 14s. to 10s. Then there were broad
movements of prices, within which there were wide fluctuations,
largely due to the state of the harvest.
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