September 21—Meeting of farmers, &c., at Bromsgrove, when they agreed to supply that market, for three months, with wheat at 11s. 6d. a bushel.
November 21—“John Bunn, jun., flax dresser,” advertised his address. Sales of flax crops occasionally advertised.
November 27—£2,350 subscribed to the Flour and Bread Institution, for the benefit of the industrious poor. The institution bought foreign wheat largely, and sold to the poor at reduced prices. It was said in its results “greatly to exceed the expectations of its most sanguine promoters.”
December 1—Lord Valentia and Mr. Child supplied the Bewdley market with grain, at 12s. a bushel, to be sold to the poor, under the direction of the bailiff.
December 5—Mr. Burrow, saddler, of Worcester, purchased a large quantity of potatoes to sell again to the poor under the market price.
December 10—John Beet, of Rowley Regis, butcher, was convicted by the Droitwich magistrates, in the full penalty of 50s. for “cutting and gashing two cow hides and a calf skin, and for slaying them below the gambrel or knee.”
Local Acts passed this year—For continuing and enlarging powers of Bewdley Turnpike Trust; ditto Kidderminster Turnpikes; Act for repairing roads leading to and from the Hundred House.
1801.
In February, this year, Mr. Pitt unexpectedly retired, and Mr. Addington was called to the King’s Councils, a fact principally to be attributed to the ill success of the war which had been entered into with France, and continued at a cost of blood and treasure totally disproportionate to its advantages. The new ministry, from the moment of entering office, declared peace to be their aim, and the preliminary articles were signed in London in October. This war, which had lasted for eight years, cost us £427,000,000, and at the end of it the only additional possessions we retained were Trinidad and the Dutch holdings in Ceylon. In consequence of the harvest in 1800 being almost an entire failure, the high price of provisions continued to create much distress amongst the poor, and the bounties on flour imported from America were increased. The Three per Cents. fluctuated between 54¾, in January, and 69½, in October: average price about 61. Wheat averaged 69s. 10d.
January—Price of grain in Worcester market 20s. to 24s. a bushel.