Not Many Wise

[10] Elizabethan Shilling found in Earith

Article was written by:

John (Jack) Wales

Born in 1925, at 16 (1941) he joined the local Earith Home Guard and then joined the Black Watch in 1943.

Earith village history

See all the articles in this category:

[1] John (Jack) Wales: Earith early years, born 1925
[2] 1930’s school playground
[3] Outside play in 1930′s Earith
[4] 1930’s Earith getting to school and learning about farming
[5] Old bridges at Earith
[6] At school in 1930’s Earith
[7] 1934 Earith The Bunny Fellowship
[8] 1930’s Earith Annaul Parade for Cottage Hospital
[9] Earith 1930’s early school days
[10] Elizabethan Shilling found in Earith
[11] Huntingdon Grammar School days
[12] Evocative walk Earith British School and Chapel Lane
[13] Evocative walk; 1930’s Pubs in Earith
[14] Albert Maile’s Garage Earith
[15] Evocative walk, Bridge End and Earith High Street
[16] Evocative Earith walk; graves and rolling in the aisle
[17] Earith British School 1930’s
[18] Evocative walk; Earith skating to other places
[19] Earith evocative walk; Discipline and gardens
[20] Evocative walk; Earith farming 1930’s and earlier
[21] Earith cows, calves and milk
[22] Earith 1930’s gravel, silage and crows
[23] Earith National fishing attraction
[24] Earith Bonfire and fireworks – before health and safety!
[25] Cycling through localised Earith flooding
[26] Earith WW2 and evacuees
[27] Earith parades 1936 to 1960
[28] War preparations and Soldiers from Dunkirk
[29] Skating on Little Fen, Earith and a plane crash
[30] War years 1941 – June 1943
[31] Fancy dress in Earith 1950’s
[32] Earith School Concert 1912

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Earith village history
Queen Elizabeth bust.
By Peter Reason licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

A well-worn Queen Elizabethan Shilling dated 1566 found in Earith Fen.

A very worn Elizabethan shilling showing both sides.
A very worn Elizabethan shilling showing both sides. By Peter Reason licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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: [11] Huntingdon Grammar School days
Or see the first article in this series: [1] Earith early years

See all the articles in this category:

[1] John (Jack) Wales: Earith early years, born 1925
[2] 1930’s school playground
[3] Outside play in 1930′s Earith
[4] 1930’s Earith getting to school and learning about farming
[5] Old bridges at Earith
[6] At school in 1930’s Earith
[7] 1934 Earith The Bunny Fellowship
[8] 1930’s Earith Annaul Parade for Cottage Hospital
[9] Earith 1930’s early school days
[10] Elizabethan Shilling found in Earith
[11] Huntingdon Grammar School days
[12] Evocative walk Earith British School and Chapel Lane
[13] Evocative walk; 1930’s Pubs in Earith
[14] Albert Maile’s Garage Earith
[15] Evocative walk, Bridge End and Earith High Street
[16] Evocative Earith walk; graves and rolling in the aisle
[17] Earith British School 1930’s
[18] Evocative walk; Earith skating to other places
[19] Earith evocative walk; Discipline and gardens
[20] Evocative walk; Earith farming 1930’s and earlier
[21] Earith cows, calves and milk
[22] Earith 1930’s gravel, silage and crows
[23] Earith National fishing attraction
[24] Earith Bonfire and fireworks – before health and safety!
[25] Cycling through localised Earith flooding
[26] Earith WW2 and evacuees
[27] Earith parades 1936 to 1960
[28] War preparations and Soldiers from Dunkirk
[29] Skating on Little Fen, Earith and a plane crash
[30] War years 1941 – June 1943
[31] Fancy dress in Earith 1950’s
[32] Earith School Concert 1912

All article categories:

Article first published:

John (Jack) Wales