246 ON THE PRICE OF GRAIN. 



Here they are only 6,r. 3</. They are cheap also at Liverpool and Ply- 

 mouth, 9*.; Oakham, 9*. of</.; at Chester, 9*. 4<f.; at Hereford, 9*. 7|rf.; 

 and at Tedbury in Gloucestershire, $s. Sd. The price of oats is 

 generally found in all markets. 



The price of rye corresponds generally to that of wheat, i.e. about 

 66, wheat being taken at unity. It does not appear to be a common 

 crop, or to be generally used for human consumption even in the North. 

 It is clear too that the harvest was fairly favourable for leguminous 

 plants, beans and the two kinds of peas. All these are dearer in the 

 Home district than they are elsewhere, though in no great degree. 



1695-6. A considerable rise takes place. Wheat is 12*. 6d. dearer 

 in the Home markets, 15^. in the Eastern, over I2S. in the Midland, 

 over 1 3,$-. in the South, over 9*. in the South-west, over 5^. in the 

 North. Over the whole of England it is i is. yd. In the corn rents, 

 it is nearly 225. In drawing my district and local averages, I have 

 omitted the return from Appleby, as the inclusion of it would have 

 given an entirely erroneous impression of North country prices. For 

 the years 1695-6, 1697-8, 1698-9, the price of some kinds of grain 

 in this market are so exceedingly high that there must either have 

 been some local famine, or the accounts transmitted to Houghton must 

 have been erroneous. Thus in this year the prices of wheat, barley, rye 

 and grey peas are dearer than anywhere else, while malt, oats and white 

 peas are at the ordinary Northern rates. Wheat is dearest at Guild- 

 ford, where however only the first two quarters supply returns, and at 

 Brentford, where the price is as high as 80^. for some part of the first 

 quarter, the average being 59^. 6\d. Wycombe is at 57^. 2d., Rum- 

 ford at 565-. nf</., Hitchin at 54,$-. if</., Wantage at 55^. ^d. But 

 the average at London in 46$. J^d. It seems that the highest prices 

 prevailed along the valley of the Thames and its neighbourhood, and 

 that prices at London were lessened by coasting ships. The lowest 

 prices, as before, are in the Midland and Northern markets. The corn 

 rents are a good deal in excess (nearly gs.) of the average derived 

 from the Home, South and East counties taken together. 



Barley and malt are a good deal dearer, though rather below what 

 one might have expected. As usual, they are comparatively low- 

 priced in the Eastern counties. As in the case of wheat, the four malt 

 rent towns give higher prices than on an average Houghton's corre- 

 spondents do. The highest average of barley is from Brentford, 24.?.; 

 the highest of malt at Chester, 32^. ; and it stands at this price 

 through the year. But the latter is exceptional. It is not so dear at 

 Liverpool, where it is at about the average. Oats are at a much 



