The Black Death and Its Social Consequences

The Black Death and its social consequences

        With these texts of law, the Ordinance of Labourers (1349) and the Statute of Labourers (1351), the King Edward III and his parliament react to the consequences of the plague epidemy. The pandemic also known as the Black Death arrived in Europe around 1337 and reached England in 1348. It decimated the population, which led to a complicated economic, social and politic situation in the country. Moreover, the country was still in war with France, during the never-ending Hundred Years War (1337-1453). England made a halt to the war, but the interior situation was to be fixed.

        How does the King and the Parliament, through the Ordinance of Labourers and the Statute of Labourers try to manage the post-plague situation of labour shortage in England ?

There will first be a focus on the labour shortage and the law in itself, then the undermeanings and concealed ideas in the text will be explained and finally there will be an examination of redefinition of societal roles.

1. An answer to the consequences of the Black Death

1. The tomorrow of the Black Death : labour shortage

The Black Death has been a source of major decrease in population in Europe, and thus in England. The whole of the population has been stricken by the plague, but the text focuses on workmen : because a great part of the people and specially of the workmen and servants has now died in this plague. (l. 1-2). Indeed, the situation is such as there is much work to do in the country, the necessity of lords is evoked, but there isn't enough manpower, as mentioned on line 3 : the scarcity of servants. That represents a reverse in situation, the surviving workers were in great demand throughout the country, and demanded higher wages, which is denounced in the text on line 1 to 2

 : some […] will not serve unless they receive excessive wages. However an increase in wages could lead to inflation, which would even worsen the situation in England. Moreover, it would also force the landlowners to spend more money if they don't want their grounds to be unused. That is the reason why the Ordinance and then two years later the Statute of Labourers are created, to try and control the labour situation.

1. An early legislation on work

The main aim of the law is to freeze wages at pre-plague levels (shall receive only the wage […] which used to be offered […] in the twentieth year of our reign in England [=1346]. (l.11-13)). The landlords cannot pay more their workers, while the workers cannot ask for higher salaries. Moreover, the landlords cannot employ as much workers as they want to (as many as necessary but not more (l. 16). It is a way to control the economy, and to limit inflation.