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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 July 2017
The port of Newcastle upon Tyne in north-east England was transformed in the seventeenth century by the rapid expansion of its coal trade, which demanded an influx of industrial transport workers known as ‘keelmen’. This article assesses wages, perks and the seasonal distribution of income for this growing group of workers, estimating that their real income rose until about 1680, before tailing off again. They were comparatively well paid, but their work was inconsistent and seasonal. The number of days' work available was crucial to welfare in Newcastle, as were a series of formal and informal measures intended to relieve winter poverty and maintain a year-round workforce. Combining quantitative and qualitative evidence, this article offers a north-eastern industrial perspective on English living standards debates that still tend to be dominated by south-eastern building and agricultural labourers.
Le port de Newcastle-upon-Tyne, dans le nord-est de l'Angleterre, a été transformé au dix-septième siècle par l'expansion rapide de son commerce de charbon. Les travailleurs affluèrent pour répondre à la demande croissante de keelmen, ces ouvriers spécialisés dans le transport massif de cette matière première sur les bateaux charbonniers locaux (ou keels). Cet article évalue les salaires, avantages et la répartition saisonnière des revenus pour ce groupe croissant de travailleurs, estimant que leur revenu réel a augmenté jusqu’à 1680 environ, avant de s’éteindre. Ils étaient relativement bien payés, mais leur travail était incohérent et saisonnier. Le nombre de jours de travail réellement effectués était crucial pour que chacun puisse accéder à l'aide sociale à Newcastle. Il en était de même pour bénéficier d'une série de mesures formelles et informelles visant à la fois à soulager la pauvreté hivernale des ouvriers et à maintenir une main-d’œuvre disponible toute l'année. Contribuant aux discussions sur les niveaux de vie en Angleterre, lesquelles tendent toujours à mettre l'accent sur les travailleurs du bâtiment et les agriculteurs du sud-est du pays, l'article propose une perspective neuve sur la région du nord-est industriel, combinant sources quantitatives et qualitatives.
Die Hafenstadt Newcastle upon Tyne im nordöstlichen England wurde im 17. Jahrhundert durch die rapide Expansion des Kohlehandels und den dadurch erforderlichen Zustrom industrieller Transportarbeiter, die als ‚keelmen’ bekannt waren, grundlegend umgestaltet. Der Beitrag untersucht Löhne, Sondervergünstigungen und saisonale Einkommensverteilung dieser wachsenden Gruppe von Arbeitern und gelangt zu der Einschätzung, dass ihr Realeinkommen bis etwa 1680 anstieg, dann aber abflaute. Sie waren vergleichsweise gut bezahlt, aber ihre Arbeit war unbeständig und saisonalen Schwankungen unterworfen. Entscheidend für das Wohlergehen in Newcastle war die Anzahl der verfügbaren Arbeitstage sowie eine Reihe formeller und informeller Maßnahmen zur Linderung der winterlichen Armut, um eine Stammarbeiterschaft über das ganze Jahr hinweg zu sichern. Der Beitrag kombiniert quantitative und qualitative Daten und bietet eine nordöstliche und industrielle Perspektive auf die Debatte über englische Lebensstandards, die ansonsten noch immer von südöstlichen Arbeitern im Baugewerbe und in der Landwirtschaft dominiert wird.
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