Behind the Ordinance of Labourers: Economic Regulation and Market Control in London before the Black Death.

The regulation of market activities, by both local and central authorities, has been studied in some detail, but the interrelationship between the two has received considerably less attention. This paper examines market regulations and their enforcement in London prior to the Black Death, including measures to control prices, wages, forestalling, product quality, etc. It argues that, although London officials were often obliged to enforce royal orders relative to market activities, the economic policies elaborated by the mayor and aldermen had a significant impact on those adopted by the Crown and applied throughout the realm, particularly on the Ordinance of Labourers of 1349. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]