Was lead a relatively inexpensive material in Medieval Europe?

by InSanic13

The inspiration for this question is a bit odd, but I noticed that Tod's Workshop (a maker of high-quality historical weapon reproductions) has a few "mauls" listed, which are weighted with lead cores in the heads. The description for one reads:

"Medieval studded maul constructed from ash with multiple inset nails/studs and filled with lead.  Exactly the sort of maul a poor archer may take.

This is the sort of medieval mace or maul that could be made in any village."

(https://todsworkshop.com/collections/in-stock-historical-swords-daggers-crossbows/products/medieval-nailed-lead-filled-maul-small-studs)

To get to the question, would lead have actually been an inexpensive material available to most medieval European villages, such that using it as a weight in a simple cudgel would be practical?

wotan_weevil

In 14th and 15th century England and Wales, lead would sell for about 1/3 to 1/2 d per pound (so under 1d/kg). A craftsmen at the time could earn about 4d per day (master craftsmen perhaps 6d, unskilled labourers perhaps 2d).

Some things that cost about the same as 1kg of lead:

  • 1 litre of cheap wine

  • 500ml of good wine

  • 1 or 2 chickens

  • 1kg of honey

  • 1kg of cheese

The lead price above is at the mine, without any added transport costs.

As for the price of a lead-filled maul for an archer, the cost of an archer's other essential equipment would include:

  • Longbow: 12d

  • Arrows: 5 for 1d

and the archer would be paid about 4-6d per day (depending on when). Since the replica maul you link is about 500g, it has less than 1/2 d of lead in it. Even with a higher price of lead due to transport costs, it would be easily affordable by an archer.

References:

For prices of bows and arrows: u/Hergrim and u/terminus-trantor in https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7qzfyk/how_did_a_english_longbow_cost/

On the English lead industry: Homer, Ronald F., "Tin, Lead and Pewter," chapter 4 in Blair, John and Nigel Ramsay (eds), English Medieval Industries: Craftsmen, Techniques, Products, London: Hambledon Press, 2001.