The following Report relating to Renfrewshire was drawn up at the desire of the Board of Agriculture

CHAPTER XIV.

RURAL ECONOMY.

Prices of labour in 1792-4, 18C4, and 1810.

---

.R. s. d...E.

s. d. X s.d.

Men servants, by the year; besides board in the master's house,

!Women servants, do

labourers, by the day,

Carpenters, by the day,

Masons, by the day,

Reaping, by the acre,

Thrashing, per boll, .

Thrashing, per quarter,... Women in harvest, per i 1 t) ol000000 01 0

15

1

2 8 1 1

4

9

0

0'

1 cl5

0

0

0

1

1

1 210

3

8 1 .,z,. G000000-o—o i 0

3

3

1

8

2

6

6

There is a variety of other farm business done by the day, and by piece work; such as,

owing hay, per acre, ...

igging ground, per acre,... closing by hedges and ditches with a railing on the top, per fall of 18 J;• feet,

ays work of a horse and Cart, with driver,...... 5

_franid

s. d. 015i

2 6

The hours for labour are, from 6 in the morn-ing to 6 in the evening in summer: and from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon in winter. But active farmers and their servants do not limit them-selves to any fixed hours, especially in seed-time and harvest. In winter, the yearly farm servants arq employed through the day in carting manure, in ploughing, and similar employments; and before day break, in thrashing corn with the flail, where it is not yet superseded by the thrashing machine.

160 PROVISIONS.

SECTION II.----PROVISIONS.

•

The markets of Paisley, Greenock and Port

t

1

t:

Beef, per lb. of 22-1- oz...... Mutton, do..:

Lamb, do

Veal, do

A turkey... . •

A hen,... ...... ...... .......

0 0

0

0

1 5t

6 ' 10 11 11 11 ... ...

A chicken, 0 6 [ ...

A duck, ••• 1 3 ...

Eggs, per dozen, . 0 7 ...

Butter, per lb. of 22f oz 0 lof ...

. Cheese, do. 0 4 ...

Potatoes, per peck, of 37 lbs. 0 7 ; ...

New milk, per Scots pint, 0 21 ...

Butter-milk, per do 0 01- ...

Whey, per do i 0 01 ...

PROVISIONS, &C. 161

In this --county, the jars, or average prices of grain, are settled annually, in the same manner as in other counties, by a jury in presence of the She-riff'. Hence the value of different kinds of grain, at different periods, will appear from the following tables.

Table of the fiars (or average prices) of grain; viz. bear and barley, oats and oatmeal, for Renfrew-shire, for fifty-seven years; viz. from 1754 to 18.10, both 'inclusive.

Dates when fixed. For the

year. Barley&bear; Oats,

per bolL per boll. oatmeal, per boll. --

d.

—

____. d. X .

_._ d.

_.-- R. 3.1

26 Feb. 1755 1754 010 0 9 10 0.101

8

21 Feb. 1756 1755 013 4 010 5 01 4 0

28 Feb. 1758 1757 015 0 13 4 015 0

27 Feb. 1759 1758 0 9 2 0 8 4 9 4

27 March 1760 1759 0 9 2 0 9 0 9 71

7 March 176i 17.1 0 910 0 8 8 10 5

4 March 1762 1761 012 2 Oil 0 12 4

2 March 1763 i762 014 6 14 6 016 8

5 March 1764 i763 014 2 1i 0 12 8

1 March 1765 1764 014 8 011 6 14 8

13 March 1766 1765 04 9 9 15 4 18 8

18 Feb. 1767 1766 d19 0 013

4 18 8

0118 2 013

61 17 2

6 March 176911768 0113 4 0111

12 March 17701769 (3,17 3t 0,13 6 16 0.

20 March 1771k770 0,15 9 014 6 0116 0

16 March 1772 1771 017 71 0,1311' cfri7 2i

29 March 1773 1772 0,1171 6 d13 6 0116 8

`trd: PROVISIONS) SCC.

rabic of the fiar prices of barley, oats and oatmeal

continued.

Dares when lied.

Barleyecbear; Oata Oatmeal,

per boll. per boll. per boll.

d. ATI.1 d.' d.

