Statute of Labourers of 1351
Encyclopedia
The Statute of Labourers was a law enacted by the English parliament
under King Edward III
in 1351 in response to a labour shortage, designed to stabilize the labor force by prohibiting increases in wages and prohibiting the movement of workers from their home areas in search of improved conditions. It was introduced by John Hale
.
or Bubonic Plague
, which killed more than one-third of the population of Europe
(mostly peasants), caused a dramatic decrease in the supply of labour. Landowners suddenly faced a sharp increase in competition for workers. 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 level
s, Edward III issued the Ordinance of Labourers
in 1349. Parliament attempted to reinforce the Ordinance with the Statute of Labourers.
.
.
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
under King Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
in 1351 in response to a labour shortage, designed to stabilize the labor force by prohibiting increases in wages and prohibiting the movement of workers from their home areas in search of improved conditions. It was introduced by John Hale
John Hale
John Hale is the name of:*John Hale , American minister*John Hale , British soldier*John Blackwell Hale , American politician*John P...
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Background
The Black DeathBlack Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
or Bubonic Plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
, which killed more than one-third of the population of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(mostly peasants), caused a dramatic decrease in the supply of labour. Landowners suddenly faced a sharp increase in competition for workers. Labourers had increased bargaining power and commanded higher wages. The increase in labour cost also led to inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
throughout the economy. The elite class lamented the sudden shift in economic power. In an attempt to control labour costs and price level
Price level
A price level is a hypothetical measure of overall prices for some set of goods and services, in a given region during a given interval, normalized relative to some base set...
s, Edward III issued the Ordinance of Labourers
Ordinance of Labourers
The Ordinance of Labourers 1349 is often considered to be the start of English labour law. Along with the Statute of Labourers , it made the employment contract different from other contracts and made illegal any attempt on the part of workers to bargain collectively...
in 1349. Parliament attempted to reinforce the Ordinance with the Statute of Labourers.
Overview
The statute set a maximum wage for labourers that was commensurate to wages paid before the Black Death, specifically, in the year 1346. These changes, however, 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. It also mandated that able-bodied men and women work, and imposed harsh penalties for those who remained idle. 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 povertyPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
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Consequences
The Ordinance of Labourers and Statute of Labourers were, 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 revoltsPopular revolt in late medieval Europe
Popular revolts in late medieval Europe were uprisings and rebellions by peasants in the countryside, or the bourgeois in towns, against nobles, abbots and kings during the upheavals of the 14th through early 16th centuries, part of a larger "Crisis of the Late Middle Ages"...
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