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rosalind

12th July 2021, 16:41
Certainly possible kt, but the tobacco was given to the man's wench's mother and a romal to her (his wench, that is the uaual term for that time and place before anyone jumps at me!)
I came across so many new words last Saturday reading late 18th centry documents re Ghana in The National Archives.
For example
Shipped 71 teeth, 21 stumps, 155 Se?villoes of ivory. Tusks, presumably. (1793)
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spoffy

12th July 2021, 21:38
There are a couple of articles online which make reference to bartering done by English 'merchants' in the Gold Coast, in particular one Richard Miles. He apparently kept detailed records of his trades, one such involving "a roll of tobacco, two patches, twenty-four linen handkerchiefs, one gun, one jug, four pint mugs, and three garsets [textile measures]".

Another article states:

"Romauls were small pieces of East Indian cotton goods that varied bewilderingly in quality as well as in colour and pattern. Thus 'mixed romauls' constituted a mini-assortment in themselves. For instance, a box of 3000 [sic] mixed romauls shipped from England [to MIles] in 1795 comprised: 200 blue soot romauls, 200 brown Barragore romauls, 100 red Ashantee romauls, 700 hair romauls, 800 blue romauls, 800 fine blue romauls and 100 deep mixed romauls.

'Mixed patches', manufactured in England, varied in a similar fashion, but were more prosaically named: 'type no. 3', 'type no. 7' etc."



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rosalind

12th July 2021, 23:00
Wow, Spoffy

I will try and find these articles. On Saturday I was reading the notebooks of Thomas Miles (another Govenor of Cape Coast Castle, related). 3000 romauls seems a lot. I wonder how many (apart from mine) exist today?

mmm Types of patches. perhaps not loincloths, then.

I think, after this, the word could be set for one of the clue writing competitions
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jazzgirl

13th October 2021, 13:01
Bringing this thread back, as it is of special interest to solvers like Spoffy. The thread title could possibly be altered by admin. to include any subject re words, literature, dictionaries, etymology, setters etc
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norah (admin)

13th October 2021, 13:32
I could alter it, Jazzgirl, to a generic heading but I wouldn't have a clue what to put, that would be way outside my sphere of expertise.

I have replied to Spoffy in the other thread, you might like to read my post.
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jazzgirl

13th October 2021, 13:54
I leave the decision to Spoffy, Malone and those wiser than I am
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malone

16th October 2021, 10:25
Spam at 10.22 reported.
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