28. The Logistics - Feeding an army of 1000 men in 1513

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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.

RequirementTotal amountCost
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.

RequirementTotal amountCost
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 weekTotal 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.