12.31 Workers and Wages

Read the excerpts from the Ordinance of Laborers:

"The king to the sheriff of Kent, greeting. Because a great part of the people-- especially of workers and servants-- recently died of the pestilence, many see the needs of masters and the great scarcity of servants, and will not serve unless they may receive excessive wages. Some would rather beg in idleness than work for a living. We have considered the grievous inconvenience which will be caused by the lack of workers, especially of ploughmen, and have upon deliberation and discussions with the prelates and the nobles, and learned men assisting us, of their mutual counsel ordained:

That every man and woman of our realm of England, whether free or serf, able in body, and within the age of 60 years, who are not merchants, nor are working in any craft, nor having his own wealth whereof he may live, nor owning land... and not serving any other... be required to work for anyone who needs his service. And workers should take only the wages, livery, reward, or salary that were accustomed to be given... in the twentieth year of our reign of England [1347]... And if any such man or woman, being so required to serve, will not the same do, and if this is proved by two true men before the sheriff or the constables of the town where this happened, he shall be taken by them and committed to the nearest jail...

No man should pay, or promise to pay, any worker more wages, liveries, reward, or salary than was the earlier custom...

Item, that saddlers, skinners, white-tawers, cordwainers, tailors, smiths, carpenters, masons, tilers, [shipwrights], carters, and all other craftsmen and workmen, shall not take for their labor and workmanship above the same that was wont to be paid to such persons in the said twentieth year [1347], and other common years next before, as afore is said, in the place where they shall happen to work; and if any man take more, he shall be committed to the nearest jail...

Butchers, fishmongers, hostelers, breweres, bakers, puters, and all other sellers of all manner of food, shall be bound to sell the same foodstuffs for a reasonable price, having respect to the price that such victual be sold at in the places adjoining, so that the same sellers have moderate gains, and not excessive...

We command you firmly that you cause these ordinances to be publicly proclaimed in all the premises in the cities, boroughs, market towns, seaports, and other places in your bailiwick, where you shall think expedient... Witness the king at Westminster, the 18th day of June. By the king himself and the whole council.

Similar writs are directed to the sheriffs throughout England."

~Adapted from the translation in Albert Beebe White and Wallace Notestein (eds) Source Problems in English History (New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1915)