❧ The seuerall Rates and taxations for VVages, made and set foorth by the Iustices of Peace, for the Countie of Deuon.
WHere in the Parliament holden at Westminster the xii. day of Januarie, in the fift yeere of the reigne of our Soueraigne Lady the Queenes Maiesty, it was enacted by the Queene our soueraigne Lady, the Lords spirituall and temporall, and the commons in that Parliament assembled, that the Justices of the Peace of euery Shire, Riding, & libertie, within the limits of their seuerall commissions, or the more part of them, being resiant within the same, and the Sherife of the Countie, if he conueniently might, and euery Maior, Bailife, or other head officer within any Citie or Towne corporate, wherein is any Justices of the Peace within the limits of the said Citie or Towne, should by force of the saide Act, yeerely after Easter at times conuenient, appointed by the same, assemble themselues together, and calling before them such discreete and graue persons of the said County, Citie and Towne, as they should thinke meete, and conferring together, respecting the plentie or scarcity of the time and other circumstances necessarily to be considered, should by vertue of the said Act, within the limits and precincts of their seuerall commissions, limite, rate, and appoynt the wages, as well of such and so many of the said Artificers, handicrafts men, husbandmen, or any other laborer, seruant, or workeman, whose wages in times past hath bene by any law of Statute rated & appointed, as also the wages of all other laborers, artificers, workmen, or apprentices of husbandry, which haue not bene rated, as the same Justices, Maiors, or head officers within their seuerall cōmissions or liberties, should thinke meete by their discretions to be rated, limited, or appointed, and the same rates & taxations should certifie vnto the Queenes highnes Court of Chancery before a certaine day limited in ye said Act. Wherupon it should be lawful for the Lord Chancellor, or Lord keeper of the great seale of England, for the time being, vpon declaration thereof to her Highnesse, her heires or successors, or to the Lords & others of her Maiesties priuie Counsel, to cause Proclamations to be printed & sent down into euery of the said shires and places, conteining the seuerall rates appointed by the said Justices & other head officers, commanding thereby in her Highnes name, all persons straitly to obserue & keepe the same, vpon the danger of the punishment and forfaitures limited & appoynted by the said Act and Statute.
And where also it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that all maner of person and persons, after such Proclamation made, should obserue and keepe the said rates for wages, vpon paine of the forfaitures & penalties conteined in the said Estatute, vntill by further order by Proclamation, according to the purport of the same Estatute, it should be otherwise ordered and proclaimed: Wherefore the Queenes Maiestie, hauing receiued into her saide Court of Chancery, amongst diuers other Certificates, from sundry her Highnesse Shires, Cities and Townes, one Certificate from the Countie of Deuon, conteining the Rates for wages hereafter following, made and appointed by the Justices of the Countie of Deuon, according to the tenour of the same Acte: And minding to haue the same rates put in execution in all pointes, as by the processe of the same Act is prescribed, like as her Maiestie hath and intendeth to doe in all other her Highnesse Counties and Shires, and other places of Libertie within this her Realme: Therefore her Highnesse straightly chargeth and commaundeth all maner person and persons within the Countie of Deuon, to keepe and obserue in all poyntes the saide rates, taxations, orders and appointments for wages hereafter following and set foorth vpon the paines and forfeitures appointed by the said estatute, and vpon paine of her Highnesse displeasure.
And further her Highnesse pleasure & expresse commaudement is, that all Justices of Peace, Sherifes, & other Officers of the saide Countie of Deuon [...] [...]e the same rates duely and seuerely to bee obserued and kept in all points: And this Proclamation to bee vsed in euery behalfe, according to the tenor and effect of the same Act. And her Maiesties further pleasure and commandement is, that if any question, scruple [...] doubt, shall arise vpon any of the taxations or rates for the sayde Countie of Deuon, hereunder mentioned: That then the same shalbe resolued and determined by her Highnesse Justices of Peace, that did make and ordeine the same taxations and rates: And that all persons shall performe and keepe the same resolutions, orders, and determinations, so by them to be made and determined touching the same.
The Countie of Deuon.
¶ The Rates of wages of Artificers, Seruants, and Labourers, rated by the Justices of Peace in the Countie of Deuon at the Castle of Exon, the xxix. day of April, in the xxxvii. yeere of the reigne of our Soueraigne Lady Queene Elizabeth, by force of a statute made for orders to be taken for Seruants, Artificers, Apprentices and Labourers in the fifth yeere of the reigne of our sayd Soueraigne Lady Queene Elizabeth, what wages Artificers and Labourers should take.
INprimis no Bailife of Husbandry, chiefe Hinde, or Milner, shall take aboue liii. s. iiii. d. by yeere and his Liuery, or viii. s. iiii. d. for the same.
Item, no common men seruants of husbandry aboue the age of xvi. or vnder twenty, shall take for his wages aboue xxx. s. by the yeere, and being aboue the age of twenty, shall take for his wages by the yeere aboue xl. s.
Item, no women seruants vnder the age of fourteene, shall take any wages but meate drinke and cloth, and aboue xiiii. vntill xviii. aboue xii. s. and her liuery, or vi. s. for the same, and from xviii. not aboue xvi. s. viii. d. and her liuery, or vi. s. viii. d. for the same.
Item, no women labouring at Hay, shall take by the day aboue ii. d. and meat and drinke, and without meate and drinke vi. d. labouring in Corne haruest, not aboue iii. d. by the day with meat and drinke, or vii. d. without meat and drinke, and at all other worke, i. d. by the day and meate and drinke, or v. d. without.
Item, all Labourers in Husbandry at taske worke, as they can agree.
Item, that all maner of Husbandry labourers, shall take from Alhollontide vntill Candlemas for their wages, but iii. d. a day with meate and drinke, and vii. d. without meate and drinke, and from Candlemas to Alhollontide being the residue of the yeere, not aboue iiii. d. a day without meate and drinke, or viii. d. a day without meate and drinke, (except mowing of Corne and Grasse) for which they shall take by the day vi. d. and meate and drinke, or xii. d. without meate and drinke: and all labourers working by weeke or moneth, after the same rate.
Item, a master Mason, a master Carpenter, a master Joyner, a master Plumber, a master Hellier, a master Plaisterer, a master Thatcher, and euery of them hauing seruants or apprentices according to the statute, and able to take charge of the worke, shall take by the day with meat and drinke not aboue vi. d. and without meate and drinke not aboue xii. d.
Item, that euery other Mason, Carpenter, Plumber, Hellier, Plaisterer, Tyler, Shingler, Joyner, Cowper, and other labourers, being no masters, shall take by the day not aboue v. d. with meate and drinke, and xi. d. without meate and drinke, and euery apprentice of the said artes, and boyes not aboue ii. d. by the day with meate and drinke, and without meate and drinke not aboue vi. d.
Item, a payre of Sawyers to take by the day with meate and drinke not aboue xii. d. and without meate and drinke ii. s. for euery hundreth foote of such as saw by Taske, as they can agree.
God saue the Queene.
August. 30. 1595.
Imprinted at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie.