The gentry living in London, and the dayly concourse of servants out
of the country to London, makes servants' wages deare in the countrey,
and makes scarcity of labourers.
Sir William Petty told me, that when he was a boy a seeds-man had five
pounds per annum wages, and a countrey servant-maid between 30 and
40s. wages. [40s. per ann. to a servant-maid is now, 1743, good wages
in Worcestershire.- MS. NOTE, ANONYMOUS.]
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Memorandum. Great increase of sanfoine now, in most places fitt for
itt; improvements of meadowes by watering; ploughing up of the
King's forrests and parkes, &c. But as to all these, as ten thousand
pounds is gained in the hill barren countrey, so the vale does lose as
much, which brings it to an equation.
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The Indians doe worke for a penny a day; so their silkes are exceeding
cheap; and rice is sold in India for four pence per bushell.
PART II - CHAPTER XL
HISTORIE OF CLOATHING.
[THE following are the only essential parts of this chapter, which is
very short.-J. B.]
KING Edward the Third first settled the staples of wooll in Flanders.
See Hollinshead, Stowe, Speed, and the Statute Book, de hoc.
Staple, "estape", i e. a market place; so the wooll staple at
Westminster, which is now a great market for flesh and fish.
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When King Henry the Seventh lived in Flanders with his aunt the
Dutchess of Burgundie, he considered that all or most of the wooll
that was manufactured there into cloath was brought out of England;
and observing what great profit did arise by it, when he came to the
crown he sent into Flanders for cloathing manufacturers, whom he
placed in the west, and particularly at Send in Wiltshire, where they
built severall good houses yet remaining: I know not any village so
remote from London that can shew the like.
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