Source: Red Coat and Brown Bess. Museum Restoration Service, Bloomfield, Ontario. 1970. Anthony Darling. p. 9.
"The wages of a private in a foot regiment amounted to 8 pence a day, but 25% was requisitioned for clothing and 5% went to the Paymaster-General to cover the cost of administrative services." Paymaster-General deductions, such as the ones mentioned above were called: off-reckonings.
Uncle Piper-Bill, how much will they pay me?
British currency 200 years ago - then and now
Mike,
I know that since the Napoleonic period the British currency system has undergone an overhaul. I had it explained to me years ago and the conclusion we came to was that it was about $0.10 a day. However, it's a great question and perhaps between the two of us we can research the issue and come to a better, more recent, conclusion.
Cheers,
Pud
I know that since the Napoleonic period the British currency system has undergone an overhaul. I had it explained to me years ago and the conclusion we came to was that it was about $0.10 a day. However, it's a great question and perhaps between the two of us we can research the issue and come to a better, more recent, conclusion.
Cheers,
Pud
A Soldier's Pay
OK.
Regarding a soldier’s earning power back in 1812, this is what I’ve learned:
In 1971 the British currency system was changed to a decimal system. Therefore, there are now 100 pence in one British Pound.
A Pound is actually officially known as a Pound-Sterling. In the old system of British currency (the one during Napoleonic times) a penny was also called a pence, but only when more than one penny was present. They were made of copper.
Originally there were:
12 pence in 1 shilling and
20 shillings in 1 Pound
Therefore, there were actually 240 pence in 1 Pound compared to 100 pence per Pound today.
One-quarter of a Pound was known as a Crown.
A Pound came in two forms:
- A paper bill, called a Note and or
- A gold coin, called a Sovereign
With this knowledge we can calculate that “8 pence a day†back then is the same value as “3.33 pence a day†today.
Looking at today’s actual exchange rate: 1 Pound equals $2.1154 Canadian. Therefore, 8 pence a day in 1812 was like $0.07 cents Canadian value today! However,…
Let’s get some real perspective on these facts and figures;
A ‘breadmaker’ in 1795, in Britain, made 5.14 pence per day. A ‘soldier’, thankfully, made more at 8.0 pence a day during the same year.
Sources indicate that ‘bread’, in Britain in 1795, cost 12 pence per gallon. A gallon of bread was actually 8.7 pounds in weight. Therefore, 8 pence would have bought 5.8 pounds (weight) of bread. That’s only 4 loaves of bread by today’s bread packaging standards!
If you were earning minimum wage today in Canada you would earn about $55.00 per day. That’s about $41.00 take-home per day. Therefore, today, you’d be able to buy about 22 loaves of bread with your take-home earnings compared to only 4 loaves of bread for those poor sods back then (and that’s even before their deductions!).
Enough of my statistical drivel: What it means, is that if the common soldier were living, and earning, amongst us today he’d be getting $7.58 Canadian per day (before deductions). Poor wretch!
So, there you have it.
Cheers,
Pud
Regarding a soldier’s earning power back in 1812, this is what I’ve learned:
In 1971 the British currency system was changed to a decimal system. Therefore, there are now 100 pence in one British Pound.
A Pound is actually officially known as a Pound-Sterling. In the old system of British currency (the one during Napoleonic times) a penny was also called a pence, but only when more than one penny was present. They were made of copper.
Originally there were:
12 pence in 1 shilling and
20 shillings in 1 Pound
Therefore, there were actually 240 pence in 1 Pound compared to 100 pence per Pound today.
One-quarter of a Pound was known as a Crown.
A Pound came in two forms:
- A paper bill, called a Note and or
- A gold coin, called a Sovereign
With this knowledge we can calculate that “8 pence a day†back then is the same value as “3.33 pence a day†today.
Looking at today’s actual exchange rate: 1 Pound equals $2.1154 Canadian. Therefore, 8 pence a day in 1812 was like $0.07 cents Canadian value today! However,…
Let’s get some real perspective on these facts and figures;
A ‘breadmaker’ in 1795, in Britain, made 5.14 pence per day. A ‘soldier’, thankfully, made more at 8.0 pence a day during the same year.
Sources indicate that ‘bread’, in Britain in 1795, cost 12 pence per gallon. A gallon of bread was actually 8.7 pounds in weight. Therefore, 8 pence would have bought 5.8 pounds (weight) of bread. That’s only 4 loaves of bread by today’s bread packaging standards!
If you were earning minimum wage today in Canada you would earn about $55.00 per day. That’s about $41.00 take-home per day. Therefore, today, you’d be able to buy about 22 loaves of bread with your take-home earnings compared to only 4 loaves of bread for those poor sods back then (and that’s even before their deductions!).
Enough of my statistical drivel: What it means, is that if the common soldier were living, and earning, amongst us today he’d be getting $7.58 Canadian per day (before deductions). Poor wretch!
So, there you have it.
Cheers,
Pud