APPENDIX IV
Reading edition
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Gregory King, at the end of the seventeenth century, estimated the acreage of England and Wales at 39,000,000—not at all a bad estimate, the area, excluding water, according to the Board of Agriculture Returns of 1907, being 37,130,344. The different estimates by Grew, Templeman, Petty, Young, Halley, Middleton, and others varied between 31,648,000 and 46,916,000 acres. The last, that of Arthur Young, was actually adopted by Pitt for his estimate of the income-tax.[760]
Caird in 1850[761] estimated the cultivated lands of England at 27,000,000 acres (in 1907 they were 24,585,455 acres), cultivated thus:—
Permanent grass13,333,000
Arable13,667,000
the latter being divided as follows:—
Acres. Bushels per acre. Produce, quarters.
Wheat3,416,7502711,531,531
Barley1,416,750386,729,562
Oats and rye2,000,0004411,000,000
Clover and seeds2,277,750
Beans and peas1,139,000304,271,250
Turnips, marigolds, & potatoes2,116,750
Rape and fallow1,300,000
Davenant, at the end of the seventeenth century, made the following estimate showing the importance of wool in English trade[762]:—
Annual income of England£43,000,000
Yearly rent of land 10,000,000
Value of wool shorn yearly2,000,000
" woollen manufactures10,000,000
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 quantity of wool was smuggled out of England in defiance of the law; in the space of four months in 1754, 4,000 tods was 'run' into Boulogne.[764]
FOREIGN AND COLONIAL WOOL IMPORTED INTO ENGLAND.[765]
lb.
17661,926,000
17711,829,000
1780323,000
17902,582,000
18008,609,000
181010,914,000
18209,775,000
183032,305,000
184049,436,000
185074,326,000
185599,300,000
1857127,390,000
PRICES OF LABOUR IN SURREY IN 1780.[766]
s.d.
Day labourer, per day, in winter14
" " in summer16
Reaping wheat, per acre70
" " and according to the crop up to 120
Mowing barley, per acre26
" oats "1s. 6d. to 2 0
" grass "26
Hand-hoeing turnips, per acre, first time60
" " second time40
Thatching hayricks, per square of 100 ft.10
Washing and shearing sheep, per score 30
Ploughing light land, per acre 50
" stiff " " 7s. to 100
Common hurdles, each5
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 £15042,062
———
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.
Periods. Wheat. Meat. Wool. Labourer's Wages. Horses.
1200-99 51/2 ... ... 31/2 ...
1300-99 61/4 ... ... 43/4 ...
1400-99 3 ... ... 51/2 ...
1500-99 6 ... ... 51/2 ...
1600-99 91/4 ... ... 8 ...
1700-66 73/4 71/2 12 10 153/4
1767-89 11 111/2 151/3 121/2 171/4
1790-1803 13 161/2 161/6 163/4 191/2
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:—
Period. Weekly pay. Price of wheat. Wages in pints of bread.
s.d. s.d.
1742-52 60 300 102
1761-70 76 426 90
1780-90 80 512 80
1795-9 90 708 65
1800-8 110 868 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.
in254parishes,with beer or cider 1043/4
522"without beer or cider 1051/2
in winter,
in200"with beer or cider 921/4
544"without beer or cider 9113/4
£s.d.
The annual average inclusive earnings of the labourer himself were stated at 271710
and of his wife and children 131910
————
41178
========
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. Dr.s.d.
Wages150 Rent171/2
Garden16 Bread6 0
Extras10 Bacon26
Tea and sugar13
Cheese16
Butter16
Fuel 13
Candles and soap 0 6
Clothes1 6
Schooling 0 3
Sundries 0 6
——— ———
176 1841/2
====== ======
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 158
1740 180
1750 166
1760 1116
1770 186
1780 1126
1790 11610
1800 344
1810 3120
1815 380
1820 3104
1825 2196
1830 236
1835 207
1840 2140
1842 2128