Introduction

A recent study based on the Doomsday Book returns for Essex, shows that the British economy of the 11th century had similar structural rigidities, as it is still the case today. The economy that William the Conqueror inherited was in good shape, and England was one of the wealthiest European countries of the time. Its economy was based on agriculture, fish and wool, the administrative infrastructure was sound and there was an effective and fair taxation system. England was feudal and manorial and about 24% of the GDP were exported compared with about 30% today. A labourer earned 2d a day and this average wage was stable. Growth between 1000 and 1200 reached 0.6% per annum, which is better than the 0.4 to 0.5% of the first fifty years of the Industrial Revolution. But it could have done better if the labour market had not been so inflexible, and if training and education had been better. It was not a subsistence economy since the feudal Lords needed to produce a surplus to pay taxes, and to be able to trade the excess agricultural production for tools, military hardware, lead, glass, textile, etc. However there were large differences in productivity between the Essex estates, the bigger ones being, on the whole, more efficient. Lack of labour and capital mobility prevented to use more workers or capital on the efficient estates. If this had been possible on a large scale, an increase in total output of 40% could have been possible. Production was also generally characterised by constant returns to scale (doubling the manpower doubled the production). As this simple analysis shows, some problems never go away.

The research in the history of our house at 25A King Street and of our cottage (now sold) in 5 Orchard Place did not give very precise results.

We believe that the cottage was built in 1838. This excludes definitely that it was built, like all the other cottages of Orchard Place, by French prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars, as the Estates Agents like to tell to the potential buyers.

On the other hand, we do not know exactly when the house at 25A King Street was built. It is clear that it was a Pub in 1824 and that it did not exist in 1785. It probably was not there in 1792 either, and it cannot be seen on a map of 1822. However this is not sufficient to say that the house was built between 1822 and 1824. Some more research is required to pinpoint the exact date of the construction. A recent study based on the Doomsday Book returns for Essex, shows that the British economy of the 11th century had similar structural rigidities, as it is still the case today. The economy that William the Conquerorinherited was in good shape, and England was one of the wealthiest European countries of the time. Its economy was based on agriculture, fish and wool, the administrative infrastructure was sound and there was an effective and fair taxation system. England was feudal and manorial and about 24% of the GDP were exported compared with about 30% today. A labourer earned 2d a day and this average wage was stable. Growth between 1000 and 1200 reached 0.6% per annum, which is better than the 0.4 to 0.5% of the first fifty years of the Industrial Revolution. But it could have done better if the labour market had not been so inflexible, and if training and education had been better. It was not a subsistence economy since the feudal Lords needed to produce a surplus to pay taxes, and to be able to trade the excess agricultural production for tools, military hardware, lead, glass, textile, etc. However there were large differences in productivity between the Essex estates, the bigger ones being, on the whole, more efficient. Lack of labour and capital mobility prevented to use more workers or capital on the efficient estates. If this had been possible on a large scale, an increase in total output of 40% could have been possible. Production was also generally characterised by constant returns to scale (doubling the manpower doubled the production). As this simple analysis shows, some problems never go away.

The research in the history of our house at 25A King Street and of our cottage (now sold) in 5 Orchard Place did not give very precise results.

We believe that the cottage was built in 1838. This excludes definitely that it was built, like all the other cottages of Orchard Place, by French prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars, as the Estates Agents like to tell to the potential buyers.

On the other hand, we do not know exactly when the house at 25A King Street was built. It is clear that it was a Pub in 1824 and that it did not exist in 1785. It probably was not there in 1792 either, and it cannot be seen on a map of 1822. However this is not sufficient to say that the house was built between 1822 and 1824. Some more research is required to pinpoint the exact date of the construction.