Wages and Prices in Scotland, c.1580-1780

UKDA study number:3302

Principal Investigators

Gibson, A.J.S.
University of Exeter. Department of Geography
Smout, C.
University of St Andrews. Centre for Advanced Historical Studies

Sponsor

Economic and Social Research Council

Distributed by

UK Data Archive, University of Essex, Colchester.

June 1995

Bibliographic Citation

All works which use or refer to these materials should acknowledge these sources by means of bibliographic citation. To ensure that such source attributions are captured for bibliographic indexes, citations must appear in footnotes or in the reference section of publications. The bibliographic citation for this data collection is:

Gibson, A.J.S. and Smout, C., Wages and Prices in Scotland, c.1580-1780 [computer file]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive [distributor], June 1995. SN: 3302, http://dx.doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-3302-1

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3302 . Wages and Prices in Scotland, c.1580-1780

Depositor:

Gibson, A.J.S. , University of Exeter. Department of Geography

Principal Investigators:

Gibson, A.J.S. , University of Exeter. Department of Geography

Smout, C. , University of St Andrews. Centre for Advanced Historical Studies

Sponsor:

Economic and Social Research Council
Grant Number: RB00230067

Abstract:

The principal purpose of this study was to counter the long-term neglect of Scottish price history by undertaking a thorough and systematic search of the principal Scottish archives. The main focus was on agricultural commodity prices and both urban and rural wages.

Main Topics:

The focus of data collection was on long-term wage and price series for the period 1580-1780, although many of the series obtained extend before or after these dates. The price series collected invariably refer to agricultural commodities or products derived from them (such as ale and bread), whilst the wage series are of labourers and craftsmen (generally masons and wrights).
The topics cover:
Prices: animal and meat prices; animal-derived commodity prices (ie butter, milk, eggs); burgh price regulation; fiars prices; monthly market prices; grain prices; grain-derived prices (ie ale, wheat, bread).
Wages: agricultural servants' wages; craftsmen's wages; labourers' wages.
This dataset is also available at:

http://www.ex.ac.uk/~ajgibson/scotdata/scot_database_home.html

Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

Coverage:

Time Period Covered: 1580 - 1780 The period of interest was 1580-1780, but many series commence or conclude beyond these dates.
Dates of Fieldwork: October 1983 - October 1988
Country: Scotland
Spatial Units: No information recorded
Observation Units: Prices and wages

Universe Sampled:

Location of Units of Observation: National
Population: Agricultural commodity prices and labourers and skilled craftsmen's wages in Scotland, c.1580-1780

Methodology:

Time Dimensions: Time Series
Sampling Procedures: No sampling (total universe)
No information recorded
Method of Data Collection: Transcription of existing materials
Data Sources: The data were extracted from a wide range of original and secondary sources. Particular attention was paid to the holdings of the Scottish Record Office in Edinburgh, although some additional material was obtained from the National Library of Scotland's manuscript collection as well as from a number of local record offices. All series in the dataset include a statement of provenance.

Language(s) of Written Materials:

Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:

Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: History Data Service, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: hds@essex.ac.uk

Date of First Release:

27 June 1995

File last updated:

4 January 2012