ON THE PRICE OF LABOUR. 2l 



before us, however, the custom of piece-work is abandoned. 

 First, the bailiff buys shoes either directly from the smith, or at 

 some one of the fairs, and similarly purchases other iron imple- 

 ments. In other words, the smith becomes a capitalist instead 

 of a labourer on hire. Ultimately contracts are entered into for 

 regular work. Thus it will be seen, that from 1386 onwards, 

 vol. ii. p. 583. ii., the bailiffs of Alton Barnes in Wilts and 

 Takley in Oxfordshire contract for shoeing the farm horses. 

 This arrangement is apparently made annually. At Alton 

 Barnes the rate at first (i. e. 1386) is zs. a horse, which falls in 

 1396 to is. io|^., and in 1399 to is. 8<^. At Takley the rate is 

 much lower, but rises, beginning with 8d. and going on to iod. in 

 1398, 1399, and 1400. It is probable that very slight defences 

 are employed at the latter place, as wrought-iron was certainly 

 id. the pound at this time, and the smith's labour in tacking the 

 shoes on and supplying nails being taken into account, four 

 pounds of iron a year is a very scanty allowance for shoes. 



Female labour is common before the Plague, the information 

 supplied being, as a rule, that paid for the labour of planting^ 

 beans and gathering stubble. Women no doubt worked in 

 the harvest-field, but I suppose they were either engaged in 

 binding and stacking the sheaves, and thus were paid in the 

 aggregate given for reaping an acre of any kind of grain ; or in 

 case they used the sickle themselves, no variation was made 

 between their labour and that of the men. 



Before the Plague, labour which is specially designated as 

 women's work is paid ordinarily at the rate of a penny a day, 

 sometimes, but very seldom, at three farthings, and on the 

 latter occasions generally it is that of gathering stubble for 

 thatching after the harvest. The occupation in which they are 

 chiefly described as engaged is that of planting beans. It 

 seems that as about two bushels an acre were planted, and as 

 we also find women paid for planting beans by the acre, and 

 even by the quarter, and ordinarily at 8d. an acre, that a 

 woman was supposed able to plant half a rood of beans every 

 day. On one occasion 9^. a quarter is paid, but this is in 



