’Andsoinproportionasthepriceofbreadrisesorfalls(thatisto
say)，3d。tothemanand1d。toeveryotherofthefamily，oneverypenny
whichtheloafrisesaboveashilling。’
Inotherwords，itwasestimatedthatthemanmusthavethreegallonloaves
aweek，andhiswifeandeachchildoneandahalf。
ItisinterestingtonoticethatatthissamefamousSpeenhamlandmeeting
thejustices’wishing，asmuchaspossible，toalleviatethedistressesof
thePoorwithaslittleburthenontheoccupiersoftheLandaspossible’
recommendedoverseerstocultivatelandforpotatoesandtogivetheworkers
aquarterofthecrop，sellingtherestatoneshillingabushel；overseers
werealsorecommendedtopurchasefuelandtoretailitataloss。
TheSpeenhamlandpolicywasnotafull-blowninventionofthatunhappy
MaymorninginthePelicanInn。Theprinciplehadalreadybeenadoptedelsewhere。
AttheOxfordquarterSessionson13thJanuary1795，thejusticeshadresolved
thatthefollowingincomeswere’absolutelynecessaryforthesupportof
thepoor，industriouslabourer，andthatwhentheutmostindustryofafamily
cannotproducetheundermentionedsums，itmustbemadeupbytheoverseer，
exclusiveofrent，viz。：——
’AsingleManaccordingtohislabour。
’AManandhisWifenotlessthan6s。aweek。
’AManandhisWifewithoneortwoSmallChildren，notlessthan7s。
aweek。
’AndforeveryadditionalChildnotlessthan1s。aweek。’Thisregulation
wastobesenttoalloverseerswithinthecounty。(120*)
ButtheSpeenhamlandmagistrateshaddrawnupatablewhichbecameaconvenient
standard，andothermagistratesfounditthesimplestcoursetoacceptthe
tableasitstood。Thetablespassedrapidlyfromcountytocounty。Theallowance
systemspreadlikeafever，forwhileitistruetosaythatthenorthern
countiestookitmuchlaterandinamilderform，therewereonlytwocounties
stillfreefromitin1834——NorthumberlandandDurham。
Tocompleteourpictureofthenewsystemwemustremembertheresults
ofGilbert’sAct。Ithadbeenthepracticeinthoseparishesthatadopted
theActtoreservetheworkhousefortheinfirmandtofindworkoutside
fortheunemployed，theparishreceivingthewagesofsuchemploymentand
providingmaintenance。Thisoutsideemploymenthadspreadtootherparishes，
andthewayinwhichithadbeenworkedmaybeillustratedbycasesmentioned
byEden，writinginthesummerandautumnof1795。AtKibworth-Beauchamp
inLeicestershire，’inthewinter，andatothertimes，whenamanisout
ofwork，heappliestotheoverseer，whosendshimfromhousetohouseto
getemploy：thehousekeeper，whoemployshim，isobligedtogivehimvictuals，
and6d。；adayandtheparishadds4d。；(total10d。aday；)forthesupport
ofhisfamily：personsworkinginthismannerarecalledrounds-men，from
theirgoingroundthevillageortownshipforemploy。’(121*)AtYardleyGoben，
inNorthamptonshire，everypersonwhopaidmorethan£；20rentwasbound
inhisturntoemployamanforadayandtopayhimashilling。(122*)At
MaidsMortontheroundsmangot6d。fromtheemployerand6d。or9d。from
theparish。(123*)AtWinslowinBucksthesystemwasmorefullydeveloped。
’Thereseemstobehereagreatwantofemployment：mostlabourersare(as
itistermed，)ontheRounds；thatis，theygotoworkfromonehouseto
anotherroundtheparish。Inwinter，sometimes40personsareontherounds。
Theyarewhollypaidbytheparish，unlessthehouseholderschoosetoemploy
them；andfromthesecircumstances，labourersoftenbecomeverylazy，and
