THE VALUE OF MONEY
Money, and the lack of it, plays an enormous role in De Quincey’s story. There are at least five different ways of computing the relative value of the pound. Below is a table based on the retail price index, which measures what goods and services would have cost in De Quincey’s lifetime, compared with what we would pay now, and which provides one of the best ways of assessing the vicissitudes of his financial situation. For complete details, see the Economic History Services website: www.eh.net.
Shillings |
Pounds | ||
| 1780 | 2008 | 1780 | 2008 |
| 1S | £5.34 | £1 | £106.71 |
| 1790 | 1790 | ||
| 1S | £4.84 | £1 | £97.15 |
| 1800 | 1800 | ||
| 1S | £2.70 | £1 | £54.09 |
| 1810 | 1810 | ||
| 1S | £2.82 | £1 | £56.49 |
| 1820 | 1820 | ||
| 1S | £3.37 | £1 | £67.31 |
| 1830 | 1830 | ||
| 1S | £3.80 | £1 | £75.94 |
| 1840 | 1840 | ||
| 1S | £3.56 | £1 | £71.17 |
| 1850 | 1850 | ||
| 1S | £4.28 | £1 | £85.64 |