A Short History of English Agriculture Part 44

Thus the rents of land formed nearly one-fourth the total income of the country, and wool paid one-fifth of the rents.[763]

In the eighteenth century a great quant.i.ty of wool was smuggled out of England in defiance of the law; in the s.p.a.ce of four months in 1754, 4,000 tods was 'run' into Boulogne.[764]

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL WOOL IMPORTED INTO ENGLAND.[765]

lb.

1766 1,926,000 1771 1,829,000 1780 323,000 1790 2,582,000 1800 8,609,000 1810 10,914,000 1820 9,775,000 1830 32,305,000 1840 49,436,000 1850 74,326,000 1855 99,300,000 1857 127,390,000

PRICES OF LABOUR IN SURREY IN 1780.[766]

s. d.

Day labourer, per day, in winter 1 4 " " in summer 1 6 Reaping wheat, per acre 7 0 " " and according to the crop up to 12 0 Mowing barley, per acre 2 6 " oats, " 1s. 6d. to 2 0 " gra.s.s " 2 6 Hand-hoeing turnips, per acre, first time 6 0 " " second time 4 0 Thatching hayricks, per square of 100 ft. 1 0 Washing and shearing sheep, per score 3 0 Ploughing light land, per acre 5 0 " stiff " " 7s. to 10 0 Common hurdles, each 5

OCCUPIERS OF LAND.

In 1816 there were said to be 589,374 occupiers of land in Great Britain[767]--

With incomes under 50 114,778 Between 50 and 150 432,534 Over 150 42,062 ------- 589,374 =======

In 1907 there were 510,954 occupiers of one acre and more.

MULHALL'S CALCULATION OF AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGES IN ENGLAND.

Bailiff. Shepherd. Labourer. Woman. Boy.

1800 20 16 12 8 6 1850 40 25 20 10 8 1880 52 36 30 15 10

The average annual cost of living of an agricultural family of five was in 1823 31, in 1883, 37.

COMPARATIVE STATEMENT BY A. YOUNG OF PRICES AND WAGES IN ENGLAND FROM 1200 TO 1810 ON THE PRINCIPLE OF REPRESENTING FACTS IN 1810 BY THE NUMBER 20, AND THE FACTS OF THE PRECEDING PERIODS BY THE PROPORTION BORNE BY THEM TO THAT NUMBER.

Labourer's Periods. Wheat. Meat. Wool. Wages. Horses.

1200-99 5-1/2 ... 3-1/2 ...

1300-99 6-1/4 ... 4-3/4 ...

1400-99 3 ... 5-1/2 ...

1500-99 6 ... 5-1/2 ...

1600-99 9-1/4 ... 8 ...

1700-66 7-3/4 7-1/2 12 10 15-3/4 1767-89 11 11-1/2 15-1/3 12-1/2 17-1/4 1790-1803 13 16-1/2 16-1/6 16-3/4 19-1/2 1804-10 20 20 20 20 20

Thus wheat in 1804-10 had risen 233 per cent. since the sixteenth century.

THE LABOURER'S WAGES.

The following table, published by Mr. Barton in 1817,[768] shows the depreciation of the labourer's wages in purchasing power between 1742 and 1808:--

Weekly Price of Wages in Period. pay. wheat. pints of s. d. s. d. bread.

1742-52 6 0 30 0 102 1761-70 7 6 42 6 90 1780-90 8 0 51 2 80 1795-9 9 0 70 8 65 1800-8 11 0 86 8 60

In answer to inquiries sent by the Poor Law Commissioners in 1834 to 900 parishes in England the average weekly wages of labourers were--

in summer, s. d.

in 254 parishes, with beer or cider 10 4-3/4 522 " without beer or cider 10 5-1/2

in winter,

in 200 " with beer or cider 9 2-1/4 544 " without beer or cider 9 11-3/4

The annual average inclusive earnings of the labourer

s. d.

himself were stated at 27 17 10 and of his wife and children 13 19 10 ------------ 41 17 8 ============

It will thus be seen that the wife and children provided a third of the income. The majority of the parishes said the labourer could maintain his family on these wages.

Here is the weekly budget of a labourer with an average family in 1800:--[769]

Cr. s. d.

Wages 15 0 Garden 1 6 Extras 1 0 ----- 17 6 =====

Dr. s. d.

Rent 1 7-1/2 Bread 6 0 Bacon 2 6 Tea and sugar 1 3 Cheese 1 6 b.u.t.ter 1 6 Fuel 1 3 Candles and soap 0 6 Clothes 1 6 Schooling 0 3 Sundries 0 6 --------- 18 4-1/2 =========

There is no fresh meat, and it is hard to say where any economy could be practised.

CONTRACT PRICES OF BUTCHER'S MEAT PER CWT.

AT GREENWICH HOSPITAL, 1730-1842.[770]

s. d.

1730 1 5 8 1740 1 8 0 1750 1 6 6 1760 1 11 6 1770 1 8 6 1780 1 12 6 1790 1 16 10 1800 4 4 1810 3 12 0 1815 3 8 0 1820 3 10 4 1825 2 19 6 1830 2 3 6 1835 2 0 7 1840 2 14 0 1842 2 12 8

FOOTNOTES:

[760] C. Wren Hoskyns, _Pamphlet on Agricultural Statistics_, p. 19.

[761] _English Agriculture in 1850-1_, p. 521. Cf. above, p. 331.