tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post4728852448787917124..comments2024-03-12T07:11:33.877+00:00Comments on Regency History: How much did a ticket to a Regency ball really cost?Rachel Knowleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14058142939706153724noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-40665732925959130572018-08-27T17:22:12.618+01:002018-08-27T17:22:12.618+01:00Jan has made an important point here. The decimal ...Jan has made an important point here. The decimal system meant that a shilling (12 pence) is only divisible by 2 or 5. The old duo-decimal system (12 pence to the shilling) was easier to work out because sums were divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. 2/6 (two shillings and sixpence)was one eighth of a pound (20 shillings). 6/8 (six shillings and eight pence) was a third of a pound; 3/4 was a sixth of a pound and so on. It was very neat. Everyone became very good at mental arithmetic! <br /><br />And, of course, shillings and pence were what one usually paid. Even farthings and ha'pennies (one penny was worth 4 farthings)could buy you something. If, in Regency times, a working agricultural man would be lucky to earn 10 shillings a week, you can see that having 12 pennies per shilling made the maths easier to do. <br /><br />And another small class indicator point about guineas. Gentlemen were charged in guineas £1.1.0 - those who weren't gentlemen were charged in pounds. £1. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16949657441934825128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-11033153025326566272017-07-29T00:09:06.727+01:002017-07-29T00:09:06.727+01:00Also, a guinea being 21 shillings, makes the Balls...Also, a guinea being 21 shillings, makes the Balls price of 14 shillings much more logical, because it is two-thirds the price. Jan Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00471022034388834235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-8964522483314262972017-01-25T10:03:09.508+00:002017-01-25T10:03:09.508+00:00If you compare this with say theatre, cinema or co...If you compare this with say theatre, cinema or concert prices today a subscription seems fairly reasonable. Afternoon tea in a tourist type hotel will set you back a bit too. Bath prices were much the same as for Leamington. The prices were set to what the market would bear I suppose and in the case of Leamington to recoup the expensive building costs incurred in this New Town!Jacqui Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17379807010356268176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-12268189992364915072014-04-05T23:25:50.904+01:002014-04-05T23:25:50.904+01:00I''m so glad that you found the blog point...I''m so glad that you found the blog pointed you in the right direction. The relative value of money is a fascinating subject.Rachel Knowleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14058142939706153724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-47047840575826441862014-04-03T18:40:18.052+01:002014-04-03T18:40:18.052+01:00An excellent and most useful article. I ended up ...An excellent and most useful article. I ended up here because I was trying to get some idea of the value of the 25 Guineas that Mis Havisham gives to Joe Gargery for Pip's apprenticeship in 1814. It seems to work out to around 6 months wages for a school teacher. The current entry level salary for teachers in the UK is almost exactly £16,000, so this would have been a most generous £8,000 gift to Mrs Joe for her raising her orphaned brother "by hand".<br /><br />Thanks for the help. Pluschaphttp://www.morningstarrealty.usnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-59404633111571717952014-03-19T10:36:43.101+00:002014-03-19T10:36:43.101+00:00This is a classic example of where prices have gon...This is a classic example of where prices have gone up disproportionately compared to people's ability to buy. Taking into account average earnings helps to make more sense of past prices. Sounds like your 1958 suit was 'relatively' cheap!Rachel Knowleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14058142939706153724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-34144583062008915302014-03-18T00:00:26.687+00:002014-03-18T00:00:26.687+00:00When I married for the first time back in 1958 the...When I married for the first time back in 1958 the tailor made suit for the occasion set me back 53 guineas (£55 13s 0d) which was around 3 weeks minimum weekly wage for a male aged 21. The same suit these days would set me back anywhere from $A3500 to $A4500 however the minimum weekly wage for a male aged 21 is nowhere near $A1200 + . I suppose everything is just relative ( whatever that means it's an expression I hear bandied about quite often) :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-26167870672329677782014-03-17T18:17:26.760+00:002014-03-17T18:17:26.760+00:00Thanks for this information, Mike. :)Thanks for this information, Mike. :)Rachel Knowleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14058142939706153724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-61139561911770956582014-03-17T12:13:56.414+00:002014-03-17T12:13:56.414+00:00The gold for guineas originally came from Guinea -...The gold for guineas originally came from Guinea - hence the name. It was intended to be used as a one pound coin but the Mint discovered that the gold was purer than anticipated, so they marked the coin up by 5% ie to make it 21 shillings.<br />The "Spade guinea" was the main gold coin in the latter part of the 18th Century (together with its multiples of two and five guineas, and its fractions eg half guinea). All that changed when the entire coinage was re-jigged in the Regency period and the pound of twenty shillings came back into prominence.Mike Rendellhttp://mikerendell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-73660398944789045782012-12-10T04:55:23.678+00:002012-12-10T04:55:23.678+00:00When I first started work in London in 1950 I was ...When I first started work in London in 1950 I was paid £2-10-0d per week from which was deducted 2/10½d for National Health. I was below the minimum tax bracket so I was tax free. My nett wage was therefore £2-7-1½d which believe it or not was quite a high wage for a boy of my age at the time.<br /><br />So it seems that from the early 1800's to the mid 20th century wages didn't rise all that much, but have since sky rocketed.<br /><br />What memories the old LSD brings back, the money not the other stuff :oAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-48099297713923862802012-07-19T14:18:18.334+01:002012-07-19T14:18:18.334+01:00how wonderful of you to post such useful info.
Tha...how wonderful of you to post such useful info.<br />Thank you.Cerise DeLandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11964518502483682417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-58546594217097739172012-04-19T14:48:52.504+01:002012-04-19T14:48:52.504+01:00Wonderfully helpful! thank you!Wonderfully helpful! thank you!Elisa Beattyhttp://elisabeatty.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-12333403616767157852012-03-11T22:00:32.575+00:002012-03-11T22:00:32.575+00:00Thanks very much. Initially, I just set out to dis...Thanks very much. Initially, I just set out to discover what a guinea was and became fascinated with the whole idea of calculating what the Regency balls would cost in today's money.Rachel Knowleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14058142939706153724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-42757222704898511682012-03-11T01:51:00.835+00:002012-03-11T01:51:00.835+00:00Thank you for a very informative and interesting a...Thank you for a very informative and interesting article!Carolynn Careyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17094582182855105894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196124033481143515.post-37603926450129803502012-03-11T01:49:15.766+00:002012-03-11T01:49:15.766+00:00Very interesting and well explained. Thank you so ...Very interesting and well explained. Thank you so much!Gillian Laynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15772849187702478349noreply@blogger.com