The rates of pay for spinning flax and hemp were even lower than those for spinning wool. Fitzherbert expressly says that in his time no woman could get her living by spinning linen.[[256]] The market price was of little moment to well-to-do women who span thread for their family’s use and who valued the product of their labour by its utility and not by its return in money value; but the women who depended on spinning for their living were virtually paupers, as is shown by the terms in which reference is made to them:—“shee beeinge very poore, gettinge her livinge by spinninge and in the nature of a widowe, her husband beeinge in the service of His Majesty.”[[257]]
Yet the demand for yarn and thread was so great that if spinners had been paid a living wage there would have been scarcely any need for poor relief.
The relation between low wages and pauperism was hardly even suspected at this time, and though the spinsters’ maximum wages were settled at Quarter Sessions, no effort was made to raise them to a subsistence level. Instead of attempting to do so Parish Authorities accepted pauperism as “the act of God,” and concentrated their attention on the task of reducing rates as far as possible by forcing the pauper women and children, who had become impotent or vicious through neglect and under-feeding, to spin the thread needed by the community. Schemes for this purpose were started all over the country; a few examples will show their general scope. At Nottingham it was arranged for Robert Hassard to “Receave pore children to the number of viij. or more, ... and to haue the benefitt of theire workes and labours for the first Moneth, and the towne to allowe him towards their dyett, for everie one xijid. a Weeke, and theire parents to fynde them lodginge; and Robert Hassard to be carefull to teache and instructe them speedyly in the spyninge and workinge heare, to be fitt to make heare-cloth, and allsoe in cardinge and spyninge of hards to make candle weeke, and hee to geue them correccion, when need ys, and the greate wheeles to be called in, and to be delivered for the vse of these ymployments.”[[258]]
A few years later in the scheme “for setting the poore on worke” the following rates of pay were established:—
6d. per pound for cardinge and spinning finest wool.
5d. per pound for ye second sort.
4d. ob. (＝ obolus, ½d.) for ye third sorte.
1d. per Ley [skein] for ye onely spinninge all sortes of linen, the reele beeing 4 yards.
ob. per pound for cardinge candleweake.
1d. per pound for pulling midling [coarser part] out of it.