Some Items and Wages and their Modern Day Equivalents

A ploughman, a shepherd, a cowherd, a dairyman all earned 3 shillings in 1350

This is equivalent to £64.30 in today’s wages.

A farm labourer earns 2s 6d, with beer in 1793, equivalent to £7 now

A woman during haymaking and the harvest in 1793 earned 1s a day, equivalent to £2.80 now

Weeding oats in the fens was worth 8s an acre in 1813, which is equal to £13.58 now

A score of eggs (20) in 1813 was 10d, equivalent to £1.42 now

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David Titmarsh

Heritage Day 2009