A PERIOD OF GENERAL DISTRESS 69 



spite of his high wages ; though we must not attach too much 

 importance to disorder in the Middle Ages, for it prevailed to 

 an almost incredible extent among all classes, the gentry laying 

 wait for those against whom they had a grudge with large gangs 

 of ruffian retainers, who fell with savage cowardice on their 

 victims. On the bright side of the picture must be put the 

 development of the cloth trade, which helped those who kept 

 sheep, though until 1540 there was apparently no increase in 

 the price of wool. 1 



A large quantity of the wool now grown in England was manu- 

 factured into cloth at home instead of being exported, with the, 

 result that the customs in wool at Calais had decreased from 

 68,000 in the time of Edward III to 12,000 in 1448.2 It 

 was fortunate for the fifteenth century that the seasons as a rule 

 were very good, the years 1431-7 and 1439-45 being very 

 abundant, and 1454-5 particularly so ; wheat in that year aver- 

 aging 3^. 10^., the lowest price of the century ; barley, 2s. g\d. ; 

 oats, is. 8%d. ; peas, 2,s. $\d? 



In 1463 it was nearly as cheap, and remained at a low figure 

 till the end of the century. There were some exceptions to the 

 bountiful crops : in 1438 it rained long and heavily in the 

 summer, and the sun rarely showed itself, so that the scarcity 

 was universal, and the Lord Mayor of London sent to Prussia 

 and brought to London certain ships laden with rye, which 

 eased and did much good to the people, for corn was so scarce 

 in some places that the poor made bread of fern roots. Corn 

 also came that year from Denmark. 4 



Important alterations were made in the corn laws. The 

 statute 15 Hen. VI, c. 2 says that by former laws no one could 

 export grain without the king's licence, so that farmers, * and 

 other men which use manurement of their land,' 5 were obliged 



1 Thorold Rogers, History of Agriculture and Prices, i. 366, iv. 328. 



2 Cunningham, Industry and Commerce, i. 434. 



3 Thorold Rogers, op. cit. iv. 284. 



* M c Pherson, Annals of Commerce, i. 655. 

 ' Manuring' is here used in the sense of managing or farming. 



5 I 



