Thanks Tim, That makes perfect sense now. I worked on a ship for 14
years and we measured lengths in fathoms and shots, a shot being 15 fathoms
and a fathom being 6 feet. What the heck is a stone (for weight) a a cwt
for weight? I've heard Brits use stone for weight. Do they still use
hundredweight?
-Bill in Tehachapi, now understanding why grandpa moved here from
Burkenhead, England
--- On Sat, 10/24/09, KingsCreekTrees@aol.com <KingsCreekTrees@aol.com>
wrote:
From: KingsCreekTrees@aol.com <KingsCreekTrees@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [TR] Brit Money Definition
To: wsb1960tr3a@att.net, triumphs@autox.team.net
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009, 6:11 PM
Right. Here we go with the big monetary explanation:
Britain went to
decimalised currency in 1970. Thereafter, there was only
pounds and pence (or
pennies). 100 pence to a pound.
Prior to this, Britain's currency was a far
easier system that everyone
could understand, especially overseas tourists:
Four farthings to a penny.
Two halfpennies (but pronounced "Hay penny") to a
penny.
12 pennies to a shilling ("bob" is slang for shilling)
Two sixpences (a
coin known as a "Tanner") to a shilling
five shillings to a Crown.
20
shillings to a pound ("quid" is slang for a pound)
21 shillings to a guinea.
Items were priced thus: 5/- That means five shillings (commonly
referred to
as 'five bob')
5/ 6 1/2d That means five
shillings, sixpence hay-penny.
Naturally, this system aided cashiers
throughout the country when making
change, especially as cashiers did not
have the machines that told them how much
change they should give. So, if for
example you bought something for twelve
shillings and five pence hay penny
and you gave the cashier 15 bob, how much
change would you expect?
The
answer, of course, is two shillings, sixpence hay penny. But you knew
that,
didn't you? See what a marvellously simple system this is? In fact, so
simple
is it that I once followed by grandfather into a store in 1971, where he
purchased an item for 62 pence. His immediate reaction was "What's that in Old
Money?" Can anyone guess???? Fingers on buzzers: It's 11 shillings
exactly.
Now that you know everything about Britain's earlier monetary system, you
can
all play fun games with working out change and asking each other how much
certain things cost. Off you go then.
Tim
Tim Dyer,
Proprietor
Kings Creek Trees and Ornamentals
427 Kings Creek Road,
RR3
Ashton, Ontario, K0A 1B0, Canada
Phone/fax: 613 253 4126 Website: www.kingscreektrees.com
Proud
member of Landscape Ontario (the Ontario association of Horticulture
Industry
professionals), the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association and
Christmas Tree
Farmers of Ontario
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