The Literacy of Lenders and Debtors, according to Signatures on Loan Contracts, 1730–1789
| . | 1730–39 . | 1740–49 . | 1750–49 . | 1760–69 . | 1770–79 . | 1780–89 . | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | |
| Debtors | 79 | 60.3 | 115 | 64.2 | 130 | 67 | 157 | 75.8 | 221 | 78.9 | 390 | 82.6 |
| Creditors | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 75 | 38.6 | 144 | 69.5 | 194 | 69.2 | 357 | 75.6 |
| Both debtor(s) and creditor(s) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 54 | 27.8 | 115 | 55.5 | 152 | 54.3 | 303 | 64.2 |
| . | 1730–39 . | 1740–49 . | 1750–49 . | 1760–69 . | 1770–79 . | 1780–89 . | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | n . | % . | |
| Debtors | 79 | 60.3 | 115 | 64.2 | 130 | 67 | 157 | 75.8 | 221 | 78.9 | 390 | 82.6 |
| Creditors | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 75 | 38.6 | 144 | 69.5 | 194 | 69.2 | 357 | 75.6 |
| Both debtor(s) and creditor(s) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 54 | 27.8 | 115 | 55.5 | 152 | 54.3 | 303 | 64.2 |
note Percentages for creditors are not available for the first two periods of the sample because creditors’ signatures did not appear on contracts before the mid-1750s. Moreover, a number of creditors had proxies sign for them.