Facts of Life - distances, costs, etc
Facts of Life
Place for bits of data.
At the moment I'm also putting Regency info here. One day I'll have a Rogues World wiki too.
There is also an upper class estates page.
Distance/travel
From Wikipedia article on William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield:
1718 "The distance from Perth to London was around 400 miles (640 km), and the journey took Murray 54 days."
1787, Boswell hurries from London to Auchinleck 60 hours.
1781, Edinburgh to Auckinleck in a day.
1764, 9th Dec, a Sunday, Franklin "I am going ashore at Portsmouth, and hope to be in London on Tuesday Morning.
(where I arrived on Monday Evening in about 30 Days from Philadelphia)
(You wonder how I did to travel 72 Miles in a short winter Day...But the Roads here are so good, with Post Chaises and fresh Horses every ten or twelve Miles, that it is no difficult Matter. A Lady that I know has come from Edinburgh to London, being 400 Miles, in three Days and half.)"
Money
I'm using English forms:
L=pound as I don't have the pound sign on my keyboard. It's quite authentic as they did that in print in the 18th century.
s=shilling, There were 20 shillings to a pound.
d=penny. 12 pennies to a shilling.
Place for bits of data.
At the moment I'm also putting Regency info here. One day I'll have a Rogues World wiki too.
There is also an upper class estates page.
Distance/travel
From Wikipedia article on William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield:
1718 "The distance from Perth to London was around 400 miles (640 km), and the journey took Murray 54 days."
1787, Boswell hurries from London to Auchinleck 60 hours.
1781, Edinburgh to Auckinleck in a day.
1764, 9th Dec, a Sunday, Franklin "I am going ashore at Portsmouth, and hope to be in London on Tuesday Morning.
(where I arrived on Monday Evening in about 30 Days from Philadelphia)
(You wonder how I did to travel 72 Miles in a short winter Day...But the Roads here are so good, with Post Chaises and fresh Horses every ten or twelve Miles, that it is no difficult Matter. A Lady that I know has come from Edinburgh to London, being 400 Miles, in three Days and half.)"
Money
I'm using English forms:
L=pound as I don't have the pound sign on my keyboard. It's quite authentic as they did that in print in the 18th century.
s=shilling, There were 20 shillings to a pound.
d=penny. 12 pennies to a shilling.
There were also halfpennies (pronounced haypenny) and farthings, which were a quarter of a penny.
Also other coins I'll put in later.
Most prices were in guineas, as there was a guinea coin but no pound coin. The guinea, varied a bit, but can be considered to be 21s.
From Old Bailey, "indicted for stealing 8 guineas, 4 half guineas, 9 quarter guineas, one 36 s. piece, and 16 s. and 8 d. in money"
Wages and incomes
1752, Day wages of a mason 12s (c 200L a year, though he wouldn't nec. work all available days.)
1774, Duke of Grafton's income, 18,000L a year.
A gaming club owner lived on retirement income of 50 gns a year. (Eclipse)
Residence
1760? (not sure of date.) 2d a night for a cheap bed in a cheap London lodging house.
1/4 for a cheap furnished room in London.
1764, Boswell paid 40L per annum for his lodgings.
20 gns a week for a house in Pall Mall. 1760s. From Casanova. 4 floors, each with two rooms.
Doesn't need surety if he retains the housekeeper and pays in advance.
Land -- from Grosley
Kentish hop gardens let for 4gns pa an acre
Kitchen garden near London 15 gns pa an acre
Chiswick (6 miles up the Thames from London) half an acre and ramshackle house -- 15 gns pa
Also other coins I'll put in later.
Most prices were in guineas, as there was a guinea coin but no pound coin. The guinea, varied a bit, but can be considered to be 21s.
From Old Bailey, "indicted for stealing 8 guineas, 4 half guineas, 9 quarter guineas, one 36 s. piece, and 16 s. and 8 d. in money"
Wages and incomes
1752, Day wages of a mason 12s (c 200L a year, though he wouldn't nec. work all available days.)
1774, Duke of Grafton's income, 18,000L a year.
A gaming club owner lived on retirement income of 50 gns a year. (Eclipse)
Residence
1760? (not sure of date.) 2d a night for a cheap bed in a cheap London lodging house.
1/4 for a cheap furnished room in London.
1764, Boswell paid 40L per annum for his lodgings.
20 gns a week for a house in Pall Mall. 1760s. From Casanova. 4 floors, each with two rooms.
Doesn't need surety if he retains the housekeeper and pays in advance.
Land -- from Grosley
Kentish hop gardens let for 4gns pa an acre
Kitchen garden near London 15 gns pa an acre
Chiswick (6 miles up the Thames from London) half an acre and ramshackle house -- 15 gns pa
Naval prize money
1762, the Capture of the Havannah was a prize of 516,185 pounds
Costs from the Old Bailey on line
"stealing three gold rings, value 4 s. one silk girdle, value 2 s. one silk handkerchief, value 4 d. one crape hatband, value 2 d. a pair of men's shoes, value 2 s. a pair of worsted hose, value 6 d. and one linen shirt, value 12 d."
"indicted for stealing a jointer plane, value 4 s. a hand-saw, value 2 s. and a pannel-saw, value 2 s."
"a pair of linen sheets, value 5 s. two pillow-bears, value 2 s. two pillows, value 2 s. two stuff curtains, value 10 s. three woollen blankets, value 6 s."
"one copper fish pan, value 2 s. four brass fish-pans, value 20 s. and three dozen of jelly-glasses, value 20 s."
"a watch, the outside case shagreen, the box metal, value 20 s. one metal watch-chain and trinkets, value 5 s. one garnet ring set in gold, value 5 s. one red coloured ring set in go ld, one chrystal stone ring set in gold, one breast-buckle, one pair of paste shoe-buckles, a pair of stays, a dimity petticoat, a silk handkerchiefs, a linen sheet, a pair of worsted stockings, and a pair of cotton hose."
1762, the Capture of the Havannah was a prize of 516,185 pounds
Costs from the Old Bailey on line
"stealing three gold rings, value 4 s. one silk girdle, value 2 s. one silk handkerchief, value 4 d. one crape hatband, value 2 d. a pair of men's shoes, value 2 s. a pair of worsted hose, value 6 d. and one linen shirt, value 12 d."
"indicted for stealing a jointer plane, value 4 s. a hand-saw, value 2 s. and a pannel-saw, value 2 s."
"a pair of linen sheets, value 5 s. two pillow-bears, value 2 s. two pillows, value 2 s. two stuff curtains, value 10 s. three woollen blankets, value 6 s."
"one copper fish pan, value 2 s. four brass fish-pans, value 20 s. and three dozen of jelly-glasses, value 20 s."
"a watch, the outside case shagreen, the box metal, value 20 s. one metal watch-chain and trinkets, value 5 s. one garnet ring set in gold, value 5 s. one red coloured ring set in go ld, one chrystal stone ring set in gold, one breast-buckle, one pair of paste shoe-buckles, a pair of stays, a dimity petticoat, a silk handkerchiefs, a linen sheet, a pair of worsted stockings, and a pair of cotton hose."