8 Ways Victorian Money Ran Out Before Minimum Wage Existed

Eight everyday bills from London in the 1850s and 60s — bread, a rented room, boots, an omnibus fare, a doctor's call, a child's wages and a funeral — each priced in shillings and pence. Every price is measured against one wage: fourpence an hour at the dock gate, so you can see exactly how many hours of carrying each thing cost. 0:00 Intro 2:54 No. 7 — The Loaf 6:02 No. 6 — The Room 8:53 No. 5 — The Boots 11:53 No. 4 — The Fare 12:21 No. 3 — The Doctor 17:51 No. 2 — The Half-Timer 19:33 No. 1 — The Funeral 24:08 The Pattern The Ordinary Past counts down how ordinary people actually lived — the work they took, the prices they paid and the arrangements they had no way around. Sources for this one include Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor, Edward Smith's 1863 diet survey for the Privy Council, and the parliamentary reports on bakers and adulterated bread. Subscribe if you like your history priced by the hour. #VictorianEra #VictorianLondon #SocialHistory #HistoryOfWork Music: "Fresh Air" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/