The picture is an old bust of Queen Elizabeth 1st.
A well worn Queen Elizabethan Shilling dated 1566 found in Earith Fen.
It was found by John Wales in 1933 in North Halls field, Earith Fen.
How much was that worth in Elizabethan days:
- About three and a half days pay* for a Pikeman in the army. (* After some money had been taken off for his food.)
- 3 or 4 days for an unskilled labourer.
- Whereas a successful merchant could get up to £100,000 in a year! Remember that there were 20 shillings to a pound, so a Pikeman or labourer would have to work 571428 days to equal it – that is about 1565 years without a day off!
See next article: [4] John (Jack) Wales: Huntingdon Grammar School days
Or see first article in this series: [1] John (Jack) Wales: Earith early years, born 1925