imperious。Children，abouttenyearsold，areputontherounds，andreceive
fromtheparishfrom1s。6d。to3s。aweek。’(124*)TheSpeenhamlandsystematised
scalewaseasilygraftedontothesearrangements。’Duringthelatedear
season，thePooroftheparishwentinabodytotheJustices，tocomplain
oftheirwantofbread。TheMagistratessentorderstotheparishofficers
toraisetheearningsoflabourers，tocertainweeklysums，accordingto
thenumberoftheirchildren；acircumstancethatshouldinvariablybeattended
toinapportioningparochialrelief。Thesesumswerefrom7s。to19s。；and
weretobereduced，proportionablywiththepriceofbread。’(125*)
TheSpeenhamlandsystemdidnotthenspringAthene-likeoutoftheheads
ofthejusticesandotherdiscreetpersonswhoseplaceofmeetinghasgiven
thesystemitsname。Neitherwastheunemploymentpolicythereafteradopted
asuddeninspirationoftheParliamentof1796。Theimportanceoftheseyears
isthatthoughthegoverningclassesdidnotthenintroduceanewprinciple，
theyappliedtothenormalcasemethodsofreliefandtreatmentthathad
hithertobeenreservedfortheexceptions。ThePoorLawwhichhadoncebeen
thehospitalbecamenowtheprisonofthepoor。Designedtorelievehisnecessities，
itwasnowhisbondage。Ifalabourerwasinprivateemployment，thedifference
betweenthewagehismasterchosetogivehimandtherecognisedminimum
wasmadeupbytheparish。Thoselabourerswhocouldnotfindprivateemployment
wereeithersharedoutamongtheratepayers，orelsetheirlabourwassold
bytheparishtoemployers，atalowrate，theparishcontributingwhatwas
neededtobringthelabourers’receiptsuptoscale。Crabbehasdescribed
theroundsmansystem：
’AlternateMastersnowtheirSlavecommand，Urgetheweakeffortsofhisfeeblehand，Andwhenhisageattemptsitstaskinvain，Withruthlesstaunts，oflazypoorcomplain。’(126*)
ThemeshesofthePoorLawwerespreadovertheentirelaboursystem。
Thelabourers，strippedoftheirancientrightsandtheirancientpossessions，
refusedaminimumwageandallotments，weregiveninsteadauniversalsystem
ofpauperism。Thiswasthebasisonwhichthegoverningclassrebuiltthe
Englishvillage。Manycritics，ArthurYoungandMalthusamongthem，assailed
it，butitenduredforfortyyears，anditwasnotdisestablisheduntilParliament
itselfhadpassedthrougharevolution。
2。ResolutionofPrivyCouncil，July6，1795，andDebateandResolution
inHouseofCommons。ParliamentaryRegister，December11，1795，and
LordSheffieldinAnnualsofAgriculture，vol。xxv，p。31。
SeeSenatorforMarch1，1796，p。1147。
SeeWilberforce’sspeech，ParliamentaryRegisterandSenator，
Perhapstheunpopularityofsoupispartlyexplainedbyaletterpublished
intheAnnalsofAgricultureinDecember1795，vol。xxvi，p。215。
Thewritersaysitisthecustomformostfamiliesinthecountry’togive
theirpoorneighboursthepotliquor，thatis，theliquourinwhichanymeat
hasbeenboiled，andtowhichtheysometimesaddthebrokenbreadfromthe
parlourandkitchentables：this，’headds，’makesbutanindifferentmess。’
Thepublicationsofthetimecontainnumerousrecipesforcheapsoups；’the
powerofgivinganincreasedeffecttoChristianbenevolencebythesesoups’
(ReportsonPoor，voli，p。167)waseagerlywelcomed。Cf。MrsShore’s
accountofstewedox’sheadforthepoor，accordingtowhich，atthecost
of2s。6d。withtheleavingsofthefamily，asavourymessforfifty-two
