Joseph Clement's Wage Rates

Clement's Charges and Wage Rates



We do know how much Clement paid some of his workmen. For instance a Mr Walkup, principal draughtsman before C.G. Jarvis was first employed on the Difference Engine during the latter half of 1830, was paid £3-4-0 per week. Jarvis himself during February 1831 went on strike [withdrew his labour by resigning] for a few weeks in order to improve his own wages. He wanted 3½ guineas per week; Clement was only prepared to offer him 3 guineas: an amount he himself had received when he had worked for Bramah. Jarvis was prepared to settle for £3-8-3 per week the difference between the two figures. The exact outcome, however, of this negotiation is not known, but it is to be expected that Jarvis would probably have settled for about £3-5-0 per week for he went back to work for Clement soon afterwards. Clement costed the use of his own time at four or five times these rates, which might be considered reasonable as Bryan Donkin charged his clients 5 guineas a day for the use of his personal services. Later, in November 1835, when Jarvis was directly employed by Babbage on the preparation of the drawings for the Analytical Engine, he was able to negotiate for himself a wage rate of £1-1-0 per day for a six day week.


Clements charges were among the highest in the trade. In the use of his planing machine Clement it is known charged his clients 1½d per square inch or 18s per square foot which would have amounted to well over £10 per 12 hour day in earnings for Clement for simply the use of this particular machine.