Ordinance of Laborers, 1349
A vain attempt by the king to freeze wages paid to laborers at
their pre-plague levels, the ordinance is indicative of the labor shortage
caused by the Black Death. It also shows the beginnings of the redefinition of
societal roles.
The king to the sheriff of Kent, greeting. Because a great part of the people,
and especially of workmen and servants, late died of the pestilence, many
seeing the necessity of masters, and great scarcity of servants, will not serve
unless they may receive excessive wages, and some rather willing to beg in
idleness, than by labor to get their living; we, considering the grievous
incommodities, which of the lack especially of ploughmen and such laborers may
hereafter come, have upon deliberation and treaty 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, of what condition he be, free
or bond, able in body, and within the age of threescore years, not living in
merchandise, nor exercising any craft, nor having of his own whereof he may
live, nor proper land, about whose tillage he may himself occupy, and not
serving any other, if he in convenient service, his estate considered, be
required to serve, he shall be bounden to serve him which so shall him require;
and take only the wages, livery, meed, or salary, which were accustomed to be
given in the places where he oweth to serve, the twentieth year of our reign of
England, or five or six other commone years next before. Provided always, that
the lords be preferred before other in their bondmen or their land tenants, so
in their service to be retained; so that nevertheless the said lords shall
retain no more than be necessary for them; and if any such man or woman, being
so required to serve, will not the same do, that proved by two true men before
the sheriff or the constables of the town where the same shall happen to be
done, he shall anon be taken by them or any of them, and committed to the next
gaol, there to remain under strait keeping, till he find surety to serve in the
form aforesaid.
Item, if any reaper, mower, or other workman or servant, of what estate or
condition that he be, retained in any man's service, do depart from the said
service without reasonable cause or license, before the term agreed, he shall
have pain of imprisonment. And that none under the same pain presume to
receive or to retain any such in his service.
Item, that no man pay, or promise to pay, any servant any more wages, liveries,
meed, or salary than was wont, as afore is said; nor that any in other manner
shall demand or receive the same, upon pain of doubling of that, that so shall
be paid, promised, required, or received, to him which thereof shall feel
himself grieved, pursuing for the same; and if none such will pursue, then the
same to be applied to any of the people that will pursue; and such pursuit
shall be in the court of the lord of the place where such case shall happen.
Item, if the lords of the towns or manors presume in any point to come against
this present ordinance either by them, or by their servants, then pursuit shall
be made against them in the counties, wapentakes, tithings, or such other
courts, for the treble pain paid or promised by them or their servants in the
form aforesaid; and if any before this present ordinance hath covenanted with
any so to serve for more wages, he shall not be bound by reason of the same
covenant, to pay more than at any other time was wont to be paid to such
person; nor upon the said pain shall presume any more to pay.
Item, that saddlers, skinners, white-tawers, cordwainers, tailors, smiths,
carpenters, masons, tilers, [shipwrights], carters, and all other artificers
and workmen, shall not take for their labor and workmanship above the same that
was wont to be paid to such persons the said twentieth year, 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 next gaol, in
manner as afore is said.
Item, that butchers, fishmongers, hostelers, breweres, bakers, puters, and all
other sellers of all manner of victual, shall be bound to sell the same victual
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, reasonably to be required according to the distance of the place
from whence the said victuals be carried; and if any sell such victuals in any
other manner, and thereof be convict in the manner and form aforesaid, he
shalll pay the double of the same that he so received, to the party damnified,
or, in default of him, to any other that will pursue in this behalf: and the
mayors and bailiffs of cities, boroughs, merchant-towns, and others, and of the
ports and places of the sea, shall have power to inquire of all and singular
which shall in any thing offend the same, and to levy the said pain to the use
of them at whose suit such offenders shall be convict; and in case that the
same mayors or bailiffs be negligent in doing execution of the premises, and
thereof be convict before our justices, by us to be assigned, then the same
mayors and bailiffs shall be compelled by the same justices to pay the treble
of the thing so sold to the party damnified, or to any other in default of him
that will pursue; and nevertheless toward us they shall be grievously
punished.
Item, because that many valiant beggars, as long as they may live of begging,
do refuse to labor, giving themselves to idleness and vice, and sometime to
theft and other abominations; none upon the said pain of imprisonment shall,
under the color of pity or alms, give any thing to such, which may labor, or
presume to favor them toward their desires, so that thereby they may be
compelled to labor for their necessary living.
We command you, firmly enjoining, that all and singular the premises in the
cities, boroughs, market towns, seaports, and other places in your bailiwick,
where you shall think expedient, as well within liberties as without, you do
cause to be publicly proclaimed, and to be observed and duly put in execution
aforesaid; and this by no means omit, as you regard us and the common weal of
our realm, and would save yourself harmless. Witness the king at Westminster,
the 18th day of June. By the king himself and the whole council.
Like writs are directed to the sheriffs throughout England.
The king to the reverend father in Christ W. by the same grace bishop of
Winchester, greeting. "Because a great part of the people," as before, until
"for their necessary living," and then thus: And therefore we entreat you that
the premises in every of the churches, and other places of your diocese, which
you shall think expedient, you do cause to be published; directing the parsons,
vicars, ministers of such churches, and others under you, to exhort and invite
their parishioners by salutary admonitions, to labor, and to observe the
ordinances aforesaid, as the present necessity requireth: and that you do
likewise moderate the stipendiary chaplains of your said diocese, who, as it is
said, do now in like manner refuse to serve without an excessive salary; and
compel them to serve for the accustomed salary, as it behooveth them, under the
pain of suspension and interdict. And this by no means omit, as you regard us
and the common weal of our said realm. Witness, etc. as above. By the king
himself and the whole council.
Like letters of request are directed to the serveral bishops of England, and to
the keeper of the spiritualities of the archbishopric of Canterbury, during the
vacancy of the see, under the same date.
The text for this document was taken from:
White, Albert Beebe and Wallace Notestein, eds. Source Problems in
English History. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1915.
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