Friday, October 1, 2021

Wages in Marlow History *Updated July 2024**

Agricultural

Working farm foreman who can do thatching and hedging, per week, 1860 = 12s including cottage and £2 Michaelmas payment. 

Farm boy at Hill Farm Marlow 1865, per week= 4 shillings 6d.

Under Gamekeeper, at Hall Place Hurley, 1872 = 15s a week including cottage and garden, and harvest month bonus. 

Under Gamekeeper at Little Marlow 1876 = 16 shillings a week plus cottage and garden.

Wages paid to three agricultural labourers to mow a meadow Great Marlow, per acre, 1873 = 6 shillings 6d plus beer. The inclusion of beer into wages was common.

15 year old boy to milk cows and work in farm yard at Hawkins Farm, 1874, per week = 6 shillings  (plus £4 at Michaelmas). 

Carter on Abbey Farm, Little Marlow 1875, per week = 13 shillings, with a cottage and Michaelmas money.

Agricultural labourer Marlow able to mend fences and plough 1892, per week = 12 shillings with cottage and garden.

Ploughboy, 1899, per week including board and lodging = 6 shillings.

Haymakers, 1900, per day = 5s plus 3 pints beer. (A higher than average wage put down to the relative absence of labourers locally due to their serving instead in the South African wars)

Cowman on a Marlow farm, if single [married men were paid more in those days and might also get use of a cottage] a week 1903 = 17 shillings. For comparison 17 shillings was also the wage for a carter at Danesfield 1899 but use of a cottage was also included. That position was for a married man only. He would receive extra fees at harvest time. At the hiring day that started the Wycombe Fair in 1898 the average negotiated wage for a cowman was 13 shillings a week plus a cottage, a ton of coal and "a present of £3 at Michaelmas". 

Carter on Wood Barn Farm Little Marlow 1914 = 16 shillings a week plus a cottage. (In 1899 it was 13 shillings.)

Shepherd at Barmoor Farm 1915, per week = £1 2 shillings with cottage and garden.


Domestic Service

Needlewoman for domestic service, to make plain dresses and frocks, and care for the wardrobes of several young gentleman when home from school, and mind the boys themselves ditto, 1859 = £16 per year plus beer and washing allowance. Members of Church of England only need apply. 

Housemaid in a gent's family, to be aged 20-30 per annum 1860 = 14 guineas with "everything found" That meant employers will provide things like her laundry, candles for personal use, food and drink. Applicants to send letter care of Mr Pierce (Pearce) stationer, High Street Marlow. He took in replies to many similar requests.

Married couple- the man to serve as the gardener, cow man and groom, and the woman to be the cook, in tradesman's family, 1860, per annum = £30 for the pair. 

General servant at house Marlow High Street 1898, per annum  = £10.

Nursemaid to look after one child, Marlow Place 1900, per annum = £20.

Garden labourer, experienced, at Temple House 1900, per week = 17 shillings plus a lodge to live in.

Under Gardener, "strong lad" preferred, Cromwell House, 1900 = 9-10 shillings a week. 

Kitchen Maid, Beechwood House, Red Pitts 1904, per annum = £12.

A Cook at The Glade, Glade Road Marlow who was moving on, expected in her next job to earn in 1912, per annum = £24 to £25.

Cook at Woodside Little Marlow Road 1916, per annum = £24 

Under Gardener at Court Garden 1918 = 25 shillings a week plus vegetables from the garden and a small lodge. Raised to 30 shillings with the veg and lodge when no takers for this job.

Parlour maid in Marlow 1926, per annum = £36.

Parlourmaid for family of three in modern home, "Emston" Quarry Wood Road, 1941. Per week = 30 shillings.


Clerical /admin and similar

Librarian at the Literary and Scientific Institute, per annum 1860 = £6

Clerk to the parish council, per annum 1896 = £25

Secretary of Marlow Water Company, per annum 1897 = £25

Managing Director of Marlow Water Company, per annum 1897= £50 plus 5 per cent commission on dues collected -getting people to pay up, especially those in big houses was hard work!


Education:

Master of the Boys' School, per annum 1878 = £104 

Mistress of Bovingdon Green village school, per annum 1878 = £44 6 shillings

Mistress of the Infant's School in St Peter's Street, per annum 1878 = £70


Other:

Maximum salary the churchwardens and overseers of poor would be willing to pay for a sober couple of good character to manage Great Marlow poorhouse, 1775 = £20 per annum. 

Journeyman blacksmith in Marlow 1830, per week = 17 shillings.

Keeper of the Marlow Lock Up House 1856, per week = 16 shillings plus a uniform coat and hat renewed every year.

Great Marlow parish sanitary inspector 1859, per annum = £45

Great Marlow parish surveyor 1860, per annum = £20.

Journeyman baker (qualified baker who has served apprenticeship but works for others not himself) Marlow 1862, per week = 12 shillings.

Painter (house). As earned by Thomas Clements of Hambledon 1872, per week = 18 shillings

Paper mill worker, male, adult 1874, per week = 17 shillings 6 pence

Chimney sweep employed by master sweep as assistant, 1884, per week = 15 shillings

Carter working for Mr Butler coal merchant of Marlow 1893, per week = 17 shillings

Girls, ideally aged about 15, to paint tiles at the Medmenham Pottery, Marlow Common 1898, per week = 5 shillings

Mason to work at the building of a new house Danesfield 1899, per hour = 9d, travelling time allowed.

Brick makers at Marlow Common kiln, 1899 = 7 shillings per 1,000 bricks made. 

Caretaker and librarian for the Marlow Institute 1903, per week = 15 shillings. (It was £35 per annum in 1897)


Compiled from adverts, letters, court cases, interviews.

And Maidenhead Advertiser July 24th 1872, South Bucks Standard 30 September 1899 and 5 February 1897

To put these wages into context see our Marlow Cost of Living posts Part 1 and Part 2. These tell you what Marlow people paid for rents, food, entertainment, medical care, furnishings, education, travel etc.

©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to the blog.

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