THE JUSTICES OF LABOURERS ^7 



of 1354. The rate is now given by the year instead of 

 by the day, a practice that continues during the remain- 

 der of the decade. The amount is usually £10 a year for 

 one justice and his clerk, and 10 marks a year for the 

 other justice or for each of the other two justices, occa- 

 sionally falling as low as £5 a year. While at first the 

 clerk is not always specified as receiving a share of the 

 greater of the two usual rates, he is so rarely omitted 

 from the later lists that it is a fair inference that the £10 

 regularly included his wages. If the intention is that all 

 the acting justices are to be paid at equal rates, the 

 clerk's yearly salary will be £3 6s. 8d.' 



In comparing the payments per day of the earlier 

 method with these annual payments, it is to be remem- 

 bered that in the latter case the writs always stated that 

 the round sum was due only if the sessions had been 

 held for forty days during the year in question ; while in 

 the former case forty days were named as the maximum 

 for which the daily rate was to be computed. Under 

 both schemes, if the sessions had been for fewer days, 

 the salaries would be proportionately less. On this basis 

 it is clear that normally the 5s. rate per day for a justice, 

 exclusive of the clerk, would amount to £10 a year, a 

 considerably larger sum than the 10 marks of the second 

 scheme, which averages only 3s. 4d. a day. The clerk's 

 total per year under the first schemic of is. 8d. per day, 



20 Jan. /(^/o^., " Pro Edmunclode Clyueclon," 14 April. 33,m.8. "De 

 vadiis iusticiariis soluendis;" a short list dated from 11 Nov. to 2 Dec. 

 Ibid., m. 35, " De vadiis soluendis iusticiariis de operariis; a long list 

 dated from 8 Feb. to 20 Aug. For an example of such a letter close, 

 cf. app., D, 5. 



* Although in one instance (see writ to Sloghter, p. 46, note 3) it 

 is specified that the clerk is to have £2 and two justices 20 marks be- 

 tween them, I am inclined to believe that the larger amount is more 

 usual. 