21 March 177 1773!

13 March 1775 1774,

1 March 1777 1776 March 1776 '!17751

4 March 1778 17771'

6 Alarch 1779117781

11 March 17 17791

13 March 1781 1780 19 March 1782 17811 18 March 178311782j 16 March 1784 1783 16 Nlarch 17851,178 10 March i 7136

12 March 1787

8 March 1788

t 1 March 1789

1%larch 1790

12 March 1791

1%larch 1792,

14 March 1793 27 Minh 1794

10 M.arch 1795 :41 March i 796 2.5 March 1797 27 l'ithir,:h 1798

11 March 1799i .40 March t 800 to March Sot

Mach IsW

6 01141 0 01,11 4

Of C 12 5-1 015. 4

m 0 11 2 i 31' 0

m 0 12 6 1 0131 2 II 0 11 8 I 141 0

m 0 12 3 I 414110 4T, C11, 8 C12 5

• Ill 9 .15 11

9i. 011F 6:-1 0 13 8 6 0 15 6 1 1 0

I

6 Cl2 6 0 16 8 6 (.14 lf, i7

m 1. 121 0 0 15 8,

0 121.1 0 15 4-3- Ill 0 12' 4: -4 14 8i ill C13 0 I 15 0 9 , C 13t 8 . 416 4

771; t 141' 3 17 31

9 151 4t.. 017 8!

4 0 1610f .1710

m I 171 0 4 17 11

5 17111 1 8

1 161 3 418 N

m . 0 15,10 • 17 9

6 013! 8i, 11 24

1%. 1 6 6 1 12 9!

m 1 15 0 6! 3.

1 0,18i 0 1 0, 0

PROVISIONS, &c. 163

Table of the fiar prices of barlef, oats and oatmeal

continued.
Dates wheo fited.

— For the

year. Barley&bear,

per boll. Oats,

per boll. Oatmeal,

per boll.

.----

X' s.

— X.1. d.

— Xis. d.

--

I 0 C`1 Ch L--

13 March 1804 1808 19 4 018 8 1 9}

22 March 1805 1804 111 8 1 3 1 11

13 March 1806 1805 1 5 3 019 4 1 0

16 March 1807 1806 1 6 C.17 - CC

. 1 9

14 March 1809 1808 110 1141 1 6 0 1 10

16 March 18101809 111 8 1 5 0 1 6

8 March 1811,1810 1 9 71 1 010 1 11-1

164 PROVISIONS, SCC.

Table of the fiar prices of wheat, beans and pease,

from 1778 to 18i0, both inclusive.

Wheat, per boll.

Beans and pease,

'per bo 1.
6 March 1779

11 March 1780

13 March 1781

19 March 1782 18 March 1783 16 March 1781 16 March 1785

10 March 1786

12 March 1787

8 March 1788

11 March 1789

13 March 1790

12 March 1791

15 March 1792

14 March 1793

27 March 1794

10 March 1795 SI March 1796 25 March 1797 29 March 1798

11 March 1799

20 March 1800

10 March 1801

9 March 1802

15 March 1803

13 March 1804

22 March 1805

13 March 1806

16 March 1807

14 March 1808

14 March 1809

16 March 1810 8 March 1811

ae.

1778

1791 I

1803 1

1805 1 1806 1 1807 I 1808 2 1809 1 1810 I

s. IR.

10: I 0

0

0

0

0

0

0 1 1 1 1

no

2

8

Recapitulation of the average prices of grain in the county of Renfrew, for thirty • years, from 1780 to 1809, both inclusive, divided into periods of six years.

I Wheat, per boll. Bear & barley

per boll. Beam & peas/ Oa%

per boll. per boll. Oatmeal, per lsoll.

ae.1 .r. ---

d. .16 s. d

--

— Al —1— d. IR' — — -1

— — 1 d

1786 to 1791, do 1 1 44 . 0 16 6i 0 16 41 0 12 101 0 IS 83

1792 to 1797, do 1 6 6= 1

f 1 871; 1 0 9; 0 16 0} 0 18 01

1798 to 1803, do 1 15 II.: 7 0 1 11 4 I 1 ,6t;- 1 6 2i

1801 to 1809, do 1 16 5 1 8 51 1 9 94 ' 1 2 2; 5 83

-.——.----.......—..-—..--. —.......—.. --...---..-- ___— — ----,..

