Life in Elizabethan England Next

Elizabethan Angel

Money and Coinage

The Basics

All coins are silver or gold, including the pennies.



The basic denominations are pounds, shillings, and pence.

12 pence make a shilling
20 shillings make a pound

In writing, the abbreviation for:

penny is d
shilling is s
pound is £

The Coins In Your Pocket

A sovereign is a gold coin worth 1 pound (but try to think of it as 20 shillings). There is no coin called a "pound" until after 1583, although that is the basic monetary unit.


You would never say you owed somebody 6 angels. But you might say you gave your servant an angel to spend at the faire. To coerce someone's servant, you might suggest that the sweet voice of an angel would convince him.



Half-a-crown is worth 2 shillings 6 pence (sometimes expressed as "2 and 6").

The shilling is a silver coin worth 12d.

The sixpence is a silver coin worth six pence.

A groat is a silver coin worth 4 pence.


A coin worth 2 pence is called tuppence.
A half-penny is called a ha'-penny (not a ha'pence).


The guinea does not yet exist, and will not be minted till the late 17th century. Don't refer to it.




You probably think of ordinary, daily expenses in terms of shillings and pence. ("I lost 30 shillings last night at tables.")


Thirty pounds for a pair of gloves is highway robbery. But 30 shillings for a pair of gloves doesn't sound so bad, at least theatrically speaking. (Actually 7 shillings is closer to the truth, unless they are finely decorated.)



If you're buying information or a favor from anybody besides a servant use gifts instead of money. For servants--use money!

::  Greasing the Wheels
::  Paying the Servants

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25 March 2008 mps