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 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 102 | ||
| 1761-70 | 7 | 6 | 42 | 6 | 90 | ||
| 1780-90 | 8 | 0 | 51 | 2 | 80 | ||
| 1795-9 | 9 | 0 | 70 | 8 | 65 | ||
| 1800-8 | 11 | 0 | 86 | 8 | 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. | |||||
| in | 254 | parishes, | with beer or cider | 10 | 43/4 | |
| 522 | " | without beer or cider | 10 | 51/2 | ||
| in winter, | ||||||
| in | 200 | " | with beer or cider | 9 | 21/4 | |
| 544 | " | without beer or cider | 9 | 113/4 | ||
| £ | s. | d. | |
| The annual average inclusive earnings of the labourer himself were stated at | 27 | 17 | 10 |
| and of his wife and children | 13 | 19 | 10 |
| ———— | |||
| 41 | 17 | 8 | |
| ======== | |||
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. | |
| Wages | 15 | 0 | Rent | 1 | 71/2 | |
| Garden | 1 | 6 | Bread | 6 | 0 | |
| Extras | 1 | 0 | Bacon | 2 | 6 | |
| Tea and sugar | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Cheese | 1 | 6 | ||||
| Butter | 1 | 6 | ||||
| Fuel | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Candles and soap | 0 | 6 | ||||
| Clothes | 1 | 6 | ||||
| Schooling | 0 | 3 | ||||
| Sundries | 0 | 6 | ||||
| ——— | ——— | |||||
| 17 | 6 | 18 | 41/2 | |||
| ====== | ====== | |||||
There is no fresh meat, and it is hard to say where any economy could be practised.