— 71_0

— —1--1—_ V- i

_---,— 4. 5

— 7:

— 7i

— 1 8 ' j 21 67i 1 2 101 1 0 17 4 0 3_61-

Upon comparing the fiar prices of grain in Renfrewshire and Berwickshire, it appears that they are higher in the former than in the latter: and, from the following table it will be found, that oatmeal is, in general, about 3s. 6d. per boll, higher.

Ten years ending Ten years ending

crop 1770. rop 1780. Ten years ending

crop 1790. Ten years ending

crop 1800. Eight years ending

crop 1808.

ae. . i R. I d.

___,___—__ i Jei

_

1

0 s.

19 ________

d. .18. s.

______

0 I 19 • 1 ..1

' 1 1

Renfrewshire, , Berwickshire, 0

12 [2.

5 0 14

91 10

0 16 1 0}

0 12 8

PROVISTONS, &C. 167

Artificial grasses, or rye-grass and clover, were in-txoduced partially in this county about the year 1766,1 and, at that time, hay was sold at 3d. per stone of 221- lbs, that is Xi 5s. per ton.b In the course of about twenty or thirty years the price rose to 5d. or 6d. per stone, or from X2 to X2 10s. per ton.

The hay of crop 1794 was sold at X2 0 0 per ton.

1795...... ... X2 2 0

1796 X3 0 0

Average, X2 7 4

At the end of the last, and beginning of the present century, the price advanced to X.5 per ton, and was then at its highest. The following table exhibits the prices of hay for the last ten years, in the month of August or beginning of September, being the period at which most of the farmers in this part of the country carry their hay to market.

a See Statistical account of Scotland, vol. vii. p. 84.

b Five stones trone are equal to one cwt. and 100 stones is a ton.

i GS PROVISIONS, &C.

Table of the prices of bay.

i.

I drop. Rate per ton,

A s. 1 d.

1801 5 0 1 0,00,0000,—.,o0

1802 3 2

1803 2 14

1804 2 10

1805 ..i gm .. 3 15

1806 .... ...... ................. .. . .. '. ............ ... _

or, 15

1807 4 0

1809 4 11

1810 4 15

38 0 5

The prices of butter, the principal article of dairy-produce, are preserved in the following table, drawn up, from 1780 to 1797, by the respectable proprie-tor * of a large dairy farm in the parish of Mearns, and continued to the present time by persons of ac-curacy.

a Archibald Henderson Esq. Of Middleton.

PROVISIONS, &C. 160

Prices of butter per cwt. equal to 112 lbs.

. Years. 1 Prices.

-.1 s.

— I d.

1780 2 1 7 3

1781 , . 2  12 2

1782 . 2 ; 14 8

1783 2 : 13 0

1784 9 i 19 7

1785 2 , 17 1

1786 1 3 i 4

1 . 7

1787 i 3 I 4 7

1789 1 2 ; 19

I

. 9 ' 19

8

1790 3 4 7

1792

1793 - . 3 9 7

1794' 3 7 1

1795 3 I 12 11

1796 ., . 4 1 6 2

1797 ........... .................... 4 I 9 5

1798 1 4 ' 16 11

1799 I 4 19 5

1800 I 5 4 4

1801 5 8 1

1802 : 5 8 6

1803 , 5 9 9

1804 5 11 10

, 1805 t 5 14 3

1 1806 5 14 3

' 1807 5 15 11

1 1808

. 6 4 3

6 9 2

Average of fifteen years, 1780-1794., 3 . 0 —71

Price for the year 1795, 3 1 iv 11

Average of fifteen years, 1796 —1810, 5 ! 9 101

Average of the above thirty-one years, I 4 i 4 -1(5—
a One cwt. or ll2 lbs. averdupois, equal to 80 lbs. wane.

