Contracts and Pay (eBook)

Acknowledgements 6
Contents 8
List of Figures 10
List of Tables 12
1 A Short History of Builders’ Wages in Economic History 14
The Creation of Statistical Wage Series 15
Nominal London Wage Series 20
Gilboy’s Sources, Methodology, and Findings 21
Schwarz’s Sources, Methodology, and Findings 25
Boulton’s Sources, Methodology, and Findings 27
Associated Series 30
London in the Sixteenth Century 30
Beyond London: Northern England 32
South East England, Real and Silver Wages 33
‘Nominal’ Sources and Their Effect on ‘Real’ Wages 35
Comparisons with Other Regions and Cities 40
Market and Business Organisation 43
2 The Market for Building 48
Construction Market Segmentation 50
Development Before the Fire 52
Rebuilding and the Market for Construction Services 54
Beyond Rebuilding and into the Eighteenth Century 60
Organisation of Contracts and Pay at the Sites and Sources 63
Westminster Abbey 65
Greenwich Hospital 67
Middlesex Sessions 68
Middle Temple 69
St Paul’s Cathedral 70
Westminster Bridge 71
Bridge House 72
The Office of the King’s Works 74
Summary 75
3 Contractors 77
4 Contracts and Ways of Working in the Building Trades 91
Three Ways of Working 96
Contracts 101
Contracting Practice 108
The System in Practice and Its Influence on ‘Wages’ 111
5 What did Bosses (in London Construction) do? 119
The Jenings Case 124
Management and Operating Costs 127
Search and Information Costs 130
Bargaining Costs 131
Enforcement Costs 132
The Costs of Operating: Managing Sites and Labour 133
Administration, Accounting and Auditing 136
Rent 138
Carriage 138
Tools 140
The Costs of Finance 141
Deductions 144
Profit and Overall Margin 146
Summary of Operating Costs and Profit, and Ordinary Work 147
Early Modern Bosses 150
6 Contracts and Pay at St Paul’s Cathedral, and at the Office of the King’s Works 152
Work and Pay in Practice at St Paul’s 156
Hierarchy, Skill and Pay 165
The Number of Days Worked and Income 168
Westminster Abbey 174
The Office of the King’s Works 176
A Summary of New Findings 181
7 Pay at Bridge House, Westminster Bridge, and Middle Temple 183
Bridge House Pay 1660–1685 186
Bridge House Masons 1684–1780 190
Tide Carpenters at Bridge House 1720–1785 193
Land Carpenters 1706–1785 200
Bridge House Pay in the Long Run 201
Pay at Westminster Bridge and under Andrews Jelfe 204
Pay at Middle Temple 208
8 Contracts and Pay in Construction in the Long Run 210
Wage Formation and Non-pecuniary Pay 211
Skill and Wage Formation 219
Nominal Incomes and Real Wage Implications 226
9 Conclusions and Further Notes on Understanding Early Modern Contracts and Pay 231
The Level of Pay in London 239
International Comparison of Building Wages 242
Bibliography 247
Index 261