This document (reference: E36/1 page 122) is found in King Henry VIII’s State Papers amongst the Exchequer documents. It outlines what is needed to feed an army of 1000 for 6 weeks. The document is contemporary with Flodden and so it gives us an idea of what the men might have been fed and the financial cost for providing it. It was drawn up for the campaign in France which was taking place at the same time but the diet of the men going to Flodden would have been very similar.
A rate made for the feeding of one thousand men on land for six weeks for meat and fish allowing for five meat days and two fish days in every week as follows.
| Requirement | Total amount | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 oxen for 1000 men per day for six weeks | 150 oxen estimated at 30 shillings each | £225 |
| 25 sheep for 1000 men per day for six weeks | 750 sheep estimated at 4 shillings each | £150 |
| 60 ling per day for 12 fish days | 600 (sic) £4-10 shillings per 100 | £27 |
| From stocks [supplies]to aid feeding for the 12 fish days |
600 at 20 shillings per 100 | £6 |
| Suffolk cheese | ||
| butter | 16 shillings | |
| Feeding the oxen and sheep with hay and pasture and freight from Dover to Calais |
4 shillings 4 pence per ox 8 pence per sheep |
£50 |
| Wages for the men herding and driving the oxen and sheep from where they have been provided to Dover |
£10 | |
| Total (excluding butter and cheese) | £468 |
If the document on the previous page had been written in 2015 the figures would have been as below.
| Requirement | Total amount | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 oxen for 1000 men per day for six weeks | 150 oxen estimated at 30 shillings each | £133,500 |
| 25 sheep for 1000 men per day for six weeks | 750 sheep estimated at 4 shillings each | £88,500 |
| 60 ling per day for 12 fish days | 600 (sic) £4-10 shillings per 100 | £16,020 |
| From stocks [supplies]to aid feeding for the 12 fish days |
600 at 20 shillings per 100 | £3,558 |
| Suffolk cheese | ||
| butter | £475 | |
| Feeding the oxen and sheep with hay and pasture and freight from Dover to Calais |
£129 per ox £19.50 per sheep |
£33,975 |
| Wages for the men herding and driving the oxen and sheep from where they have been provided to Dover |
£5,933 | |
| Total (excluding butter and cheese) | £281,486 |
At Flodden, we estimate that there were at least 13,000 soldiers but over a shorter period. Assuming they had to be fed for a minimum of 2 weeks after leaving Newcastle, this table shows how many animals would have been required to feed them:
| Requirement per week | Total for 13,000 men for 2 weeks |
|---|---|
| 25 oxen per 1,000 men | 650 oxen |
| 125 sheep for 1,000 men | 3,250 sheep |
| 120 ling for 1,000 men | 3,120 ling |
In addition there would have been the feeding of the animals and paying men to look after them. Imagine herding this number of animals around the Northumberland countryside and feeding them on the way. This is what was required for the soldiers alone. What about those supporting the soldiers?
It is only when analysing such documents that the logistics and scale of the operations for a battle become real and tangible.
