@DarkSheepArts Apologies for that side question: could a shilling be subdivided then, i.e., were there coins smaller in value than a shilling, and used for day-to-day payments? I'm thinking paying for a meal or even just a drink in an inn, for instance.
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Albert ARIBAUD ✎ (aaribaud@mastodon.art)'s status on Thursday, 31-Oct-2024 22:46:11 JST Albert ARIBAUD ✎ -
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Dark Sheep Arts (darksheeparts@mastodon.art)'s status on Thursday, 31-Oct-2024 23:40:02 JST Dark Sheep Arts @aaribaud
Hello mate - so, there were 12 pennies in a shilling, and 20 shillings in a pound.Half pennies were a common smaller denomination for buying every day things but there were even smaller coins, but I haven't really studied them because I looked mostly at monthly and weekly wages.
To complicate it, there were also other coins in circulation with their own values like Angels, Pistols and Guineas, but again, I'm not 100% up in their values.
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Dark Sheep Arts (darksheeparts@mastodon.art)'s status on Thursday, 31-Oct-2024 23:41:27 JST Dark Sheep Arts @aaribaud
And for further context, in the period I studied most closely (late 1500s London) a day labourer would earn about 6 pennies, so 2 shillings in an afternoon (an average rate for a craftsman who didn't own his own business) was about the going rate. -
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Albert ARIBAUD ✎ (aaribaud@mastodon.art)'s status on Friday, 01-Nov-2024 00:07:34 JST Albert ARIBAUD ✎ @DarkSheepArts I am lost now. 12 pennies to a shilling, but 6 pennies is 2 shillings?
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Dark Sheep Arts (darksheeparts@mastodon.art)'s status on Friday, 01-Nov-2024 00:09:44 JST Dark Sheep Arts @aaribaud
Six pennies is half a shilling, so if one person earns 6 pennies in a week, and another person earns 2 shillings in a day, they're earning the poorer persons weekly wage in half single day.(Apologies, it is indeed very confusing!)
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Dark Sheep Arts (darksheeparts@mastodon.art)'s status on Friday, 01-Nov-2024 00:10:23 JST Dark Sheep Arts @aaribaud
Just realised I left out the bit about it being 6 pennies a week in the original post - apologies! -
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Albert ARIBAUD ✎ (aaribaud@mastodon.art)'s status on Friday, 01-Nov-2024 00:16:17 JST Albert ARIBAUD ✎ @DarkSheepArts
It's clear now, thanks a lot!
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