Value of a £25 pa legacy in 1911

[Feen]

Hiya |wave|,

this is probably a difficult one to answer, but I obtained a copy of a Will lately which specified a legacy of £25 per year for a housemaid.

Does anyone know how far £25 would have gone in 1911? What it would have been relative to an average salary for a housemaid in London? Really I suppose what I'm getting at is, was £25 per year a decent whack in those days to leave a maid who'd worked for the deceased lady for over 10 years..... or not?

Grateful for any info!

Feen

[Procat]

Hi Feen,

There are a number of places on the web where you can get the sort of comparisons. Try a google.

See for example

projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/arian/current/howmuch.html

[Procat]

I just found this site (http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/C/countryhouse/edwardianlife/servants_wages.html) which has wages in a country house in 1905.

A check of the Times Digital archive for servants wanted for 1911 has a number of adds. e.g.

HOUSE-PARLOURMAID (housemaid kept) REQUIRED at once for a flat near Regent's Park; age 23 - 30; Protestant; two in family and two children, three servants and children's maid kept; £24.

The wages appear to be between £24 - £26 pound on average plus keep.

[michaelpipe]

I just found this site (http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/C/countryhouse/edwardianlife/servants_wages.html) which has wages in a country house in 1905.


Interesting, but have you noticed that if you click on the "You in 1905" tab, and you are a male, then 90% of the male population is destined to get shot in the trenches at Ypres. Surprising that anyone is left :D

[Procat]

Didn't go into that depth Michael.

90% of the male population?? The remaining 10% must have have a good time with all the unattached woman then. :D

Me thinks something has gone amiss there.

[kiwipom]

I was recently reading a book about the City of Bath during WW1.
Prices quoted were in "old money" and a comparison of value was given to illustrate inflation during the War. It also extrapolated to 2005 when the book was written.

The one pound of 1914 would equate to 55 pounds in 2005.

I hope this helps?
Tony

[ET in the USA]

Didn't go into that depth Michael.

90% of the male population?? The remaining 10% must have have a good time with all the unattached woman then. :D

Me thinks something has gone amiss there.

Don't forget the Americans 'over there'. I'm sure they helped out all they could. |scold|


Try this for the money http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/?redirurl=calculators/ppoweruk/ .

See how many of these site agree.

[Oates]

This is my collection of value of money links:
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Coinage.jsp
http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies...t/howmuch.html
http://www.measuringworth.com/index.html
http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/
http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~alan/family/N-Money.html
http://www.victorianweb.org/economics/wages4.html
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/...tainmoney.html

[Geoffers]

Really I suppose what I'm getting at is, was £25 per year a decent whack in those days to leave a maid

Yes it was a decent whack.

[allyj50]

Hiya |wave|,

this is probably a difficult one to answer, but I obtained a copy of a Will lately which specified a legacy of £25 per year for a housemaid.

Does anyone know how far £25 would have gone in 1911? What it would have been relative to an average salary for a housemaid in London? Really I suppose what I'm getting at is, was £25 per year a decent whack in those days to leave a maid who'd worked for the deceased lady for over 10 years..... or not?

Grateful for any info!

Feen


I was told to double it and you would get today's prices ... my great grannie left £24,291/11shillings/8 old pence and the inheritance tax was £190/18shillings/0 old pence in 1920.

Ally x

[Feen]

Thanks for your replies everyone, Geoffers I hope you meant it was a decent whack in terms of purchasing power, not a whack in the teeth (I'm a bit nervous that I'd used a rather silly turn of phrase and you might be being ironic in your response!!).

Opinions on purchasing power c100 years ago relative to now do seem to vary. But yes, I think the estimate of 90% of males alive in 1905 shot at Ypres is a bit high :confused: . Maybe it would be accurate if it referred to men of a particular age from a particular town, who all ended up on the front line.

Inheritance tax was pretty low back in those days Allyj50!

[Geoffers]

Geoffers I hope you meant it was a decent whack in terms of purchasing power, not a whack in the teeth (I'm a bit nervous that I'd used a rather silly turn of phrase and you might be being ironic in your response!!).

No I'm silly too, I couldn't spell i-r-a-n............i-r-r-y-n..............see what I mean?

I meant that being given a year's wages was a decent inheritance and would have been much appreciated.


Opinions on purchasing power c100 years ago relative to now do seem to vary.

They must do - it depends on how you measure the worth - propery rental values, income, purchasing power (and if purchasing power, the ability to buy what? - foodstuffs, clothing, luxuries?). In the terms given I do feel that this was intentionally a bequest of a year's wages.

[Feen]

No I'm silly too, i couldn't spell i-r-a-n............i-r-r-y-n..............see what I mean?

I meant that being given a year's wages was a decent inheritance and would have been much appreciated.



They must do - it depends on how you measure the worth - propery rental values, income, purchasing power (and if purchasing power, the ability to buy what? - foodstuffs, clothing, luxuries?). In the terms given I do feel that this was intentionally a bequest of a year's wages.

Hi Geoffers, I think I was being a bit... um... ferseeshus earlier :) ... yes it does seem likely it was an intentional bequest of a year's wage, annually...