170 PROVISIONS, 8cc,

From what has been now stated, it is plain that there have been great advances on the price of farm produce during the last thirty years; and that these advances have taken place chiefly since the year 1795. This will appear from the following table, specifying the rate per cent of a-dvance on grain, &c. and the proportion of rise on each article during separate periods of fifteen yeari.

Table of the rate per cent of advance on farm

produce.
Rise from

1781 to 1796. Rise om

1796 to 1810. -otai nse in

thirty years.

•

Oat-meal, 31 pr ct. 61 pr ct. 92 pr ct.

Wheat, 57 --- 45 - 1()2 —

Barley,..... 62 - 50 -. 112 —

Beans and pease 59 - 93 1,52 —

Hay, 50 - 95 144 ---

Butter, 37 — 100 137 —

Beef and mutton, 44 - 100 --.- 144 -.
It is evident that the rise of prices on the articks last mentioned far exceeds the rises on the price of grain; a circumstance which will induce the farmer to continue to improve his grass grounds, especially as the prices of dairy produce, are not yet at their height. For, although the prices of fresh butter, in Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock, are constantly advancing, yet they are by no means so high as in some of the great towns, in other parts of the kingdom. In Edinburgh the rate is generally higher than in Glasgow: and in

PROVISIONS, &C. 171

Liverpool, nineteen years ago, the prices of fresh butter per cwt. compared with the prices in Renfrew-Aire, were as follow:

i791. 1792. 1793.

IX.Is. d.

-- X s d

— XI s Id

' • 1.

—

In Liverpool, '.... In Renfrewshire, 4i 7

3 4

9 11

3 1814

Lowrit raterighe.st ratc.

i

— 11.R s. ??. s. Id.

0 : 9 2 6

In Renfrewshire, . 5 12 8 7 19 0

And in Cheshire in 1806.b I 6 10 8 8 8 0

a See Holes Agricultural survey of Lancashire, p. 154.

b See Holland's Agriculture of Cheshire, p 298.

172 PROVISIONS, Etc.

above two years, d3 5s.: but where the pastures are good, milk cows are by far the most profitable stock.

The provisions of the labouring classes, and their domestic economy, are fully detailed in the agricultu-ral surveys of Lanark, Berwick, Peebles, and other counties: and the modes of life in Renfrewshire being the same as in Lanarkshire, it is not necessa-ry to enter upon that subject here. A more frequent use of lea, with bread and butter, for breakfast, and sometimes in the afternoon, is prevailing among cottagers and mechanics; this of course increases the prices of the produce of the dairy; but oatmeal is still a most essential article in the food of the Scot-tish peasantry. It was a current opinion in a great part of Scotland, that a day's wages of a labourer ought to equal the price of a peck. of oatmeal: but the rate of labour is at least 30 per cent above that calculation: for that oatmeal has not risen in the same ratio as wheat and other articles, is plain from the preceding tables of fiar prices; in which the

X. s. d. I

Average price per boll for 19

years, 1754--1772, is........

Average price per boll for 19

years, 1773-1791, is ...

Average price per boll for 19

years, 1792-1810, is ...

Average for the whole 57 years, 0

0

1 14

8 .001

8-.1-

It has been already stated,' that the towns of Paisley, Greenock and Port-Glasgow, are well sup-plied with provisions. The following account of the number of cattle, &c. killed for the Paisley market, at different periods, will serve to give an idea of the consumption of butcher meat in that town and suburbs.

1From Sep. to Sep. 1 °cioewns.81 Calves i Sheep. Lambs. Hogs !goats

I

- I

_.

,

•4

1792 — 1793 2682 2220 1806 2158 87

1793 — 1794 2488 2100 1594 2564 73

I

verage of

1 .-..

