A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



district, since a large part of the population were engaged in lace-making and 

 straw-plaiting, according to the census of 1801. The lace trade had been 

 .increasing throughout the eighteenth century, and silk lace, as well as the 

 older thread lace, was made in larger quantities. In 1794 the chief manu- 

 factures were lace and paper, but the number of persons employed in them 

 was not sufficient to affect the supply of agricultural labour, though the best 

 wages were higher than those of the ordinary labourer. In the later report 

 to the Board of Agriculture, however, lace-making and straw-plaiting occu- 

 pied a great number of women, and the farmers could get little work done 

 for them by women. Lace was chiefly made in the northern part of the 

 county, especially in the district round Newport Pagnel and Olney. At 

 Hanslope, 205 in 1802, 800 persons were employed in the trade, the population 

 being returned in the census of the previous year as 1,289. Children were 

 sent to lace schools at the age of five or six, and both boys and girls were 

 able to support themselves at twelve years old. Men also made lace when 

 agricultural employment was scarce, and they could earn as good wages as if 

 they were doing their ordinary work. 



Throughout the eighteenth century the ordinary labourer seems to have 

 had is. a day, but in the legal wages practically no change took place ; the 

 only exception was in the case of servants hired by the year. In the scale of 

 wages of ij6$* M all classes of servants were allowed IQJ. above the previous 

 rate. 



'. d. ,. d. 



Chief bailiffs had 6 10 o in the Chilterns and 6 o in the Vale. 



Ordinary servants 4 10 O 400,, 



Boys from 16 to 20 3 o O 2 10 o ,, 



Boys from 12 to 16 2 O O 1134 



This did not represent the real rise, for in 1794 207 the head man was receiv- 

 ing on an average 8 guineas in the interior of the county and 10 guineas in 

 the south, while a boy had 3 guineas and 4 guineas respectively in the two 

 districts. 



This rise was not neutralized by a greater rise in prices. In 1 670 wheat 

 was sold at Aylesbury for 6s. ioa a bushel, and barley for 3^. and 2s. jd. a 

 bushel, but in 1702 barley was at is. yd., and the average value of wheat 

 between 1721 to 1784 decreased from ^s. %d. to 4*. i*/. 209 At the close of 

 the century a series of bad harvests brought to an end the period of prosperity 

 and caused much distress among the labourers, although the farmers and land- 

 lords made great profits on the high prices obtainable for all kinds of corn. 



Besides the bad harvests, the French war and the consequent heavy 

 taxation pressed most heavily on the labourers, in spite of the efforts of the 

 government to afford relief during the dearth. The two houses of Parlia- 

 ment signed an agreement to reduce the consumption of corn by one-third 

 in their houses, and similar action was taken by certain privy councillors, 

 who sent a copy of their resolution to the lords-lieutenant calling upon the 

 magistrates and others in the counties to follow their example. In the 

 summer of 1795 the Buckinghamshire justices 210 undertook only to use 



"' Lipscomb, Hist, of Bucks, iv, 164. * oe Quart. Sess. Rec. East. 1765. 



07 James and Malcolm, Gen. View of Agrlc. of Bucks. (1794). im Overseers' Accts. Aylesbury. 



m St. John Priest, Gen. View of Agric. of Bucks. (1813). 110 Quart. Sess. Rec. Mids. 1795. 



84 ' 



