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Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England

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  • JAMES DAVIS

Abstract

This article reassesses the structure of the assize of bread and its relevance for bakers and consumers in late medieval England. It has long been thought that the laws governing the manufacture and sale of bread, although adhering to a logical relationship between weight and price, were nevertheless ill‐considered in formulation, calculation, and enactment and did not, in reality, provide the stable allowance recommended for bakers. By examining the economic and moral ideology underlying the assize of bread it is possible to demonstrate that legislators were actually employing a rationale that best fitted contemporary circumstances and retail practices. There nevertheless remained one fundamental flaw in its construction, which was to have implications for its enforcement.

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  • James Davis, 2004. "Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 57(3), pages 465-502, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ehsrev:v:57:y:2004:i:3:p:465-502
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0289.2004.00285.x
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    1. Cunningham, William, 1910. "Growth of English Industry and Commerce during the Early and Middle Ages," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number cunningham1910a.
    2. Kowaleski,Maryanne, 1995. "Local Markets and Regional Trade in Medieval Exeter," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521333719, January.
    3. de Roover, Raymond, 1958. "The Concept of the Just Price: Theory and Economic Policy," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(4), pages 418-434, December.
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    3. Velkar, Aashish, 2010. "‘Deep’ integration of 19th century grain markets: coordination and standardisation in a global value chain," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 28988, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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