Statute of Labourers 1351

The Statute of Labourers (25 Edw. 3. Stat. 2) was an act of the Parliament of England under King Edward III in 1351 in response to a labourshortage, which aimed at regulating the labour force by prohibiting requesting or offering a wage higher than pre-Plague standards and limiting movement in search of better conditions. The popular narrative about its success and enforcement holds that it was poorly enforced and did not stop the rise in real wages. However, immediately after the Black Death, real wages did not rise, despite the labour shortage.