ABSTRACT
The growth in the demand for food in England and Wales during the nineteenth century was spectacular. The size of the food market may be regarded as a function of population numbers and per capita demand for food, and both variables underwent considerable change over the century. In terms of numbers alone, population in England and Wales increased from 8.9 to 32.5 million between 1801 and 1901, and this rise in itself, if consumption levels remained uniform, would have enlarged the market 3.7 times. Per capita demand was largely dependent on wage levels, and working on the assumption that the proportion of income devoted to food was constant-probably an underestimation of the importance of food in improving family budgets-any rise in real earnings would enlarge the market for food. Over the century the rate of growth in real wages-conservatively estimated at 4.4 times-would have amplified the demand for food stemming from straightforward population increase. By combining the rates of growth of population and real wages, some overall indication of the scale of increase in the size of the food market may be obtained. This measure-the potential demand for food-has been calculated at rising at the astonishing rate of 15.6 times between 1801 and 1901 (Walton 1990).
