£.s.d. & degrees Fahrenheit: notes &
conversion tables
This website follows the usage of the day so far as units of measurement are concerned. All contemporary prices, therefore, are stated in £ s. d. and all temperatures are noted in degrees Fahrenheit; lengths and areas are measured in feet and inches.
So far as temperatures are concerned, a simple conversion table appears
below.
A second table converts the currency units, but this table equates old
and new units at the time of conversion in 1971, and shows, for example,
that one old shilling was converted to five new pence.
But it is important to note that no attempt has been made to equate
values. While it is immediately clear that a massage costing 5/- (five
shillings) in 1885 would cost far more than 25p today, it is a matter of
much controversy among historians as to the actual value today of 5/-
then.
But, for purposes of comparison, contemporary prices often appear on the
site when they are known. For example, the bathers in the Jermyn Street
Hammam, which in 1862 charged 3/6 for a Turkish bath, will have been
from a quite different class from those who frequented baths where the
charge was only 1/6 after six o'clock in the evening.
Those who wish to find out more about comparing prices on the site with
those of today should visit the
Measuring worth website which deals with
the subject comprehensively, as well as providing an online opportunity
to do your conversions—but it needs some preparatory study in its
excellent user guide to ensure that the results you get are appropriate
to your need.
Conversion tables
| Fahrenheit to Celsius | £.s.d. to decimal currency | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| °F | °C | °F | °C | Spoken of as: | s.d. | p. | |
| 100 | 37.8 | 170 | 76.7 | A penny | 1. | 0.42 | |
| 105 | 40.5 | 175 | 79.4 | 'Tuppence' | 2. | 0.83 | |
| 110 | 43.3 | 180 | 82.2 | 'Thruppence' | 3. | 1.75 | |
| 115 | 46.1 | 185 | 85.0 | Sixpence | 6. | 2.5 | |
| 120 | 48.9 | 190 | 87.8 | 9. | 3.25 | ||
| 125 | 51.7 | 195 | 90.5 | A shilling (12d.) | 1. 0. | 5 | |
| 130 | 54.4 | 200 | 93.3 | One and six | 1. 6. | 7.5 | |
| 135 | 57.2 | 205 | 96.1 | A florin; two bob | 2. 0. | 10 | |
| 140 | 60.0 | 210 | 98.9 | Half-a-crown | 2. 6. | 12.5 | |
| 145 | 62.8 | 215 | 101.7 | 3. 0. | 15 | ||
| 150 | 65.5 | 220 | 104.5 | 4. 0. | 20 | ||
| 155 | 68.3 | 225 | 107.3 | Five bob | 5. 0. | 25 | |
| 160 | 71.1 | 230 | 110.1 | Ten bob | 10. 0. | 50 | |
| 165 | 73.9 | 235 | 112.9 | Ten and six | 10. 6. | 52.5 | |
| 15. 0. | 75 | ||||||
| A pound; a quid | 20. 0. | 100 | |||||
| A guinea | 21. 0. | 105 | |||||
