LABOURERS, ORDINANCE OF

1349. The king issued this ordinance to set maximum wages. It required labourers to finish their contracts before looking for another job. It failed largely because of economic pressures after the *Black Death of 1348: the problem of a shortage of labour could not be legislated away. It did, however, manage to control the rise in wages somewhat. This ordinance and the Statute of *Labourers were both reissued between 1360 and 1362.