Genealogy Chat

I found at my mum's a book which had belonged to my grandfather called "Sharpen the Sickle! The History of the Farm Workers' Union" by Reg Groves, published 1948. see below

At the back of the book is a table giving the Average Weekly Wage of Ordinary agricultural Labourers - it excludes extra and additional earnings and comes from a variety of sources, so should be used with caution, but it gives an idea of earnings in different parts of the country. It gives wages for the years 1850, 1872, 1898, 1910, 1914 (Aug), 1919 (Oct), 1924 (Oct), 1924, 1938 and 1947, divided by area and then by county: Eastern & North Eastern Bedford; Cambridge; Essex, Hertford; Huntingdon; Lincoln; Norfolk; Suffolk; Yorks East Riding. West Midland & South Western Cornwall; Devon; Dorset; Gloucester; Hereford; Monmouth; Shropshire; Somerset; Wilts; Worcester. South Eastern & Eastern Midlands Berks; Bucks; Hants; Kent; Leicester; Middlesex; Northants; Notts; Oxford; Rutland; Surrey; Sussex; Warwick. North & North Western Cheshire; Cumberland; Derbyshire;Durham; Lancashire; Northumberland; Stafford; Westmorland; Yorks N Riding & W Riding. Please let me know if you'd like a look up for an area/county and which year(s) and I'll oblige. nell

HI HELEN, I'M CURIOUS! AS NEARLY ALL MY MALE ANCESTORS FROM NORTHWOLD NORFOLK WERE AG LABS FROM ABT.1811 ONWARDS! IF YOU CAN GIVE ME A ROUGH IDEA I WOULD BE FASCINATED THANKS ANNETTE :)

Annette Norfolk average wages 1850 8s.0d 1872 13s. 4d 1898 11s. 6d 1910 12s. 4d 1914 not given 1919 36s. 6d 1924 25s. 0d 1938 34s. 6d 1947 90s. 0d. remember this is old shillings and pence! The book is rather dull reading, but it shows that Norfolk was a hotbed of political agitation and mentions the Burston School Strike of 1911 because it was supported by farm workers. There's an interesting chapter on George Edwards, who founded the modern union. He was born 1850 in Marsham, Norfolk. I quote: "The cottage's two small bedrooms already housed his father and mother and six children. Abject poverty was the lot of labourers like George's father, Thomas Edwards. In the bitter opression of the 1830s, Thomas Edwards had been foolish enough to speak out about the labourers' sufferings at a meeting of half-starved unemployed in Marsham. As a result he was refused work by the local farmers and for a while had to go into the workhouse. "A few years later, Thomas Edwards married a young widow with 3 young hcildren, and the two of them set about the grim business of keeping home and family on farm labourer's wages. More children came: some lived, some died. Wages went down, food prices did not. White Thomas Edwards laboured from dawn to dark for 6s or 7s a week, Mary Edwards did handloom weaving in their cottage, working sixteen hours a day to earn at most 4s a week. "When George...was born, thomas's wages were 7s a week and food had risen to famine prices. Mary edwards brought her baby into the world with no food for herself save some onion gruel. She was able to breast-feed the child for one week only; from then on he was fed on poor, skimmed milk...When George was 5, his father was caught taking a few turnips home from the fields to feed his hungry children...he was sent to prison and his family went into the workhouse where they stayed throughout the winter, mother and children separated" nell

Hi Nell I fyou could let me know Bucks for 1850 and 1871 that would be great. Thanks very much Sam

Thats really interesting Nell as a lot of mine were Norfolk Ag Labs. One of them went to Stepney during the said 1830's - I guess he thought he would get a better life there.

Hallo Sam Bucks 1850 average wage was 8s. 6d and I'm afriad there are no figures available for 1872, though by 1898 it had risen to 13s. 6d. Other wages in nearby counties to give you an idea: Berks 1850 was 7s. 6d and rose to 14s. in 1872 Hants 1850 9s. and 1872 13s. 8d nell

THANKS HELEN.

Thank you!

Hello Helen, I would be interested in the figures for Wiltshire ( may explain why my lot went down the mines briefly in Wales ) Many thanks, Elaine x.

Elaine Wiltshire: 1850 7s. (lower than other places, but on a par with the rest of the West Midlands/South Western area) 1872 11s. 5d 1898 11s. 6d 1910 12s. 8d 1914 14s. 0d 1924 not available 1938 33s. 6d 1947 90s. 0d 1947 the rate for the whole country was 90s, obviously the result of a Union agreement to fix the wages. nell

Hi Nell :o) Doug's lot were all ag labs in Devon until WW1 when his Great Grandfather went to work on the railway! Could you please tell us what the wages for Devon were prior to WW1. Thanks Happy New Year Sue xx

Sue Devon no figures given for 1850 or 1914 I'm afraid. 1872 11s. 0d. 1898 13s. 0d 1910 13s. 9d nell

Hi Helen, my husbands ancestors were Ag Labs in Lincolnshire. I would be very interested to hear what your book says about the area. There's quite a variation in the areas isn't there?! Anne

Anne Lincolnshire 1850 10s.0d 1872 no figures available, sorry! 1898 14s. 3d 1910 15s. 6d 1914 16s. 6d 1919 40s.6d 1924- parts of Holland 31s. parts of Kesteven 28s. in October the rest of the year Lincs was 36s. for 48 hours a week 1938 37s.6d nell

Thank you very much Helen. They were quite well off then, comparitively! Anne

Hi, My ancestors were Ag Labs in Hampshire and I was wondering whether you would be kind enough to let me know how much their wages were etc. Many Thanks & Happy New Year to you. Jayne

Jayne Hampshire 1850 9s. 1872 13s.8d 1898 12s. 1914 not available 1919 37s.6d 1924 27s. which rose after the Agricultural Workers Act 1924 to 30s. per week for 50 hours work 1938 33s. nell

Many thanks for that Helen ! Happy New Year, Elaine x.

Miy family were ag labs in Gloucestershire and Shropshire at least to ww2. Any info will help build a picture of what life was like. Thank you Cherry