ABSTRACT
The following provides further information on the calculation of the value of wheat bread described in Chapter 8. The bread value of an Imperial quarter of wheat is referred to as V and the value figures in the British Bread Table1 are national averages for V. The sources for price data were discussed in Appendix 11: here the actual data are laid out in some detail. The estimates of V are arrived at by multiplying the price of bread by the standard bread yield2 of a quarter of wheat. For instance, if Wheaten bread in London in 1771 was priced at 6.5d per 4 lbs, and each quarter of wheat typically yielded 426 lbs of bread, then V for London in 1771 must be 6.5 X 426/4, ie 692d.
