Appendix 3

MONEY MATTERS

The value of money changed over the period. The average damages per decade, as awarded by a jury, when rebased to 2012 values using the Bank of England Inflation Calculator are as follows:

		£		£
1791-1800		292.86		28,044.27
1801-1810		640.59		48,684.94
1811-1820		1099.79		90,789.96
1821-1830		384.66		32,311.44
1831-1840		317.06		30,668.34
1841-1850		205.63		20,300.13
1851-1860		326.80		29,804.16
1861-1870		390.06		39,318.04
1871-1880		247.84		24,217.70
1881-1890*		271.22		29,852.90
1891-1900**		264.31		29,776.85
1901-1910		244.38		25,163.65
1911-1920		230.31		16,964.98

* Excludes Knowles, whose damages of £10,000 were overruled on appeal.

** Excludes Mavro and King, who both obtained £4,000 in 1900, through claims involving child maintenance and a wealthy man.

The rebasing has been calculated from the middle of the relevant decade.

Old Money

Damages in English breach of promise cases pre-date decimal currency. The former units of currency were Pounds (£), Shillings (s) and Pence (d).

£1 = 20 shillings

1s = 12 pence

A penny could be split into four. This coin, the farthing, was the smallest available.