1806 — 1807 I 2031 1856 3811 4603 85 0

1807 — 18081 1848 1632 3333 3712 83 15

1808 — 1809 1807 1520 3541 4028 37 0

1809 — 1810 1797 1818 2749 4042 85 22°

verageofthe i

last 5 years,.. 182211687 3185 4230 69 7
Prior to 1795 there were fewer oxen killed than at present, but there was a greater number of cows; these, however, were of a small size, com pared with

a Page 160.

h Twenty-two deer.

i 74 PROVISIONS, &C.

what are now brought to market. It must also be observed, that, fifteen or eighteen years ago, very few cattle, sheep, &c. were killed in the suburbs, or new toren of Paisley; but of late there have been great supplies of butcher meat in the suburbs. Last year there were slaughtered in the new town;

Cows and oxen,...... 729 Calves, 631 Sheep and Lambs, '6363

These, when added to what are killed in the market of the okl town, will give a pretty correct view of the quantity of butcher meat consumed in Paisley and the suburbs.

The . market is supplied with cattle from the counties of Angus, Fife, Lanark, and Ayr. It is probable the consumpt of Greenock is nearly equal to that of Paisley,

—41111110—

SECTION III.-FUEL.

In bringing into view the prices of those general articles by which the state of the country may be judged of, an article so important as that of fuel ought not to be forgotten. In some parts of Ren-frewshire, particularly in the vicinity of muirs and mosses, peat is partially used, but coal is by far the most general fuel throughout the county. In 1795, it was commonly sold, at the pits, at 44. 6d. per toni

PROVISIONS, &Ce 17.1

the price is now from 6s. 8d. to 10s. Some parts of the county are situated at a considerabk distance from the coal-pits; but owing to the facility of water carriage by the Clyde, and the improved state of the roads, that inconvenience is but little felt. The price of coal at Paisley is from 1 ls. to 14s. per ton.

CHAPTER XV.

POLITICAL ECONOMY, AS CONNECTED WIT.FI, OR

AFFECTING AGRICULTURE.

SECTION I.—ROADS, BRIDGES, FERRIES.

THE roads in this district as in the other counties of Scotland, were maintained, about sixty years ago, under the acts of Charles II. and 5th of Geo. I. called the statute labour acts,' by which the Justices of peace were authorized to call out the tenants, cotters and servants, with their horses, carts and implements, for six days yearly, to make and repair the high-ways within the county. As those acts were every where found ineffectual, turnpikes were introduced into Scotland in 1750, and vested in trust in the proprietors of land. In the year 1753 a turnpike act was obtained for making certain roads leading into the city of Glasgow; that act was soon afterwards explained and amended;b and in conse-quence of this road-bill, and of an act for building a bridge at Inchinnan,` the roads from Glasgow to

a See Acts Charles II. Par. I. Sess. 1. c. SS. Charles II. Par. 2. SM. . c. 16. Charles II. Par. 2. Seas 2. c. 9. and 5th of George I.

b 26 Geo. II. c. 90. 27 Geo. II. c. 27.

c SO Geo. II. c. 57.

ROADS, BRIDGES, FERRIES. 177

the confines of the county of Ayr at Floak, on the Kilmarnock road; and from Glasgow to Greenock; and from Three-mile-house to Clerk's-bridge, on the road to Beith; were executed about fifty years ago. The statute labour was reserved for the cross and parochial roads in the county, which were in such a state as to be almost impassable, and altogether un-fit for carriages. In fact, wheel carriages were not then used; for, so late as the year 1770, lime, coal, grain, &c. were generally conveyed on horses' backs.' Till the year 1792, the roads in Renfrewshire met with slight attention, there being no turnpike roads except the three lines of road above mentioned, and these had been conducted in very hilly and improper courses. The parish roads, in particular, owing to the statute services not being converted into money, were much neglected. Two acts of parliament were obtained eighteen years ago; one for converting the statute labour, the other, a turnpike act for making certain new roads.b These received the royal assent in June 1792, and very unusual exertions were in-stantly made in repairing the old roads, building and widening bridges, and making new lines of commu-nication; so that in the first three years more than a'30,000 were expended on these important ob-jects. In consequence of a farther extension of these acts of parliament, and of a renewal of turnpike acts in 1804,c similar improvements on

a See Statistical account, vol. vii. p 84.

b 52 Geo. III. c. 121.

57 Geo. III, c. 162 and 44 Geo III.

ROADS, BRIDGES, FERRIES. 179