"Tuesday, a Court of Aldermen was held at Guildhall. The Court ordered the price of bread to remain at 1s. 3d. the quartern loaf.
"The Court having considered the petition of the Retail Dealers in Salt, for an advance, were pleased to order the price of salt to be fixed as follows, viz., 8s. per bushel, 4s. per half ditto, 2s. per peck, 1s. per half ditto, 6d. per quarter ditto, 3d. per half-quarter peck, 2d. per pound, 1d. per half ditto."—(Times, March 10, 1796.)
"Assize of Bread.
"The regulation of the Assize of Bread being generally misunderstood, the following tables, extracted from the Act of Parliament of the 31st Geo. II. will at once shew, by what authority, the Magistrates regulate the Price of Bread, with the allowance to Bakers of 1s. 6d. per bushel for wheat, and 10s. per sack for flour: a reference to which tables, will enable every person to ascertain the price of the quartern, and peck, loaf, as well as the Magistrates themselves: and will prove that the letter of the law, and not the will of the Magistrates, regulates that necessary article. At the same time, the public will be convinced, that the average price of flour is more in favour of the consumer, than that of wheat. For example—the average price of wheat, this day, is 9s. per bushel. The allowance to the baker, is 1s. 6d. The quartern loaf would then be 1s.—whereas, the average price of flour being 63s. and 4d., the Magistrates are enabled to make the Assize of Bread 11d. instead of 1s.
| WHEAT. | ||||
| When the Average Price of Wheat is per Bushel. | Allowance to the Baker. | Total Price, including the Allowance | Quartern Loaf | Peck Loaf |
| 7/ | 1/6 | 8/6 | /9¾ | 3/3 |
| 7/3 | " | 8/9 | /10 | 3/4 |
| 7/6 | " | 9/ | /10¼ | 3/5 |
| 7/9 | " | 9/3 | /10½ | 3/6 |
| 8/ | " | 9/6 | /10¾ | 3/7¼ |
| 8/3 | " | 9/9 | /11 | 3/8 |
| 8/6 | " | 10/ | /11½ | 3/10 |
| 9/ | " | 10/6 | 1/ | 4/ |
| FLOUR. | ||||
| When the Average Price of Flour is per Sack. | Allowance to the Baker. | Total Price. | Quartern Loaf | Peck Loaf |
| 50/ | 10/ per sack | 60/ | /9 | 3/ |
| 51/8 | " | 61/8 | /9¼ | 3/1 |
| 53/4 | " | 63/4 | /9½ | 3/2 |
| 55/ | " | 65/ | /9¾ | 3/3 |
| 56/8 | " | 66/8 | /10 | 3/4 |
| 58/4 | " | 68/4 | /10¼ | 3/5 |
| 60/ | " | 70/ | /10½ | 3/6 |
| 61/8 | " | 71/8 | /10¾ | 3/7 |
—(Times, July 1, 1796.)
The Aldermen also had the power of visiting the bakers' shops within their Wards, of fining dishonest bakers, and distributing their bread, gratis, to the poor,—a summary, and most effectual, way of dealing with the rogues.
"Wednesday, a cheap Baker in Bishopsgate-Ward was fined, by the Lord Mayor, 5s. per ounce, on 16 ounces short weight, in seven quartern, and nine penny loaves, taken by the inquest of that Ward from out of his shop."—(Times, March 29, 1793.)
"Saturday Mr. Justice Russell, and the Peace Officers of Greenwich, went to all the bakers, and weighed their bread, to find out if the poor, and other inhabitants, had their due weight: when many loaves, found deficient in weight, were immediately given away at the doors of the bakers to those poor persons who were not under any relief from the parish."—(Times, Jan. 12, 1795.)