36 ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. 



she was on the eve of adding to the number ; they all slept, 

 six of them, in one small room." This was in the charming 

 hamlet of Shottery, which to-day is one of our show villages. 

 In the midst of this Shakespeare's England, on the 2ist 

 February, 1872, a second meeting took place under the 

 chestnut tree at Wellesbourne. There was a larger crowd 

 and Arch declared that " nearly every policeman in the 

 county was there as well." More men joined the Union 

 and a committee and a secretary were appointed. Then 

 the following letter was drafted and served upon farmers 

 in the Wellesbourne district : 



" SIR, 



" We jointly and severally request your attention to the 

 following requirements namely 2s. 8d. per day for our labour ; 

 hours from six to five ; and to close at three on Saturday ; and 

 4d. an hour overtime. Hoping you will give this your fair 

 and honest consideration." 



It will be seen from this letter how old is the persistent 

 cry for a few hours' leisure on one week-day. 



The farmers treated the letter with contempt, and on March 

 nth about two hundred men came out on strike. It is 

 interesting to note that the shepherds and wagoners, who were 

 engaged by the month and who had a shilling a week more 

 than the ordinary labourer a shilling a week more for a 

 seven-days week of interminable hours did not come out. 

 Most of the men who struck were ordinary labourers earning 

 I2s., though there were others who were getting only 95. 

 or los. a week. 



These men must have been in desperate straits before 

 they struck, for Arch declared that there was not a pound's 

 worth of silver amongst the lot, and nearly every man was 

 in debt to the shopkeeper. This indeed was not uncommon 

 in these times, for in one village Arch asked all men to hold 

 up their hands who were in debt to the shopkeeper : and 

 every hand was held up ! The farmers expected a seven- 

 days strike, but they were soon disillusioned. The Press 

 took up the labourers' cause and wide publicity was given 

 to the grievances of the agricultural workers by Mr. J. E. 

 Matthew Vincent, the editor of the Leamington Chronicle, 