personscouldbeprepared(Ibid。，p。60)。
ReportsonPoor，vol。i，p。134；anotherreasonforthedearth
ofmilkwasthegrowingconsumptionofvealinthetowns。Daviessays(p。
19)。’Sucklingisheresoprofitable(tofurnishvealforLondon)thatthe
poorcanseldomeitherbuyorbegmilk。’
AnnalsofAgriculture，vol。xxvi，p。121。
Thedearnessofmaltwasanotherfactwhichhelpedtheintroduction
oftea。Cf。Davies，p。38：’Timewaswhensmallbeerwasreckonedoneof
thenecessariesoflife，eveninpoorfamilies。’
Lecky，HistoryofEnglandinEighteenthCentury，vol。ii，p。
Inconnectionwiththedearthofmilkitisimportanttonoticethe
riseinthepriceofcheese。’Poorpeople，’saysDavies(p。19)，’reckon
cheesethedearestarticletheycanuse’(cf。alsop。143)，andinhiscomparison
ofpricesinthemiddleoftheeighteenthcenturywiththoseof1787-94he
givesthepriceof112lbs。ofcheeseatReadingFairasfrom17s。to21s。
inthefirstperiod，and40s。to46s。inthesecond。Retailcheeseofan
inferiorsorthadrisenfrom21/2d。or3d。alb。to41/2d。or5d。(p。
)；cf。alsocorrespondentinAnnalsofAgriculture，vol。ii，p……’EveryinhabitantofBathmustbesensiblethatbutterandcheesehave
riseninpriceone-third，ormore，withinthesetwentyyears。’(Writtenin
1784)。
AnnualRegister，1806，p。974；’Mylocalsituationafforded
meamplemeansofknowinghowgreatlythelowerorderssufferedfrombeing
unabletoprocureasupplyofmilk；andIamfullypersuadedofthecorrectness
ofthestatementthatthelabouringpoorloseanumberoftheirchildren
fromthewantoffoodsopre-eminentlyadaptedtothetheirsupport；’cf。
alsoCurwen’sHints。
Cf。，ReportsonPoor，vol。i，p。43；’Wheretherearecommons，
theidealadvantageofcuttingflags，peat，orwhins，oftencausesapoor
mantospendmoretimeinprocuringsuchfuel，than，ifhereckonedhislabour，
wouldpurchaseforhimdoublethequantityofgoodfiring。’
Cf。alsoEden’sdescriptionofalabourer’sexpenses，vol。iii，p。
797，wherehesaysthatwhilsthedgingandditching，theyareallowedto
takehomeafaggoteveryevening，whilsttheworklasts，’butthisisby
nomeanssufficientforhisconsumption；hischildren，therefore，aresent
intothefields，tocollectwoodwheretheycan；andneitherhedgesnortrees
aresparedbytheyoungmarauders，whoarethus，insomedegree，educated
intheartofthieving。’
Cf。alsoforthedifficultiesofthepooringettingfuel，theaccount
bytheRev。Dr。Glasse；ReportsonPoor，vol。i，p。58。’Havinglong
observed，thatthereisscarcelyanyarticleoflife，inrespecttowhich
thepoorareundergreaterdifficulties，orforthesupplyofwhichthey
havestrongertemptationstodishonestpractices，thanthatoffuel，’he
laidupinsummerastoreofcoalsinGreenford(Middlesex)，andWanstead，
andsoldthemratherunderoriginalcostprice，carriagefree，inwinter。
’Thebenefitarisingfromthereliefaffordedtheminthisarticleofcoals，
isobvious：theyarehabituatedtopayforwhattheyhave；whereasatthe
shoptheyranindebt。Whentheircreditwasatanend，theycontrivedto
dowithoutcoals，byhavingrecoursetowood-stealing；thanwhichIknow
nopractisewhichtendsmoreeffectuallytointroduceintoyoungmindsa
habitofdishonesty；itisalsoveryinjurioustothefarmer，andexcites
adegreeofresentmentinhisbreast，which，inmanyinstances，rendershim
aversetoaffordingrelieftothepoor，evenwhenrealnecessitycallsloudly
forit。’
