When was it published?

October 3, 1839 in South Carolina Temperance Advocate

Story October 3, 1839

South Carolina Temperance Advocate

Q: What keywords are associated?

Wheat Prices, Marriages, Statistics, England, Massachusetts Spy

Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina

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What is this article about?

The Massachusetts Spy reports a correlation between high wheat prices and fewer marriages in the UK, based on statistics from 1788-1817 presented by Mr. Rantoul in a lecture, showing inverse relationship in a table.

Merged-components note: Merged the table of wheat prices and marriages statistics with the preceding short story that references and introduces it, as they form a single logical component on economic and social statistics.

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OCR Quality

75% Good

Full Text

Wheat and Marriages.—The Massachusetts Spy has gathered up the following as one of the modern discoveries of the politicians of the day, that the high price of agricultural productions diminishes the number of matrimonial contracts. The proof is sought in the statistics of England, and a table was exhibited by Mr. Rantoul in one of his lectures, showing that love rose and fell with the market value of grain. The evidence is contained in the columns of figures below, expressing the price of wheat and the number of marriages in the United Kingdom of Great Britain:

[The average price of wheat in each year above stated is 75s; of marriages, 81,791.]

Years.	Price	Marriages.
1794	-	50s 8d	-	71,795
1795	-	72s 11d	-	68,839
1788	-	50s 4d	-	79,477
1799	-	66s 11d	-	77,557
1800	-	110s 5d	-	65,851
1801	-	115s 11d	-	67,288
1802	-	67s 9d	-	90,396
1803	-	57s 1d	-	94,379
1815	-	63s 8d	-	99,444
1816	-	76s 2d	-	91,946
1817	-	94s 0d	-	88,234

What sub-type of article is it?

Curiosity Historical Event

What themes does it cover?

Social Manners

What keywords are associated?

Wheat Prices Marriages Statistics England Massachusetts Spy

What entities or persons were involved?

Mr. Rantoul

Where did it happen?

United Kingdom Of Great Britain

Story Details

Key Persons

Mr. Rantoul

Location

United Kingdom Of Great Britain

Event Date

1788 1817

Story Details

High price of agricultural productions diminishes matrimonial contracts, proven by English statistics showing inverse relation between wheat prices and marriages, as exhibited in a table by Mr. Rantoul.