English Economic History: Select Documents

by Unknown

[219] Compare the wages here allowed with those set out below, No. 19.

[220] i.e. No additions made to the commission.

19. Labour Legislation; A Bill in Parliament, 23 Henry VI [Rot. Parl. 23 Henry VI, m. 4, No. 19], 1444-5.

Prayen the Commons of this present Parliament that where the common people of this realm is greatly annoyed because of sudden departing of servants of husbandry from their masters at the end of their terms without due warning made unto their said masters, where if such warning were had they might be purveyed of other servants against the end of their term, and also because that justices of peace many times by favour, prayer or commandment, set so little and so easy fines upon such as be convict before them, that many dread not the execution of the law but greatly are emboldened to offend:

That it like the King our Sovereign Lord to ordain by authority of this present Parliament that every servant of husbandry purposing to depart from his master at the end of his term, at the middle of his term or else before make covenant with another man to serve him for the next year, if he be in such case as the law will compel him to serve, the same covenant to be made in the presence of the constables of the towns where such servants at that time be in service; and that the said servant and he that shall so make covenant with him, in presence of the said constables, at the middle of the said term or before, warn the master of the said servant of the said covenant so newly made, so that the same master may purvey him another servant against the end of his term; and if any covenant with any such servant be made in other wise, or that such warning in manner and form abovesaid be not had, the same covenant be void, and the said servant be compelled to serve his former master still for the next year, but if[221] any lawful and reasonable cause being of later time shall require the contrary; also that the salaries and wages of servants, labourers and artificers, exceed not the assessing that followeth, that is to say, the salary of a bailiff of husbandry by year 23s. 4d. and clothing price of 5s. with meat and drink; of a chief hind, a carter, a chief shepherd, 20s. and clothing price of 4s. with meat and drink; a common servant of husbandry 15s. and clothing price of 40d.; a woman servant 10s. and clothing price of 4s. with meat and drink; a child within age of 14 years 6s. and clothing price of 3s. with meat and drink; the same form be observed of salaries of servants with hostlers, victuallers and artificers in cities, boroughs, and elsewhere being, and such as less deserve, less to take, and also in places where less is used to be given, less to be given hereafter. And that from the feast of Easter unto Michaelmas the wages of any freemason or master carpenter exceed not by the day 4d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 5½d.; a master tiler or slater, rough mason and mean carpenter and other artificers concerning building, by the day 3d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 4½d.; and every other labourer by the day 2d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 3½d. And from the feast of Michaelmas unto Easter a freemason and a master carpenter by the day 3d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 4½d.; tiler, mean carpenter, rough mason and other artificers aforesaid, by the day 2½d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 4d.; and every other workman and labourer by the day 1½d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 3d.; and who that less deserves, to take less; provided that the said assessing extend not to labourers in time of harvest about harvest labour, in which the wages of a mower exceed not by the day 4d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 6d.; a man reaper or carter 3d. by the day with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 5d.; a woman labourer and other labourers in harvest by the day 2½d. with meat and drink, and without meat and drink 4½d.; and such as are worth less, less to take, and in places where less is used to be taken, less be taken hereafter; and that no artificer, workman or labourer take anything for any holiday nor for no workday, except after the rate of the time of the day in which he labours; and if any person refuse to serve or labour according to the premises, that every justice of the peace in their shires have power at every time to call them to examination thereof, and such as they find defective to commit to prison, there to abide till they have found surety sufficient to serve and labour in form by law required; and if any servant, artificer, workman or labourer, do contrary to the premises or deny his service, occupation or labour, by reason of no giving wages or salaries contrary to this statute, that he lose to the party that will sue in this part 20s.; and that the givers of excessive salaries or wages run in the same pain ...

Further, that the justices of peace assess no fine upon any that shall be convict before them of things done against any Statute of Labourers or Artificers or by that cause shall put him in the King's grace, beneath 3s. 4d. ...[222]

[221] i.e. Unless.

[222] This bill became a Statute (Stat. 23 Henry VI. c. 12).

20. Organisation of the Staple[223] [Patent Roll,6 Edward II, p. 2, m. 5], 1313.

The King to all to whom, etc., greeting. Know ye that whereas before these times divers damages and grievances in many ways have befallen the merchants of our realm, not without damage to our progenitors, sometime Kings of England, and to us, because merchants, as well denizen as alien, buying wools and woolfells within the realm aforesaid and our power, have gone at their pleasure with the same wools and fells, to sell them, to divers places within the lands of Brabant, Flanders and Artois: We, wishing to prevent such damages and grievances and to provide as well as we may for the advantage of us and our merchants of the realm aforesaid, do will and by our council ordain, to endure for ever, that merchants denizen and alien, buying such wools and fells within the realm and power aforesaid and wishing to take the same to the aforesaid lands to sell there, shall take those wools and fells or cause them to be taken to a fixed staple to be ordained and assigned within any of the same lands by the mayor and community of the said merchants of our realm, and to be changed as and when they shall deem expedient, and not to other places in those lands in any wise: granting to the said mayor and merchants of our realm aforesaid, for us and our heirs, that the mayor and council of the same merchants for the time being may impose upon all merchants, denizen and alien, who shall contravene the said ordinance and shall be reasonably convicted thereof by the aforesaid mayor and council of the said merchants, certain money penalties for those offences, and that such money penalties, whereof we or our ministers shall be informed by the aforesaid mayor, shall be levied to our use from the goods and wares of merchants so offending, wheresoever they shall be found within the realm and power aforesaid, by our ministers, according to the information aforesaid and the assessment thereof to be made by the mayor himself, saving always to the said mayor and merchants that of themselves they may reasonably chastise and punish offending merchants, if their goods and wares chance to be found in the staple aforesaid outside our realm and power aforesaid, without interference or hindrance on the part of us or our heirs or our ministers whomsoever, as they have hitherto been wont to do. In witness whereof etc. Witness the King at Canterbury, 20 May.