INDUSTRIES 



to him.** The regular master-worker when his 

 stock was getting low went to the ironkeeper, 

 who gave him the requested amount of iron and 

 entered it to him at a fixed rate of 22s. per 

 1 60 lb. ;^' this he took to his shop, where, with 

 the help of hammermen to whom he paid 155. a 

 week, or apprentices to whom he paid lOs., he 

 made it into the articles that, by application to the 

 overseer, he knew were required. He then re- 

 turned to the surveyor, who, after examining the 

 goods, weighed them, allowing a certain percen- 

 tage for waste in making up, counted them, and 

 then deducted the price of the iron. The final 

 payment after all deductions, the price of the 

 material, the assessment for the poor, and any 

 fines the men had to pay, was called ' the gets.' '" 

 Of course it was impossible that payment by 

 piece should be made in all cases, and the domestic 

 system by which the master-worker did the work 

 in his own shop, assisted by his own family, work- 

 people, and apprentices, was superseded in some 

 cases by a system more akin to the present factory 

 system. But the shops in the square, that is the 

 shops erected by Crowley himself for his work- 

 people, were always in great request, in spite of 

 the fact that the tenants had to lead a life corre- 

 sponding in many ways to the English collegiate 

 life of the present day. The square was in charge 

 of a warden, whose duty it was to ring the bell 

 for beginning work at five in the morning, three 

 hours later he rang the second bell for breakfast, 

 for which meal half an hour was allowed ; twelve 

 was the dinner hour, but work began again at one, 

 and continued until eight.^' The utmost vigil- 

 ance was used with regard to the square ; on 

 Sundays every one was compelled to come in by 

 nine at night, and before ten on weekdays, and no 



Hawkers, tinkers, pedlers, or any such like suspected, 

 pilfering people, nor any suspicious persons with great 

 Coats or Cloaks or any Woman with Hoods on or 

 Coats tucked up 



were allowed there.'^ Drunken people were to 

 be driven out unless they lived in the square, in 

 which case they were to be persuaded to go to 

 their own homes. The warden was warned to 

 prevent from coming within the boundaries 



tho?e who make any disturbance or do any injury or 

 throw Coals Stones Snowballs or anything else or shall 

 fight quarrel or abuse anyone in any place whatsoever 

 or shall use scurrilous language against me or any of 

 my officers or by blowing of a horn or other ways raise 

 a Tumult or Mobb ; 



betting within the square or boundaries above the 

 value of 2d. in three hours' space was fined. 

 Children breaking any of the regulations were 

 either to be whipped by their parents or their 



*' Law Book, Law 17, verse 3, fol. 411^. 

 " Ibid. Law 88, verse I, fol. I35(5. 

 "' Cf. R. O. Heslop, Northumb. Words. 

 " Law Book, Law 40, verse 23, fol. 6717. 

 " Ibid. Law 40, verse 24, fol. 67^. 



parents were to pay the fine ; a fine of 2d. was 

 inflicted for cursing." Some of the methods 

 adopted to keep up a high standard of morality 

 are open to objection. The treasurer was to 

 make his chief concern 'to Pry and Enquire' into 

 the conduct of the clerks and report if they were 

 extravagant, too fond of change and pleasure, 

 especially if they often went to Newcastle, 

 ' which hath been the ruine of several.' 



Intercourse with women ' under a light charac- 

 ter ' is explicitly forbidden; even if the suspected 

 people ' have as much sanctity as John Walford 

 and Mrs. Junning,' they are to be kept under 

 supervision.^* 



Smoking was forbidden as being the occasion 

 of ' much time spent, but little business done,' for 

 the first offence the fine was id'., for others 2d.^^ 

 Drinking is strongly reprobated, but, as if total 

 abstinence were a counsel of perfection, evening 

 drinking was connived at, although every possible 

 precaution was taken against morning drinking, 



for it hath been of fatal consequence to all that hath 

 made a practice of it. 



1st. It is of all things the most destructive to 

 business. 



2nd. It destroyeth health memory and understanding. 



3rd. It produceth nothing but folly and madness. 



4th. It wasteth the only time to do business. 

 It is therefore declared that Mr. Crowley will take 

 effectual care to discharge all such as shall for the 

 future Practice the Drinking of any Strong Liquor 

 before they go to dinner. 



The treasurer was required to forward a list of 

 the clerks, and declare ' Except those which I 

 have fixed and have set a * against, I have not 

 heard of their Drinking on Mornings.' '* 



An excellent plan was adopted for stopping 

 drinking habits ; debts were recoverable in the 

 Crowley Court ; as soon as the debt was proved, 

 a certain percentage was stopped off' the man's 

 wages until the debt was cancelled, but Crowley 

 refused to recognize debts for liquor. 



And whereas I have had most grievous complaints 

 of my workmen and their families being Impoverished 

 by their being trusted by people keeping Publick houses 

 and in an extraordinary manner have been encouraged 

 to drink and game untill they have been in debt be- 

 yond their ability and then put in the Court, and by 

 reason of their selling of Liquor have had an oppor- 

 tunity of gratifying the governors and thereby procured 

 grievous awards therefore it is ordered that all persons 

 whatsoever selling of Liquor shall be debarred from 

 having any award for any debt whatsoever." 



The shop where materials for work and some 

 necessities of life could be obtained was con- 

 ducted as far as possible on the ready-money prin- 

 ciple, but a limited amount of credit was allowed 



" Ibid. Law 51, fol. 90. 



" Ibid. Order 85, verses 1-8, fols. 133;;, 134a. 



" Ibid. Law 35. 



" Ibid. Order 85, verse 8, fol. 133^, 



" Ibid, Law 61, verse 12, fol. 102^. 



285 



