working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

AGRICULTURELabourers naturally were unwilling to hire cottageswhile there was a possibility of inducing the justices toprovide one on the waste rent free. The churchwardensof Great Wymondley forwarded a certificatestating " that the poor people of the said parish that areold and not able to work are all provided for and noneof the poor people of the said parish have been drivento wander into other unions to beg or ask relief, for thisthirty years last past. This Nathaniel Thrussel,which now complains, is a lusty young man, able towork and always brought up to husbandry, his wife,a young woman, always brought up to work, and knowboth how to perform their work they are hired todo, and have at present but one child, but did not careto pay rent for a hired house when he had one norendeavour to hire a house for himself when he wants."'The scarcity of cottages resulted in extortionaterents for those that existed ; Best noted that in hisdistrict " Mary Goodale and Richard Miller have acottage betwixt them ; Mary Goodale hath two roomes,and the orchard and payeth 6s. per annum ; andRichard Miller, hayth one roomestead and payeth 4s.per annum. . . . They usually lette their cottageshereaboutes, for 10s. a piece, although they have notsoe much as a yard, or any backe side belonging tothem."'The rents paid elsewhere are shown in the returnsmade in 1635 by the Justices of the Peace for theHundreds of Blofield and Walsham in Norfolk concerningcottages and inmates :Thos. Waters hath 3 inmates :Wm. Wyley pays Er. per annumAnthony Smith ,, LI. per annumRoger Goat ,, 12s. per annum" which are all poore labourers and have wifes andHertford Co. Rec., Vol. I., p. 370, 1687.Best, Rural Econ., p. 12 j.AGRICULTUREseverall children and if they be put out cannot beprovided in this towne and by reason of their chargeand poverty are not likely to be taken elsewhere."" Wm. Browne hath 2 inmates :Edmund Pitt 14s. per annumWm. Jostling 14s. per annumthat are very poor and impotent and take colleccion.Wm. Reynoldes hath 2 inmates :Anthony Durrant EI 16s. per annumWm. Yurely16s. per annumboth are very poore labourers and have wifes and smallchildren. Jas. Candle owner of a cottage [has] RobertFenn, 13s. a poore man.Anne Linckhorne I inmatePhilip Blunt that pay EI . I 7. o that is a poore man andhath wife and children."'Thus it appears that while a labourer who obtaineda cottage on the waste lived rent free, twenty orthirty shillings might be demanded from those whowere less fortunate.Whatever money was extorted for rent meantso much less food for the mother and children, for ithas been shown that the family income was insufficientfor food alone, and left no margin for rent orclothes.The relation of wages to the cost of living is seldomalluded to by contemporary writers, but a pamphletpublished in I 706 says of a labourer's family, " a poorMan and his Wife may have 4 or 5 children, 2 of themable to work, and 3 not able, and the Father and Mothernot able to maintain themselves and Families. inMeat, Drink, Cloaths and House Rent under 10s.a week."'A similar statement is made by Sir Matthew Hale,who adds " and so much they might probably get ifempl~yed."~ But no evidence has been found from' S.P.D., cccx., 104. 1635 Returns made by Justices of the Peace.' Haynes, (John.), Present State of Clotbzng, p. 5. 1706."ale, (Sir Matt). Dtscourse tmrcbzrcg Prowzszon for the Pwr, p. 6, 1683