SERVANT. 



fuffer his waggon to be overloaded. The field-men, too, 

 that is, the pitcher and afliftant-loader, (hould be young 

 and aftire, and well matched with the carter. 



But fince the above was written, the prices of fervants 

 have coniiderably increafed m every diftridt of the kmgdom, 

 and the expences of keeping them been very greatly aug- 

 mented. This has led to fewer being kept, and efpecially 

 in the houfe. It is ftated, that in Hertfordfhire the annual 

 wages of a carter or ploughman was formerly from fix to 

 nine guineas ; boys from two to four guineas ; and maid- 

 fervants about five guineas ; but they have fince rilen to 

 nearly double thefe fums. And formerly in Norfolk farm- 

 work was particularly diftinguifhed by the cheapnefs as well 

 as expedition with which it was performed ; which, it is 

 faid, arofe not merely from the cheapnefs of labour, but the 

 greater exertions of fervants and labourers than in molt other 

 dittrifts ; but this is confiderably diminiihed at prefent. In 

 fome parts of that diltriA the cultom of allowing board- 

 wages to farm-fervants, inftead of the old plan of feeding 

 them in the houfe, is coming into ufe ; and Ss. a-week are 

 given. This is a bad, immoral regulation, which (hould be 

 difcontinued. In Yorkfhire the wages of fervants have alfo 

 been greatly increafed. In the Weft Riding the wages of a 

 houfe fervant (of which kind molt of the ploughmen are) 

 may be eftimated from 25/. to 30/. yearly, including mainte- 

 nance. There is a practice which prevails over a confider- 

 able part of this diftrift, of giving them drink both forenoon 

 and afternoon, be the work what it will ; which is a ridi- 

 culous cuftom, and ought to be abolifhed without lofs of 

 time. What can be more abfurd than to fee a ploughman 

 Hopping his horfes half an hour, in a cold winter day, to 

 drink ale ? But the praftice is fo deep rooted, that it will 

 not be eafily removed without a compenfation. It is fug- 

 geftcd that the proper remedy is to let the value of the ale 

 be paid to the fervant in money, which probably would be as 

 much for his interelt, and certainly more advantageous to 

 the farmer. In thofe places where long yokings are taken, 

 fay feven or eight hours, it may be neceilary to feed both 

 men and horfes on the ground ; but this praftice cannot be 

 recommended unlels in urgent cafes, it being very injurious 

 to tlieir liealth. In the beft regulated agricultural coimties, 

 five hours labour in the morning and four hours in the after- 

 noon, when the fcalon allows, and five hours, or five hours 

 and a half, in fliort days, is confidercd to be as much as 

 horfes are capable of luftaining, and yokings of this duration 

 require no refrclhmcnl on the ground. And it is added, that 

 the hours of labour for men are generally in fummer from 

 fix to fix, with the ufual time for reft and refrefhment, which 

 gives betwixt nine and ten hours labour each day, and in 

 winter from light to dark. Much of the farm-labour, fuch 

 as ditching, hedging, threfliing, &c. is done by the piece, 

 but the prices vary greatly in different places. And it may 

 be added that when the farmer is a proper judge of his 

 bufinefs, piece-work is not only moft to his advantage, but 

 the only way by which an aAive diligent fervant can be 

 properly rewarded for his labour. 



In Berklhire, and many other counties, great care is taken 

 to keep no more fervants in the houfe, by the farmer'., than 

 are juft fufficimt for performing the ordinary bufinefs to be 

 done. The pay of a carter is there from nine to twelve 

 guineas the year ; an under carter from four to feven guineas 

 for the fame length of time ; a fliepherd from eight to ten 

 guineas, and the run of a few ftieep ; a boy from two to 

 three guineas ; and a dairy-maid from five to ten guineas, in 

 proportion as (he may be qualified. 



In tlie manufafturing diltrifts of Chclhire and Lancalhire, 

 the wages of houic-farming fervanta run in this way. 



£ 

 10 



to 



£ 



1 2 fer annum. 



10 



— 8—12 



In the fir ft, 



Man to follow the team - fron 



Lad of from 15 to 20, for the 

 fame purpofe - - j 



Cow boy, or man, as the ftock 

 may be - - - 



Home-work fervant, for' 



hedging, mowing, threlh- ■ — 10 — 12 

 ing, &c. - - - . 



Head dairy woman, in pro- 

 portion to the fize of farm j 



Women fervants of other 

 kinds - - - - J 



Girls . . . . _ 



In the latter, 



Men fervants ... from 



Lads .... — 



Women . - - . — 



Girls - . - . — 



They have lately been confiderably on the increafe in both 

 of thefe diftrifts. 



In the county of ElTex, and many other diftrifts which 

 are principally agricultural, the work of the farms is in a 

 great meafure executed by hired daily or weekly labourers, 

 very few yearly fervants being kept by the farmers. This 

 is fuppofed, in many inltances, to be not only the cheape(t, 

 but the moft convenient method of having fuch forts of work 

 performed ; and the farmers are, at the fame time, the mod 

 free from trouble in their houfes and families. In the very 

 fouthern agricultural diftrifts of Devonlhire and Cornwall, 

 the wages of the farm (ervants, kept in the houfe, with \va(h- 

 ing and lodging, are, in the former, for a carter or head 

 man ten pounds the year, the inferior forts of farm bufinefs 

 being often accomplilhed by pari(h apprentices ; and in the 

 latter, from eight to twelve guineas, with their board, for 

 men, and from three to four pounds, with the fame, for maid 

 fervants during the year. Thefe rates, however, vary a little, 

 according to the quahfications of the fervants, and the nature 

 of the iituatioHS and farms. 



In the county of Hereford (hire, where the hours of 

 labour are from light to dark in tlie winter, and from fix in 

 the morning to the fame hour in the afternoon, in fummer, 

 the following are the average prices of wages now given to 

 fervants kept in the houfe by the farmers. 



Waggoner, - 10 to 12 guineas ^^r annum. 



Bailiff or cattleman, 8 — 10 ditto. 



Dairy-maid, - 6 — 7 ditto. 



Under-maid, - 2 — 3 ditto. 



Likewife in Eaft Lothian, in Scotland, the wages are 

 moftly from ten to fourteen pounds per annum ; but this clafs 

 of fervants is but fmall. The female (ervants have (rom 

 four pounds to four pounds ten (hillings, or five pounds. 

 And in Clydefdalc, the greater part of the agricultural 

 labour is pcrlbrmed by (ervants hired by the half year, and 

 living in the farm-houfes. In many parts of the cou.ity the 

 women fervants work along with the men, at almoft all kinds 

 of out-work. But as more hands than ordinary are needed 

 for cutting down the corn in harveft, many hulbandmen, to 

 fecure a fixed number for that purpole, when they can be 

 got, contrail with villagers to allill during the time of reap- 

 ing. All thefe labourers have no fixed hours, but continue 

 their labour while ligiit and weather admit, and circum- 

 Itances require. The poor girls, wlien light i' gone and the 

 men fit down by tiie Ike, Tefumc their houiliold labours. 



The 



