The Price History of English Agriculture, 1209-1914 Gregory Clark University of California, Davis
[email protected] October 9, 2003 The paper constructs an annual price series for English net agricultural output in the years 1200-1914 using 26 component series: wheat, barley, oats, rye, peas, beans, potatoes, hops, straw, mustard seed, saffron, hay, beef, mutton, pork, bacon, tallow, eggs, milk, cheese, butter, wool, firewood, timber, cider, and honey. I also construct sub-series for arable, pasture and wood products. The main innovation is in using a consistent method to form series from existing published sources. But fresh archival data is also incorporated. The implications of the movements of these series for agrarian history are explored. Introduction Despite the considerable research conducted on the price history of England since James Thorold Rogers’ classic nineteenth century work there is no aggregate series available on the movement of agricultural prices over these years. Lord Beveridge gave price series for a large number of commodities in the years 1540 to 1830, but no overall aggregate. The extensive volumes of the Agrarian History of England and Wales all contain considerable price evidence. But the years 1200 to 1914 are covered by six different volumes all of which treated price information differently. The medieval volumes have individual price series constructed by David Farmer, but again no aggregate series. The volumes for 1500-1640 and 1640-1750 both give overall price indices constructed by Peter Bowden. But because of the untimely death of A. H. John the 1750-1850 volume gave only price series for individual commodities.