The Assize of Bread

Ross, Alan S. C.

doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1956.tb00665.x

Cited by 9 publications

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“…At that time in England, food was not governed by market forces but by a series of government regulations that stipulated everything from the price of grain to the size of loaves of bread (Ross 1956;Webb and Webb 1904). Government agents even inspected granaries and bakeries to ensure that merchants were not holding back grain in times of dearth, thus trying to ensure that the poor always had access to food.…”

Section: Conclusion: the Merits Of Government Intervention Versus De-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Food stocks and grain reserves: evaluating whether storing food creates resilient food systems

Fraser

Legwegoh

2015

J Environ Stud Sci

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Many are worried that the global food system is entering a period of intense volatility driven by a combination of climate change and population growth. One way to address this problem is for governments and the international community to store more food as a buffer against crisis. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of food storage as a component of a robust food security strategy in the twenty-first century. We do this by first drawing on historical examples from ancient Rome and China, where preindustrial government designed extensive systems that ensured adequate food storage to keep food systems stable. Next, we review the links between food storage and price volatility in the last 20 years and demonstrate that the size of food stores (and in particular grain reserves) directly relates to price volatility. Third, we explore three different types of policies designed to promote grain reserves, the US's Bever-normal granary^policy, the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, and the Strategic Grain Reserve in Africa. In this third section, we show how there has been a decline from state-owned strategic grain reserves in favor of a more market-oriented approach that is dominated by a handful of powerful corporations who maintain sophisticated supply chains. Because data on the amount of food supply these corporations hold in storage are proprietary secrets, it is impossible to assess how resilient or vulnerable this makes our food system. Finally, we conclude that over time, food storage has fallen in and out of favor, criticized for being expensive yet often shown to play an important role in protecting poor consumers in times of food crisis. Given the lack of data on current levels of supply chain and household storage, more research is needed to evaluate the scale at which food storage systems should be implemented to ensure food system resilience as well as the most effective mechanisms to govern and manage them.

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Section: Conclusion: the Merits Of Government Intervention Versus De-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Food stocks and grain reserves: evaluating whether storing food creates resilient food systems

Fraser

Legwegoh

2015

J Environ Stud Sci

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“…301 v). For a similar chart, using slightly different sources, see Ross, ‘Assize’, p. 337. f : 77 s. in Matthaei Parisiensis; g .…”

Section: Appendix I: the Assize Of Bread: Price And Weight Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

“… (4) Wholemeal or wheaten bread (‘panis integer’), which was made from the ground whole wheat from which only the bran was removed. Ross designates Cocket B as the bread used as the proportional standard: Ross, ‘Assize’, p. 339, and see Nichols, ed., Britton , p. 186, Richardson and Sayles, eds., Fleta , p. 117, and Maitland and Baildon, eds., Court baron , p. 23. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These assizes were based upon a simple principle, whereby for every increase in the price of wheat by 6 d., the weight of a loaf fell by 4 s. or 6 s. (see ). For a comparison of the earlier assizes, see Ross, ‘Assize’, and Zylbergeld, ‘Les régulations’. It is possible that bread regulation was also enforced in Anglo‐Saxon burhs, but there is no surviving material for this assertion, made by Studer, ed., Oak book , ii, p. xxi, and Webb and Webb, ‘Assize’, p. 196.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…353–4; Louis, ed., Commonplace book , p. 352; Studer, ed., Oak book , ii, pp. xxiv–xxvi; Ross, ‘Assize’, pp. 333–4.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England¹

Davis

2004

The Economic History Review

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This article reassesses the structure of the assize of bread and its relevance for bakers and consumers in late medieval England. It has long been thought that the laws governing the manufacture and sale of bread, although adhering to a logical relationship between weight and price, were nevertheless ill‐considered in formulation, calculation, and enactment and did not, in reality, provide the stable allowance recommended for bakers. By examining the economic and moral ideology underlying the assize of bread it is possible to demonstrate that legislators were actually employing a rationale that best fitted contemporary circumstances and retail practices. There nevertheless remained one fundamental flaw in its construction, which was to have implications for its enforcement.

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Scott's Parabola and the Rise of the Medical-Industrial Complex

Jupiter

Burke

2013

Hand (New York, N,Y.)

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The Assize of Bread

Cited by 9 publications

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Food stocks and grain reserves: evaluating whether storing food creates resilient food systems

Food stocks and grain reserves: evaluating whether storing food creates resilient food systems

Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England¹

Scott's Parabola and the Rise of the Medical-Industrial Complex

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The Assize of Bread

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Food stocks and grain reserves: evaluating whether storing food creates resilient food systems

Food stocks and grain reserves: evaluating whether storing food creates resilient food systems

Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England1

Scott's Parabola and the Rise of the Medical-Industrial Complex

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Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England¹