Statute of Labourers 1351

The Statute of Labourers (25 Edw. 3. Stat. 2) was an act of the Parliament of England under King Edward III in 1351 in response to a labour shortage, which aimed at regulating the labour force by prohibiting requesting or offering a wage higher than pre-Plague standards and limiting movement in search of better conditions.Template:Sfnp The popular narrative about its success and enforcement holds that it was poorly enforced and did not stop the rise in real wages.Template:Sfnp However, immediately after the Black Death, real wages did not rise, despite the labour shortage.

Background

The Black Death, a pandemic of bubonic plague, killed more than one-third of the population of Europe and 30–40% of the population in Britain and caused a dramatic decrease in the supply of labour. Landowners suddenly faced a sharp increase in competition for workers to work for them. Labourers had increased bargaining power and commanded higher wages. The increase in labour cost also led to inflation throughout the economy. The elite class lamented the sudden shift in economic power. In an attempt to control labour costs and price levels, Edward III issued the Ordinance of Labourers 1349 (23 Edw. 3). Parliament attempted to reinforce the Ordinance with the Statute of Labourers. It was one of the causes, among others, of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.

Content

Template:Summarize section The statute set a maximum wage for labourers that was commensurate with wages paid before the Black Death, specifically, in the year 1346. It also mandated that able-bodied men and women should work and imposed harsh penalties for those who remained idle.

It required:

Consequences

The statute's changes failed to take into account the changing economic conditions during the Black Death, and furthermore the period from which wage levels were taken was one of economic depression in England as a result of the Hundred Years' War. Therefore, wages during the Black Death were set even lower to match those during this depression. In practice, the statute was poorly enforced and unsuccessful, but it set a precedent that distinguished between labourers who were "able in body" to work and those who could not work for whatever reasons. This distinction resurfaced in later laws regarding poverty.

The Statute of Labourers (and its counterpart, the Ordinance of Labourers) was, of course, very unpopular with the peasants, who wanted higher wages and better living standards, and was a contributing factor to subsequent peasant revolts, most notably the English peasants' revolt of 1381. Similar processes happened throughout Europe – wage caps following a labour shortage after the Black Death resulting in popular revolts.

The statute was poorly enforced in most areas (and even then, typically only against laborers and not employers), and farm wages in England on average doubled between 1350 and 1450.Template:Sfnp

Legacy

The act was extended to Ireland by Poynings' Law 1495 (10 Hen. 7. c. 22 (I)).

The whole act was repealed for England and Wales by the Statute Law Revision Act 1863 (26 & 27 Vict. c. 125) and for Ireland by the Statute Law (Ireland) Revision Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 98).

See also

• UK labour law
• Apprentices Act 1536 (28 Hen. 8. c. 5)
• Statute of Artificers 1562 (5 Eliz. 1. c. 4), acceptance of work made compulsory, and hours of labour fixed for husbandry
• Statute of Labourers 1603 (1 Jas. 1. c. 6) allowed justices of peace to fix hours of work for all classes of worker. It became a criminal offence for workers to receive more than their set price of wages.
• Combination Act 1800 (39 & 40 Geo. 3. c. 106) summary jurisdiction to convict workmen who, by intimidation, persuasion, or by other means, induced persons not to work, or who refused to work with other workmen.

External links

• Full text of the statute from Fordham University