Sue wrote:
> I don't know where this man (suspect the US) comes from - but I thought you > might like to share this from the Creswick and Clunes Advertiser, 11 > September 1865 = page 2 - spelling as in the paper! > > "Proverbs - preserved by Joshua Billings. -
> Bee charitable - three cent pieces were made on purpose.
* I think Sue supposes Joshua to be from America because of his reference to 'three cent pieces'. Whilst I have no evidence of where he did come from, he could easily have come across cents in use in Wiltshire at the time (1865). Whilst 3 cent pieces are an odd amount, and I suspect not in use widely in US either, there were coins of Queen Victoria in use in GB from at least 1857 in cents amounts.
The maths is a bit difficult, as it is a little inaccurate at times, but basically :
1 sterling pound equals 20 shillings, equals 2,000 cents (1857)
1 pound sterling equals 1,000 milles, so 1 mille equals 2 cents. (1854)
1 mille sometimes known as a 'decimal farthing', was almost equal to 1 sterling farthing.
1 shilling equals 100 cents (so they were called cents for a real reason !)
and 1 shilling equals 12 pence sterling, so one sterling penny was worth 8 and a bit cents.
This was an useless number, so, to be more accurate, the conversion used was :
1 shilling equals 48 farthings ( since 1 penny equals 4 fourthings), and this was rounded up to 50 !
If 1 shilling equals 50 farthings, and 1 shilling equals 100 cents, then 1 farthing equals 2 cents.
Coins were designed in values of :
1 cent = half a farthing (= 1 groat sometimes)
2 cents = 1 farthing
5 cents = 2 and a half farthings = half a 'decimal penny'
10 cents = 5 farthings = 1 'decimal penny' = one tenth of a shilling
100 milles (= 200 cents) = 1 florin (= 2 shillings) , known as 1 decade or 1 centum, or possibly 1 dime !
In 1961, over 100 years later, coins of 1,2,5,10,20, and 50 cents were assayed, but apparently not issued.
during Victoria's reign, many people issued 'token' coins, as did many employers, such as mine owners, cloth factory bosses, and some banks, and several of these tokens were in cents rather than sterling, but I cannot tell of any Wiltshire examples. Whatever their origin, coins of 3 cents would be worth about 1 and a half farthings, and possible only at the employer's shop, so perhaps they are rightly consigned to 'charity'.
Just in case anyone abroad is confused by British coins, we now use 100 new pence to the pound sterling, since about 1961, and coins are (or were) of half, 1,2,5,10,20,25,50 pence, 1,2,5,pounds, and notes (bills) of 1,5,10,20,50 pounds.
before 1961 we used :
1 pound sterling equals 20 shillings
1 shilling equals 12 pence
1 penny equals 4 farthings (fourthings, or quarters)
and coins were generally used in these values :
1 farthing, 1 halfpenny, 1 penny, 3 halfpence, twopences(Maundy money mainly), 3 pence(thrupenny bits), fourpences (groats too), sixpences (bobs or tanners), eightpences (1913), ninepences (1812), tenpences ('1 franc', 1867), 1 shilling (12 pence), 18 pences, 2 shillings (florins), 2 and a half shillings (half-crown), 3 shillings (1810-20), 4 shillings (double florins, 1887-1950), 5 shillings (crown), 10 shillings (sovereigns), and guineas (21 shillings). Besides these 'standard' coins in the hand, at certain times we were also inflicted with 'Pieces of Eight', and even Dollars, worth approximately 4 shillings and ninepence to 5 shillings and sixpence, depending on the year. No wonder we went decimal in 1961 with all those coins to contend with ! Unfortunately, the Royal Mint re-started issuing 'Crowns', worth 25 new pence, in 1972, and 'Crowns' worth 5 pounds in 1990, and now we are supposed to start having Euros too.
> It costs more to borry than it does to buy !
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