Genealogy Chat

Hi all,

Just wondering if someone can please confirm what d means in the British currency?

In looking up some probate records I can work out the pounds symbol, and assume s = shillings but not sure what the d means.

Thanks

"d" stood for old pence (before decimalisation - although I'm not sure where the "d" comes from).

Kath. x

Wikipedia

"The symbol for the shilling was "s"—not from the first letter of the word, but from the Latin solidus. The symbol for the penny was "d", from the French denier, from the Latin denarius (the solidus and denarius were Roman coins)."

and

"The £ is written with a single cross-bar—this is the style used on sterling bank notes. The pound sign derives from the black-letter "L", an abbreviation of Librae in Roman £sd units (librae, solidi, denarii) used for pounds, shillings and pence in the British pre-decimal currency system. Libra was the basic Roman unit of weight, derived from the Latin word for scales or balance."

From Wikepedia online...

From Wikipedia,

£sd (sometimes pronounced, and occasionally written, L.s.d.) was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies (sterling) used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom and ultimately in much of the British Empire.
This abbreviation meant "pounds, shillings, and pence", and was usually pronounced that way, having originated from the Latin words "librae, solidi, denarii

Thanks everyone

Oh, how I remember my early education in England, having to add up columns of pounds/shilling/pence ( L/s/d). What was it? 12 pence per shilling/ 20 shillings per pound. It was one of the good things about emigrating to Canada where it was simply 100 cents to a dollar.

Don't forget the fractions Margaret.....

We were always given money sums that included farthings, three farthings or halfpennies.

Gwyn

I remember saving up 12d to buy a little toy wristwatch I had seen in the shop window. It took me about a month If I remember. It was before I started school so I would have been about 4.

Cost today would have been around £1 today but would have seemed more like £3 does now to my mum at the time as wages were only around 1/3 of what they are today.

Oh, how I remember decimalisation day in February 1971. We all had conversion tables taped to the side of the desk top, ( as in top of desk, not a computer!) and spent the day converting all the accounts, invoices, quotations etc, to the 'new' currency. We never thought we would get used to it.

Was that really almost 40 years ago!

Elisabeth

This has made me feel old!! :-(

All those pre-decimal sums - not only money but weights and measures as well - were so good for our mental arithmetic! Do they have such oral exercises in primary classes these days?

RobG...I was going to say exactly the same.


Sixpence....threepenny bit.....half a crown..........florin...or two bob piece...........I found a £1 note when clearing some out the other day!


I had just had my first child when the new currency was introduced. A friend called, held out his hand with the new coins on it and said..."look at this Mickey Mouse money"!

Well, Mickey Mouse or not....it's outlived him!

decimalisation day...........

rippoff day. when the cost of many items was actually rounded UP to the nearest new P

when a 9d bounty bar went up to the equivalent of10d

rip off day indeed - and if we ever go to the Euro no doubt the same thing will happen again - rip off Britain!!!!

it affected more than just cash - bunches of flowers which were always sold in dozens suddenly became bunches of ten!!! as did many other items

Oh yes I recall the day that our currency was stolen from us!!I felt and still do that it was a complete con and that the public views were ignored. were ignored. I have not found one benefit.

I have kept sets of the real coinage system and as my grandchildren mature I shall give them their own set to keep and pass down the family.

Ok I have said my piece

Bridget