1904 transcript of Platelayer’s
return
Kilburn Platelayer’s Weekly Budget 1904
A London platelayer and his wife and family of a 5-year old , a three-year old and a 13 month-old infant
Item
Value (old pence d)
Quantity
Earnings
288
1 week’s work
Rent
78
2 rooms
Food
152.5
53 percent of income
Bread & Flour
32.5
7 qt loaves, 1 qt flour
Meat
45
Fish
6
3 lb beef, 4 lb mutton, 2.5lb pork, 1lb
bacon
6 ‘penny bloaters’
Lard, suet, dripping etc
1.5
0.25 lb
Eggs
4.5
6 eggs
Cheese
1.5
‘one small piece’ (probably about 0.25 lb)
Butter
21
1.75 lb
Potatoes
7
14 lbs
Vegetables
6
8 cabbages
Rice
2
1 lb
Tea
4
0.25 lb
Sugar
14
7 lb
Jam
5.5
2 lb
Condiments
2
Kilburn Platelayer’s Weekly Budget
1904
• The comment at the bottom reads:
‘Now I have 4 shillings left to be spent in
providing for sickness, clothing, soap, oil,
starch, blue-blacking, coal, wood, matches and
other little items. Then how do you think we
live? Not live but linger…’
• A number of the original returns include a
commentary by a household member (about 1
in 4).