Genealogy Chat

How much was a sovereign? Am i right in thinking it was worth £1. Germaine x

I believe it was one pound. Dea x

You are right 20 shillings.

Ann, I momentarily thought that too - BUT a sovereign is different to a guinea. You are correct a guinee is 21 shillings, but a sovereign was £1 - i.e. 20 shillings. Dea Xxx

Ah thanks I knew what a guinea was worth but not sure of a sovereign. Someone has just found some info for me my G G Grandmother. Was in court accused of 2 cases of larceny. Had the court cost for both cases almost £14 then now (2005) £880.07. She stole a sovereign and 2 shillings then now £69.40. She also got 6 month which I think was for each case. A bit harsh by todays standards. Now if only I could find her sons birth not sure if he was born while or after her prison sentence. The plot thickens. Oh this could make a good story with a bit of imagination.LOL Germaine x

lol Ann 1 shilling in those days was a lot of money would have added another month on her sentence. -o))) Germaine x

Ann, Don't worry - Unfortunately, I am just old enough NOT to have to google for this answer - I can actually remember. Lol, Dea x

Also don't forget that whilst £1 then in purchasing terms was the equivalent of about £70 today, average earnings were about ten times less. So in tems of earnings, £1 in the mid 1800's was the equivalent to about £700 today.

a soverign is still today legal tender and only worth a pound, the gold content makes it worth more, so you would be stupid to spend it, the SAS always carry several soverigns with them to use as barter in case of capture.