Statute of Labourers 1351

E64774

The Statute of Labourers 1351 was a landmark English law enacted after the Black Death to cap wages and restrict workers’ mobility in an effort to preserve pre-plague economic and social structures.


Statements (37)
Predicate Object
instanceOf English statute
medieval labour law
wage control law
affectedGroup agricultural labourers
peasants
urban workers
aimedAt maintaining traditional hierarchies
preventing wage inflation
category 1350s in law
Labour law in the United Kingdom
Medieval English law
country Kingdom of England
effect attempted to freeze wages at pre-plague levels
limited workers’ ability to move in search of higher wages
strengthened the position of landowners and employers
enactedIn 1351
enforcementMechanism penalties for employers who paid above the set rates
penalties for workers who left their employers
historicalPeriod Late Middle Ages
jurisdiction England
language Latin
legalArea labour law
social control
wage regulation
legalStatus Act of Parliament of England
longTermImpact contributed to tensions leading to later social unrest in England
motivatedBy labour shortages caused by the Black Death
purpose to cap wages
to preserve pre-plague economic structures
to preserve pre-plague social structures
to restrict workers’ mobility
reignOf Edward III of England NERFINISHED
relatedToConcept feudalism
labour market regulation
serfdom
relatedToEvent Black Death in England
temporalContext after the Black Death

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Edward III of England
significantLegislation

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