GLANCING BACK. 215 



manage to earn as much as from ^37 to ^40 a year. Poor Law 

 returns, however, gave them as follows : in the Aylsham 

 Union, ten shillings to twelve shillings a week ; but in the Dep- 

 wade and Downham Unions, ten shillings ; and pauperism 6*8 per 

 cent, of the population. 



NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 



According to the Agricultural Commissioners, in South North- 

 amptonshire the wages were eleven shillings a week, and in the 

 north of the county thirteen shillings. A good amount of 

 piecework was, however, obtainable, and that would raise the 

 average rate of pay. Poor Law returns gave wages as follows : 

 Brixworth Union, twelve shillings ; Oundle Union, eleven shillings ; 

 and Peterborough Union, twelve shillings. Potatoes were 

 given to permanently employed men. 



NORTHUMBERLAND. 



To state briefly the prosperous condition of the Northumbrian 

 peasant, as shown by the fact that his wages at the time under 

 notice were quite double those prevailing in many parts of 

 the south-western counties, will be to epitomise a condition of 

 life that is capable of very interesting amplification from the 

 bare fact of a " wages reckoned from fifteen to eighteen shillings 

 a week " ; and for that amplification we cannot do better than 

 quote from the Commissioners' report. They say : 



" ' Hind ' is the name given to the carters who work the 

 horses ; each man looking after two horses. There are 

 also shepherds, spademen, and byremen. It is the custom 

 of the county to pay the labourers mostly in kind, but 

 a few prefer money payments. Their wages may be put 

 from fifteen to eighteen shillings per week, including every- 

 thing, and taking the average price of corn as a basis. The 

 hind, who is paid in kind, has a cow kept for him, and receives 

 also $ or 6 of stint-money in lieu of an allowance formerly 

 given for the keep of a ' dry cow.' He has a certain 

 amount of corn, permission to keep one pig, or two, as the 

 case may be, a house rent free, coals led, and potatoes 

 planted. The three last items are more or less considered 

 as the retaining fee of the woman worker, formerly known 

 by the name of the ' bondager.' " 



The wages in Northumberland, as given by the Poor Law 

 returns, were in the Berwick Union, fifteen shillings a week ; 

 in the Glendale Union, sixteen to eighteen shillings ; and in the 

 Morpeth Union, fifteen to sixteen shillings. Pauperism for 

 the county 47 per cent, of the population. 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. 



In this county, as elsewhere, wages near the larger towns, 

 where, necessarily, there was more competition for labour, 

 were higher than these in the remoter parts. In Nottingham- 



