living in 16th century england

Chapter 76

Since the Norman Conquest, England has practiced land tenure.

Simply put, the king owns all the land in the country.The nobles, lords, and knights below continued to enfeoff.If it is said that the big and small nobles are actually subcontracted by land contractors layer by layer, it is actually not outrageous.

Therefore, the statement "I am the country" is actually no problem under the feudal system. ~In the era of capitalism, does wealth belong to the people?Although they shout about people's sovereignty, no matter how they change their concepts and rhetoric, it is still a very small number of people who ultimately own the wealth.

But capitalism is really good at forcing humans to work more.Perhaps this is the nature of progress.

Some studies believe that in the late Middle Ages, England's production activities largely relied on the employment system.That is, to get a salary.About 30% to 50% of the population.

What is strange about this record is that male hired workers often live in their own thatched huts, while female hired workers usually live in the employer’s house as servants?
A hired worker who earns 2 pounds a year, which is 480 pence, will be considered a good mix and will be taxed.Yes, there was a threshold for the poll tax in the 16th century.

Although the wages of servants are low, it may be more profitable to include board and lodging without paying taxes.This is the well-known "hidden population".

Do not doubt.Checking the population has always been for better tax collection.

Matthew gave the builders a penny a day, which was £1, ten shillings, and five pence a year.If food and lodging are not included, if they want to meet their standard of living, their income must be at least doubled.

The advantages of centralized cooking are well known-saving money.The homemade multigrain bread on the farm will not contain any adulterants.So everyone earns.Except Henry VIII.

Furthermore, servants could come from all walks of life, from the children of farmers and artisans to the sons of nobles and even the nobles themselves.Usually relatively young, many leave servanthood in their twenties, and some remain in the service until retirement.

Some people believe that the 15th and 16th centuries were the best time for early capitalism to hire workers.With their wages, they can live well.As time went by, it became more and more miserable, and by the 18th century it could only be described as horrible.

This period of time is the process of the growth of the English bourgeoisie.In the eyes of many people, it is the law of the development of human society and the embodiment of progress to use various means to collect money, let laborers work hard, and create massive material wealth at the same time.

It is said that in the 15th century, migrant workers often worked only 200-300 days a year.

There is a record detailing specific names, a senior stonemason worked 290 days a year, earning £7 and 5 shillings.

Another employee worked 218 days, earning £3 and 5.75p, and was a taxpayer. When grain prices were normal in the 15th century, he might still need £1.5 a year to buy enough grain to feed his family.Apparently life is getting by.

Those who calculate their working hours by day are all hooligans.Is 16 hours a day the same as 6 hours a day?

You may not believe it, but in the early 16th century England hired workers, usually working no more than 2000 hours a year.This is also a characteristic of agricultural production.But business is different.Even so, it's not outrageous.

So Matthew said that the working hours are not allowed to exceed 10 hours a day, and everyone is a little baffled.This standard is much higher than the actual level.

But that's just the beginning.

Here's what Matthew thought: Nobody wants to send their kids to school?Then send the adults.

"When the school is ready, I will only work 5 days a week, take one day off, and go to school to learn how to read the other day."

Everyone is dumbfounded. 5 days?Is the baron having a fit and showing mercy again?

"Tell them that there is still a penny tuition fee to be paid every month. It will be deducted directly from the salary, and those who don't go will also be deducted... If anyone dares not to go, he will be sent to work as a dung collector."

Domestic servant: "..."

The toilet and sewer works in Plymouth were funded by the big families of the council.But no one is willing to manage, let alone pay for maintenance.

So Andrew carried forward his "style" and took the job.Needless to say, it was still Matthew's idea.

As we all know, if this thing is fermented in a pit, it will be a good fertilizer.It's just such a rotten thing, leading by ~200 years.

In the era without chemical fertilizers, this is a "tight commodity" that can sell money.But Matthew does not intend to sell, he has a lot of land.

It is said that in modern times, applying manure to one mu of land can increase production by 50 kilograms.The yield per mu in this era is ridiculously low, what if it doubles?
Matthew said to Smith, do you want to go back to be the "shop manager" of the blacksmith shop?completely fine.You first have to find someone to replace you.So this guy's motivation has risen.It's a pity that the number of job opportunities in Plymouth has soared in the past two years, and ghosts are willing to work as dung collectors.

Smith's suggestion is ~ Can the salary of the excrement workers be doubled?
This is historical.Even after 200 years, the excrement workers in London still belong to the high-income class.It belongs to successful people who do not worry about not being able to marry a wife.

So, there are no junk jobs, only junk wages.

The servant said with some difficulty: "...Will this cause everyone's dissatisfaction?"

Matthew: "That one? Let them learn to read?"

Domestic servant: "No, 10 hours a day..."

Not allowed to exceed 10 hours, isn't it 10 hours?It is simply a model word that should be used again and again.

Matthew smiled: "Let's do it for a while and see. If someone makes trouble, you can reduce it to 9 hours."

The servant thinks this is not a small difficulty.No matter how honest the English people are in this era, they can be regarded as barbarians. What if they would rather rob than build walls?If you don't do it well, you will be in danger of your life.

In many eras, only the "barbaric" at the bottom can guarantee their own rights and interests.Even after 200 years, there are theories that everyone has studied for a lifetime, and they still come to the conclusion that violence is the only way to solve the problem.

Where there is oppression, there is resistance.The converse is also true ~ if there is no resistance, the oppression will continue.

Without resistance, there would be no subsequent capitalist improvements.

However, as long as it is completed on time, the salary can be doubled, which should still be feasible.

It wasn't the working hours that the domestic servant wanted to change in the first place.He believes that as long as the construction workers improve their motivation and efficiency, there will be no problem.

5 days and 10 hours?This gave him an idea.

~Could it be that the baron is asking for a lot of money and paying back the money on the ground?
This figure, Matthew, is calculated on the basis of working 6 days a week and 8 hours a day.About 2500 hours per year.

If you work 5 days a week, 10 hours a day, that's about 2600 hours a year.He makes a small profit.9 hours a day, that is 2340 hours, a little loss.

In the 18th century, the factory was basically 14 to 16 hours.More than 4300 working hours per year.What did those capitalist foremen say?

"Give me a strong boy, and in five years I can turn him into a little old man."

In the feudal era, you could only recruit troops with the king's permission.But in the early capital era, as long as you have money, you can organize private armies and thugs.

You don't think the workers don't want to resist, do you?

So even though Matthew's standard is somewhat inexplicable compared to the 16th century, it is really the bottom line in his heart.

The reason is not very noble~ He doesn't need to work hard to squeeze, so he can make a fortune comfortably, okay?
At least, when they want to "take revenge on society", they won't come to stab him with a knife.

　When people are sick, they just want to lie down. (Oops)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)