DISTRIBUTION OF THE NATIONAL INCOME ENGLAND AND WALES
by GREGORY KING in 1688


I. Aristocracy

 
Rank Families Income per family £ Agregate Income £000
Sovereign      
Peers 160 2,800 448
Bishops 26 1,300 33.8
Baronets 800 880 704
Knights 600 650 390
Esquires 3,000 450 1,350
Gentlemen 12,000 280 3,360
Fundholders(Inc above)      
  16,586   6,285.8

 

II. Middle Ranks

I. Aristocracy

 
Rank Families Income per family £ Agregate Income £000
(1) Agricultural      
Freeholders (1) 40,000 84 3,360
Freeholders (2) 140,000 50 7,000
Farmers 150,000 44 6,600
(2) Industry and Commerce      
Merchants (1) 2,000 400 800
Merchants (2) 8,000 200 1,600
Manufacturers      
Warehousemen      
Shipbuilders      
Ship owners      
Surveyors      
Engineers      
Tailors etc      
Shopkeepers etc 40,000 45 1,800
Innkeepers      
Clerks, Shopmen      
(3) Professions      
Civil offices (1) 5,000 240 1,200
Civil offices (2) 5,000 120 600
Law 10,000 140 1,400
Clergy (1) 2,000 60 120
Clergy (2) 8,000 45 360
Dissenting clergy      
Arts, sciences 16,000 60 960
Education (1)      
Education (2)      
Naval officers 5,000 80 400
Army officers 4,000 60 240
Half-pay officers      
Theatrical      
Lunatic keepers      
  435,000   26,340

 

III. Lower Orders

 
Rank Families Income per family £ Agregate Income £000
Artisans 60,000 40 2,400
Hawkers, pedlars      
Mines, canals      
Seamen      
common & naval 50,000 20 1,000
Soldiers 35,000 14 490
Labourers 364,000 15 5,400
Lunatics      
Debtors      
Pensioners (forces)      
Paupers, cottagers 400,000 6.5 2,600
Vagrants 10,000 2 60
  919,000   12,010

Summary: Percentage distribution

 
Rank No Rank Families Income
I Aristoracy 1.2 14.1
II Middle Ranks 31.7 59.0
III Lower Orders 67.1 26.9

NOTES In 1803 Colquhoun compiled a similar schedule with figures for all the categories shown above. His total number of families was 2,008,479 compared to 1,370,586 and the aggregate income was £209,530,000 compared to £44,635.8 in 1688.

The percentage distribution was however almost identical to that existing 115 years earlier.