[Sidenote: Corn sold under price to the poor in London.]
Even before 1520 the City rulers possessed a magazine of corn. In 1622 a regular system of selling to the poor under price was so much the usual plan that the Lords of the Privy Council complained of the method by which the Companies furnished their quota of corn for this purpose. Each Company contracted with the bakers to furnish the quantity required from its members. The wardens however were told that this course "would rather lessen the stoare than replenish the markett"; they must import for themselves from abroad so that the total supply in the City might be increased[435]. In 1630-1 even more vigorous methods were taken. The population of London was numbered, so that it was found that there were 130,280 people in the City, and the Lord Mayor calculated that five thousand quarters a month would be necessary to provide for all the inhabitants[436]. Each Company had to provide a certain quantity at under rates for the poor and was required to state how much of this supply they had in their granaries[437]. The efforts made to lower the price were for a time successful, and in December 1630 the Lord Mayor ordered the price of meal to be reduced in proportion to the fall in the price of grain[438].
[435] _Privy Council Reg._, 23rd Dec. 1622, Vol. 5, p. 543.
[436] This amount was arrived at by calculating that eight ounces a day would serve for each person, counting "the little" with "the great." Remembrancia.
[437] _D. S. P._, Chas. I., Vol. 197, 61. In July 1631 the Companies had a very small proportion of the quantity they had to supply in their possession.
[438] _Privy Council Reg._, 14 Dec. 1630. The Lord Mayor appears to have fixed the price of grain. See the complaint of the badgers of Chipping Wycombe.
[Sidenote: Selling under price in large towns.]
In other large towns similar plans were adopted both in 1621-1623 and in 1629-1631. In 1623 the Bailiffs of Derby report "wee have alsoe at the charge of the cheife and ablest inhabitants of this Burrowe provided 140 q^{ ters} of corne w^{ ch} wee weekely afford to the poore as their necessities require under the comon price of the markett[439]." In the later period, 1630 and 1631, Norwich spent £300 for this purpose and then borrowed more; Great Yarmouth, Leicester and Buckingham made similar provision[440]. There is no reason to think these towns were exceptional; there are comparatively few reports from the corporate towns in 1630 but we have already seen that in Bristol and Shrewsbury stores had been bought in earlier years, and their action was probably similar now to that of London and Norwich.