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In 1795, as a response to the high prices of corn, the “Speenhamland System” for subsidising the poor was introduced in a large number of agricultural parishes. The idea was to guarantee the head of family, or the single man, a cash income calculated as a function of the number of members of the family,Sigue leyendo «12.5. The New Poor Law 1834»

The economy of Great Britain from 1815 to 1821 went through a very bad time. As the War with France had finished, the Government stopped immediately payments for arms production, uniforms and boots, and infrastructure. The soldiers and sailors were licenced, so as to save money on their wages. Many companies went bankrupt. The emergencySigue leyendo «12.4. Standard of Living 1815-1834»

The corn prices in this period were practically the same in all parts of England, so that for a comparison of wages per county in terms of weight of corn, we can use just one figure for each date given. (prices in shillings per bushel of grain) 1824 1832 1833 1837 1850 1850 1860 1860Sigue leyendo «12.3. Wheat Prices»

But the weekly wages of the labourer do not show the totality of his yearly income. Firstly, there are increased payments in the harvest month, which were generally twice the normal weekly rate; however, the wife and children had to work as well, without own payment. The hours were very long, particularly in summer; “inSigue leyendo «12.2. Totality of Earnings»

Monetary system Pounds (£ or L.), shillings (s.), pennies or pence (d.)1 Pound = 20 shillings, 1 shilling = 12 pence Wage of farm labourer = 9 to 12 shillings per weekWage of male worker in textile factory = 20 to 30 shillings per week Dry weight measures 1 bushel wheat = 60 lb., 1 quarter =Sigue leyendo «12.1. Wages»

12.1. Wages https://history.pictures/2020/02/26/12-1-wages/ 12.2. Totality of Earnings https://history.pictures/2020/02/27/12-2-totality-of-earnings/ 12.3. Wheat Prices https://history.pictures/2020/02/28/12-3-wheat-prices/ 12.4. Standard of Living 1815-1834 https://history.pictures/2020/02/28/12-4-standard-of-living-1815-1834/ 12.5. The New Poor Law https://history.pictures/2020/02/28/12-5-the-new-poor-law-1834/ 12.6. Real Family Budgets https://history.pictures/2020/02/28/12-6-real-family-budgets/ 12.7. Conditions of the Labourers 1834-1860 https://history.pictures/2020/02/29/12-7-conditions-of-the-labourers-1834-1860/ 12.8. New Implements https://history.pictures/2020/02/29/12-8-new-implements/ 12.9. Calculation of Cost of Living https://history.pictures/2020/02/29/12-9-calculation-of-cost-of-living/ 12.10. Real Wages https://history.pictures/2020/02/29/12-10-real-wages 12.11. Wages, Expenses, RealSigue leyendo «Chapter 12. Wages and Living Conditions of Agricultural Labourers 1815-1860»

In 1795, the magistrates of Speenhamland, Berkshire, decided on a new method of financially helping the poor in their district. The procedure agreed was to use money received as parish rates, to make up the amount earned by the man in his work (or zero, if he had no work) to a monetary amount definedSigue leyendo «11.17. Poor Rates»

All of the reports that we have, mention that the majority of the farmworkers’ cottages were in a very bad state, as they were small, badly constructed, and let in the rain and the wind. Below we have a typical cottage of this type. Rural housing in Middlesex c. 1800. Engraving by J. T. SmithSigue leyendo «11.16. Housing»

To show the large-scale effects over time of some of the points we have explained, we have here a calculation of the total earnings of a typical family, which includes:  weekly winter wages of the man; earnings of the man from summer wages, harvest wages, and task-work; income of the wife and children from spinningSigue leyendo «11.15. Calculation of Total Income»

The worst job on the farms at the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, was threshing the corn with a flail. The flail was an instrument of two wooden rods joined together at a hinge. The worker hit the corn stalks on the ground of the barn, so asSigue leyendo «11.14. Threshing Machines»