How much did an agricultural labourer earn in the 19th century? Almost everyone looking into their family tree will come across at least one Victorian ag lab in their ancestry. But that need not be the end of the research line.
In 1908 the Labour Department of the Board of Trade prepared a report on the Rates of Wages and Hours of Labour for ordinary labourers in agriculture. The report was not published at the time but was rescued and appeared in British Labour Statistics: Historical Abstract 1886-1968 (Department of Employment and Productivity, 1971).
The table of average weekly cash wages shown here is taken from that publication. The book notes that from 1850 to 1873 the figures are based on returns supplied by 69 farms, and that after that date they are based on returns from 128 farms.
Currency note: wages are shown in shillings (s) and pence (d). There were 12d to 1s – and 20s to one pound (£). NB 1/2d is a ha’penny or half penny.
Year | Weekly wage |
1850 | 9s 3 1/2d |
1851 | 9s 2 1/2d |
1852 | 9s 3d |
1853 | 9s 11d |
1854 | 10s 8d |
1855 | 10s 11 1/2d |
1856 | 11s 0 1/2d |
1857 | 10s 11 1/2d |
1858 | 10s 9 1/2d |
1859 | 10s 8 1/2d |
1860 | 10s 11d |
1861 | 11s 1d |
1862 | 11s 1d |
1863 | 11s 0d |
1864 | 11s 0 1/2d |
1865 | 11s 3d |
1866 | 11s 6d |
1867 | 11s 11d |
1868 | 12s 0d |
1869 | 11s 8 1/2d |
1870 | 11s 10 1/2d |
1871 | 12s 1d |
1872 | 12s 8 1/2d |
1873 | 13s 4d |
1874 | 13s 11 1/2d |
1875 | 14s 0d |
1876 | 14s 1 1/2d |
1877 | 14s 1 1/2d |
1878 | 14s 0 1/2d |
1879 | 13s 8 1/2d |
1880 | 13s 7 1/2d |
1881 | 13s 7 1/2d |
1882 | 13s 7 1/2d |
1883 | 13s 8d |
1884 | 13s 7 1/2d |
1885 | 13s 5 1/2d |
1886 | 13s 4d |
1887 | 13s 2 1/2d |
1888 | 13s 2 1/2d |
1889 | 13s 4d |
1890 | 13s 6d |
1891 | 13s 9 1/2d |
1892 | 13s 10d |
1893 | 13s 9d |
1894 | 13s 9d |
1895 | 13s 8 1/2d |
1896 | 13s 9d |
1897 | 13s 10 1/2d |
1898 | 14s 1 1/2d |
1899 | 14s 4d |
1900 | 14s 10d |
1901 | 14s 11d |
1902 | 14s 11 1/2d |
1903 | 14s 11 1/2d |
1904 | 14s 11 1/2d |
1905 | 15s 0d |
1906 | 15s 1d |
1910 | 15s 4d |
1914 | 16s9d |
Source: British Labour Statistics: Historical Abstract 1886-1968 (Department of Employment and Productivity, 1971) | |
Great post, thanks for sharing. Women in Farming
ReplyDeleteAre these nominal (ie actual) figures, and not adjusted for inflation? If so - it is interesting to note that between 1950 and 1900, pay increased at just 0.9% a year...
ReplyDeleteHow many working hours were there in a week?
ReplyDeleteWas food and accommodation provided?
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