ll
Wages in Late Twelfth— and Early
Thirteenth—Century England
Paul Latimer
Studying the English economy of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, historians
have, for good reasons, paid much more attention to commodity prices, particu—
larly those of food and livestock, than to wages. Given a very large degree of
subsistence production in the economy, and many producers who could dispose
of at least part of their own production, waged labour represented only a relatively
small. part of the economy. Additionally, the evidence for wages is both more
fragmentary and more problematic than the evidence for commodity prices,
incomplete and difficult as that often is.1
Nevertheless, wages are a subject worthy of study. Wage rates represent a
particular class of prices and therefore knowledge of them helps to establish the
overall pattern of price changes. It is against this pattern that hypotheses
concerning the causes of price changes need to be tested. The main debate on
these causes, for the twelfth and thirteenth centln’ies, has been whether monetary
factors brought about changes in the general price level or whether demographic
growth, fast er than the growth in food production, resulted in an increase in food
prices relative to the rewards of labour.2 As a contribution to this debate, this
1 D. L. Farmer, ‘Prices and wages’, in The Agrarian History ofEngianci and Wales, II: 1042—1350, ed. H. E. Hallam (Cambridge, 1988), 715—817. This only partially supersedes his earlier articles: ‘Some price fluctuations in Angevin England’, EC.H.R 2nd ser. ix (1956—7), 34—43; ‘Some grain price movements in thirteenth-century England”, ibid. 2nd ser. 1»: (1957—8), 207—20; ‘ Some livestock
price movements in thirteenth-century England”, ibid. 2nd ser. xxii (1969), 1—16. For wool prices of the period specifically, see T. H. Lloyd, The Movement of WoolY Prices in Medieval England, Ec.H.R.
Supplement, 6 (Cambridge, 1973).
2 M. M. Postan, The M’edieval Economy and Society (London, 1972), 235-41, 248—9; The Cambridge Economic History ofEnrope, H: Wade and Industry in the Middle Ages, ed. M. M. Postan and E. Miller (2nd edn., Cambridge, 19-8 7), 215—16; P. D. A. Harvey, ‘The English inflation of 1180—1220’, P. &P. 1Xi(1973), 3~3U at 25—30; E. Miller and J. Hatcher, Medieval England: Rural Society and Economic Change, i086~i348 (London, 19’18), 68—9; J. L. Bolton, The Medieval
English Economy, 1150—1500 (London, 1980), 72—8; A. R. Bridbuiy, ‘Thiiteenth-century prices
and the money supply’, Agricuiinrai History Review, xxxii (1985), 1—21; N. J. Mayhew, ‘Money and prices in England from Henry II to Edward III’, ibid. xxxv (1987), 12142; Farmer, ‘Prices and wages’, 718—26; J. L. Bolton, ‘Inflation, economics and politics in thirteenth—century England’, in Thirteenraenimy England, iV: Proceedings of the NeWCasiie upon Tyne Conference 199i, ed. 13 P Dons: n'nd .Q n T ln'uri (‘Ei‘nnflhriflnp 1009‘} 1—111 nf1_£
ll
Wages in Late Twelfth— and Early
Thirteenth—Century England
Paul Latimer
Studying the English economy of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, historians
have, for good reasons, paid much more attention to commodity prices, particu—
larly those of food and livestock, than to wages. Given a very large degree of
subsistence production in the economy, and many producers who could dispose
of at least part of their own production, waged labour represented only a relatively
small. part of the economy. Additionally, the evidence for wages is both more
fragmentary and more problematic than the evidence for commodity prices,
incomplete and difficult as that often is.1
Nevertheless, wages are a subject worthy of study. Wage rates represent a
particular class of prices and therefore knowledge of them helps to establish the
overall pattern of price changes. It is against this pattern that hypotheses
concerning the causes of price changes need to be tested. The main debate on
these causes, for the twelfth and thirteenth centln’ies, has been whether monetary
factors brought about changes in the general price level or whether demographic
growth, fast er than the growth in food production, resulted in an increase in food
prices relative to the rewards of labour.2 As a contribution to this debate, this
1 D. L. Farmer, ‘Prices and wages’, in The Agrarian History ofEngianci and Wales, II: 1042—1350, ed. H. E. Hallam (Cambridge, 1988), 715—817. This only partially supersedes his earlier articles: ‘Some price fluctuations in Angevin England’, EC.H.R 2nd ser. ix (1956—7), 34—43; ‘Some grain price movements in thirteenth-century England”, ibid. 2nd ser. 1»: (1957—8), 207—20; ‘ Some livestock
price movements in thirteenth-century England”, ibid. 2nd ser. xxii (1969), 1—16. For wool prices of the period specifically, see T. H. Lloyd, The Movement of WoolY Prices in Medieval England, Ec.H.R.
Supplement, 6 (Cambridge, 1973).
2 M. M. Postan, The M’edieval Economy and Society (London, 1972), 235-41, 248—9; The Cambridge Economic History ofEnrope, H: Wade and Industry in the Middle Ages, ed. M. M. Postan and E. Miller (2nd edn., Cambridge, 19-8 7), 215—16; P. D. A. Harvey, ‘The English inflation of 1180—1220’, P. &P. 1Xi(1973), 3~3U at 25—30; E. Miller and J. Hatcher, Medieval England: Rural Society and Economic Change, i086~i348 (London, 19’18), 68—9; J. L. Bolton, The Medieval
English Economy, 1150—1500 (London, 1980), 72—8; A. R. Bridbuiy, ‘Thiiteenth-century prices
and the money supply’, Agricuiinrai History Review, xxxii (1985), 1—21; N. J. Mayhew, ‘Money and prices in England from Henry II to Edward III’, ibid. xxxv (1987), 12142; Farmer, ‘Prices and wages’, 718—26; J. L. Bolton, ‘Inflation, economics and politics in thirteenth—century England’, in Thirteenraenimy England, iV: Proceedings of the NeWCasiie upon Tyne Conference 199i, ed. 13 P Dons: n'nd .Q n T ln'uri (‘Ei‘nnflhriflnp 1009‘} 1—111 nf1_£
