Wages and Prices
Shortcuts:
- Average Prices 1259-1700
- Labourer's Wages
Average Prices 1259 - 1700
| CORN PER QUARTER |
| |
Wheat |
Barley |
Oats |
Rye |
Beans |
| 1259-1400 |
5s.10¾d. |
4s.3¾d. |
2s.5¾d. |
4s.47/8d. |
4s.3½d. |
| 1401-1540 |
5s.11¾d. |
3s.8¾d. |
2s.2½d. |
4s.7¾d. |
3s.9½d. |
| 1541-1582 |
13s.10½d. |
8s.5¾d. |
5s.5½d. |
|
9s.1½d. |
| 1583-1700 |
39s.0½d. |
21s.4d. |
13s.10d. |
|
22s.3½d. |
| LIVE STOCK |
| |
Oxen |
Cows |
Cart Horses |
Sheep |
Lambs |
Pigs (grown) |
Boars |
| 1259-1400 |
13s.1½d. |
9s.5d. |
16s.4d. |
1s.2d.
to 1s.5d. |
8d. |
3s. |
4s.7d. |
| 1401-1540 |
mod.
increase |
14s. |
unaltered |
mod.
increase |
9d. |
unaltered |
6s. |
| 1541-1582 |
55s. |
32s. |
great increase |
3s.
to
4s.6d. |
22s.
to
3s. |
6s.8d.
tto
8s. |
— |
| 1583-1700 |
100s. |
60s. |
1580-1640 £5 - £10
1640-1700 £8 - £15 |
10s.7d. |
— |
great increase |
| POULTRY AND EGGS. |
| |
Hens |
Ducks |
Geese |
Eggs per 100 |
| 1259-1400 |
16/8d. |
2d. |
35/8d. |
41/2d. |
| 1401-1540 |
2½d. |
2½d. |
4¾d. |
6½d. |
| 1541-1582 |
4¾d. |
4¾d. |
10d. |
7½d. |
| 1583-1700 |
8d.- 1s. |
9½d. |
2s. |
3s.3d. |
| |
Wool |
Cheese |
Butter |
Hay |
Hops |
| |
per lb |
|
Per load |
Per cwt |
| 1259-1400 |
35/7d. |
4½d. |
per 7 lb. |
4¾d. |
per 7 lb. |
3s.8d. |
- |
| 1401-1540 |
35/7d. |
½d. |
per lb. |
1d. |
per lb. |
unaltered |
14s.0½d. |
| 1541-1582 |
7½d. |
1d. |
per lb. |
3d. |
per lb. |
9s.6d. |
26s.8d. |
| 1583-1702 |
9d. to 1s. |
3½d. |
per lb. |
4½d. |
per lb. |
26s.4d. |
82s.9d. |
| PRICE OF LAND PER ACRE. |
| |
To Rent. |
To Buy. |
| |
Arable. |
Grass. |
| 1261-1350 |
4d. to 6d. |
1s. to 2s. |
12 years' purchase |
| 1351-1400 |
6d. |
2s. |
12 years' purchase |
| 1401-1540 |
6d. |
2s. |
15-20 years |
| 1541-1582 |
slight increase |
unaltered |
| 1583-1640 |
great increase |
20 years |
| 1641-1700 |
5s. |
8s. |
20 years |
| 1770 |
10s. |
30 years |
Labourer's Wages
| LABOUR |
| |
Reaping wheat
per acre. |
Reaping oats
per acre. |
Mowing
per acre. |
Labourer per day
without food. |
| 1261-1350 |
55/8d. |
47/8d. |
5½d. |
2d. |
| 1351-1400 |
8½d. |
8½d. |
7d. |
3d. |
| 1401-1540 |
93/4d. |
8½d. |
81/8d. |
4d. |
| 1541-1582 |
- |
- |
- |
6½d. |
| 1583-1640 |
- |
- |
1s.7d. |
8½d. |
| 1640-1700 |
- |
- |
1s.8d. |
10d. |
| PRICES OF LABOUR IN SURREY IN 1780 |
| |
s. |
d. |
| Day labourer, per day, in winter |
1 |
4 |
| Day labourer, per day, in summer |
1 |
6 |
| Reaping wheat, per acre |
7 |
0 |
| Reaping, according to the crop, up to, per acre |
12 |
0 |
| Mowing barley, per acre |
2 |
6 |
| Mowing oats, per acre |
1s.6d.to
2 |
0 |
| Mowing grass, per acre |
2 |
6 |
| Hand-hoeing turnips, per acre, first time |
6 |
0 |
| Hand-hoeing turnips, per acre, 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 |
| Ploughing stiff land, per acre |
7s.to 10 |
0 |
| Common hurdles, each |
5 |
| Depreciation of Labourer's wages in purchasing power 1742-1808 |
|---|
| Period |
Weekly pay |
Price of wheat |
Wages in |
| |
s. |
d. |
s. |
d. |
pints of bread |
| 1742-52 |
6 |
0 |
30 |
0 |
102 |
| 1761-70 |
7 |
6 |
42 |
6 |
90 |
| 1780-90 |
8 |
0 |
51 |
2 |
80 |
| 1795-99 |
9 |
0 |
70 |
8 |
65 |
| 1800-08 |
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—
| Labourer's average weekly wages in 1834 |
|---|
| in summer |
| No. of Parishes |
|
s. |
d. |
| 254 |
with beer or cider |
10 |
4¾ |
| 522 |
without beer or cider |
10 |
5½ |
| in winter |
| No. of Parishes |
|
s. |
d. |
| 200 |
with beer or cider |
9 |
2¼ |
| 544 |
without beer or cider |
9 |
11¾ |
| Average inclusive earnings in 1834 |
|---|
| |
£ |
s. |
d. |
| of the labourer
himself |
27 |
17 |
10 |
| and of his wife and children |
13 |
19 |
10 |
| Total |
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.
| 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 |
| Weekly budget of a labourer with an average family in 1800 |
|---|
| Credits |
s. |
d. |
Debits |
s. |
d. |
| Wages |
15 |
0 |
Rent |
1 |
7½ |
| Garden |
1 |
6 |
Bread |
6 |
0 |
| Extras |
1 |
0 |
Bacon |
2 |
6 |
| |
Tea and sugar |
1 |
3 |
| |
Cheese |
1 |
6 |
| |
Butter |
1 |
6 |
| |
Fuel |
1 |
3 |
| |
Candles and soap |
0 |
6 |
| |
Clothes |
1 |
6 |
| |
Schooling |
0 |
3 |
| |
Sundries |
0 |
6 |
| 17 |
6 |
Total |
18 |
4½ |
There is no fresh meat,
and it is hard to say where any economy could be practised.
The above figures were taken from A Short History of English Agriculture by W. H. R. Curtler,
which is freely available from Project Gutenberg
You can calculate the purchasing power of money from 1750-2005 using
Inflation: the
value of the pound 1750-2005 (House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/09)
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