Death Cloud

A Note about Money

Money in England in the 1860s was not like the money we have now. These days we use the decimal system, which was introduced in 1971, and there are a hundred pence to the pound. Back then, there were 240 pence to the pound, not 100. All the way through this book I’ve used the proper terms in use at the time — farthings, sovereigns, shillings, and so on. In case you are interested, the conversion works out like this:

1 farthing = 0.1 pence

1 halfpenny = 0.2 pence

1 penny = 0.4 pence

Tuppence (two pence) = 0.8 pence

Thruppence (three pence) = 1.2 pence

One shilling (12 pence) = 5 pence

Half a crown = 12.5 pence

A crown = 25 pence

Half sovereign = 50 pence

A sovereign = 1 pound (£1)

A guinea (one sovereign and one shilling) = 1 pound and 5 pence (£1.05)