The
number of enclosures grew because copyholders were not successful
in obtaining the legal security of tenure. But most land was not
enclosed.
In 1661 in Essex, the wages for mowing one acre of grass were
1s.10d.; for reaping, shearing, binding one acre of wheat 4s.; and
for threshing a quarter of wheat or rye 1s.
Wives participated with their husbands in general agricultural
chores and did the dairy work including making cheese. Every
householder kept chickens because egg production was cheap, their
market price being only 1s. for a hundred. Wives also took care of
the gardening work and traditionally kept for their own the cash
that came in from garden, dairy, and poultry products. A wife made
jellies and preserves when the fruit trees, bushes, and vines were
bearing. Imported sugar enabled fruit to be preserved as jam in
jars sealed with a layer of mutton fat to make them airtight. She
was likely to concoct medications from her herbs. Meat had to be
smoked or salted when there was not enough fodder to keep animals
alive through the winter. She saw to it that the soap was boiled
and the candles molded. She cooked the daily meals, did the
washing, produced cloth for the family's use, and sewed the
family's clothing.
Women had less work and lower pay than men. Since most cottages
had a spinning wheel, spinning work was readily available to
wives. In the 1670s, a female weaver or spinner was paid 2-4d.
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