532 ON THE PRICE OF BUILDING MATERIALS. 



Act of Edward IV regulating the manufacture of this article, 

 and plainly obeyed, as the traditional dimension of tiles points 

 out, more than ordinary care was taken in the selection of tile 

 clay and the manufacture of the product, so as to make it as 

 light as was consistent with strength, and as weather-proof as 

 possible. There is however from year to year, as the locality 

 was near to suitable soil, considerable variety in the price of 

 tiles. Even more care was needed in the manufacture of 

 ridge or crest, gutter and corner tiles, and generally what the 

 makers called hollow ware. 



On an average, there is very little difference of price 

 between a thousand bricks, a thousand tiles, and a hundred 

 crest or ridge tiles, and were it not for the fact that the 

 average price of bricks is a little lowered by the inferior 

 quality of a considerable quantity purchased in the last 

 decade but one and the low price at which a small number of 

 crests is sold in the last decade, the prices of each would have 

 been still closer. There is of course always the disturbing 

 cause of local want, or of ready sale, due to over-supply. 



There is a remarkable rise in the price of all these articles 

 during the thirty years 1653-1682 inclusive. The exaltation 

 of price is found in all localities, fairly large purchases 

 being made in some of them. I infer that the increase of 

 wages, which we shall see hereafter marked the conclusion 

 of the Civil War and the establishment of the Commonwealth, 

 is the explanation of a considerable part of the rise. During 

 the last fifty years, the average price of brick is iSs. %}d. and 

 of tile iqs. 8|^/. the thousand, crests being 195-. the hundred, 

 the general averages for the whole period being i6s. \d.> 

 i6s. 5i*/., and 15^. n|^. But it will be convenient to postpone 

 discussion on this subject till the rates of wages are worked 

 out and a careful comparison is made on the whole range of 

 prices. 



I have taken the generic name of crests or ridge tiles to 

 express those kinds which were needed in order to keep the 

 roof water-tight, not only on the ridge, but in gutters and 



