When Oliver Cromwell's British forces invaded Ireland in the 1650s, a slight problem emerged: how to partition the spoils among the victors or, more precisely, what were the spoils? The task of surveying Ireland and assessing its riches was given to a physician which had accompanied the British army, Sir William Petty. Thus, the first "econometrician" was born.
Petty's work on Ireland is found in his 1672 Political Anatomy of the country. A pupil of Hobbes, Petty was a Mercantilist in his policies, but one can find rudiments of the labor theory of value. He was particularly influential upon Davenant and Locke.
Major Works of Sir William Petty
Resources on William Petty