Nice People Thread No. 14, all Nice and Proper

zagubov

Generali wrote: »

The handy thing about the Gold Standard and the Silver Standard is that prices were basically flat from about 1600 to 1930. Up and down by 20% here and there but basically flat.

We know from songs that sixpence was a reasonable amount of money (sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye) and a ha'penny was not much money (if you haven't got a penny then a ha'penny will do and if you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you). A loaf of bread was a penny and a poor person having a bad day would have eaten that with a little butter or fat in a day.

IIRC then a labourer made a quid a week and a skilled worker perhaps double that. Jane Austin tells us that £2,000 a year was a high income.

So a two quid loan would be perhaps £500 or maybe £1,000 at the absolute maximum today as a guesstimate. If you think about it that would buy you a crap car or van so could set you up as a dodgy London minicab, window cleaner or garden help (weeding and lawnmowing).

Back in the 70s I discovered Ian Fleming's James Bond paperbacks and I remember one of them started by describing him as a £2000 a year man. It was a yardstick for someone who could afford all the finer things in life, flash car, nice flat, fancy food and drink. As I was soon living on a student grant of £500 per year, it didn't half make the book feel a bit dated.:o

michaels

zagubov wrote: »

Back in the 70s I discovered Ian Fleming's James Bond paperbacks and I remember one of them started by describing him as a £2000 a year man. It was a yardstick for someone who could afford all the finer things in life, flash car, nice flat, fancy food and drink. As I was soon living on a student grant of £500 per year, it didn't half make the book feel a bit dated.:o

Whereas the way I see it is you are billing 2k a day you are doing ok -not that I have ever billed more than 1500 a day and often only 500 for govt long term work...and of course it doesn't matter what I bill my take home remains a fraction of it.

SingleSue

Less than 24 hours until Josh starts the next stage of his life....think there may be tears later on, certainly from my mum and quite probably from me.

I'm dreading it but also looking forward to it. Dreading it because my life will become a little more difficult (no-one to push my wheelchair when shopping etc) but also looking forward to it because he did it! He overcame his difficulties to such an extent that he is reaching the potential I always knew was there.

He proved the doubters wrong........

mystic_trev

Generali wrote: »

Without wishing to speak for SingleSue I am going to do so anyway. I suspect it's because he's a colossal loser.

I think I'd add !!!!!! to that.

GDB2222

PasturesNew wrote: »

It was in ~1879-1880.
I know the purse finding widow was earning 14/6 a week in 1916.

I'd imagine £2 would get you a cart and a knobbly horse.

£2 was around two weeks' wages for an average sort of bod. I can't believe you could buy a cart for that, as it would take weeks of work by skilled craftsmen to make one. Maybe the loan was to get him started by renting a horse and cart for a week or two? I wonder how you find out?

The loan would be a risky sort of micro finance if it was just to rent a horse and cart. Do you have any details of who the lender was? Maybe some kind of charity?

ivyleaf

Pastures, did you happen to see Who Do You Think You Are last night? It was Anne Reid. Her G-G-Grandfather (I think) was transported to what's now Tasmania for forging someone's signature.

Sue Not surprised you feel so Grrr about the text book :mad: but so very proud of Josh :j

elona

Pastures

If she is who I think she was the first Mrs Ken Barlow in Coronation Street in the sixties and later appeared in "Dinnerladies" a sitcom by Victoria Wood.

I remember as a child in the fifties seeing a competition on the back of a cereal packet to win a luxury villa (worth a fortune at £5,000!)

ukmaggie45

Hi PN, really enjoying your family saga! I expect you know this already, but just got an email from Find My Past:

Maggie, our Free Weekend is now live!

From now until midday on Monday, September 21st (BST), we’re giving you the chance to bring your past to life for free, with unlimited access to over 4 billion records from all over the world on Findmypast.

silvercar

I have a stinking cold, was meant to be sharing the driving taking DS2 to uni. Instead OH has taken him without me. The house is very quiet.

ivyleaf

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yes I did, but I nodded off and missed the end.

I've no idea who she is, but she really annoyed me. She was clearly a fool (possibly of limited intelligence) and her reactions were most bizarre!

Yes, find it funny that the fella was getting drunk and sacked from being a teacher ... but the reality is he was a public and local nuisance and pest. He also neglected his wife/family. ASBOs all round.

And then she blamed the father-in-law for grassing him up for the forgery. Probably one of many hundreds of let-downs from that flakey individual.

That's a pretty good summary

ETA elona Yes, that's her How very nice to see you on here :j

Maggie I'm enjoying Pastures' revelations too. Thanks to the info re FindMyPast!

silvercar Hope you feel better soon! Shame there isn't a nose-blowing smiley. I hope DS has a good term.

Went to pick up DGD (age 7) from school today. Her Dad has a cold and feels very woolly-headed, and forgot to tell her where I'd be waiting, and somehow we missed each other as she came out in the middle of a big crowd.

Eventually I realised I must have missed her, and looked around, and there she was not far away, waiting with a teacher The teacher had seen me waiting, but of course didn't realise who I was waiting for! DGD was fine though, not upset as I'd feared, obviously trusting that I'd be along soon. We took her home where her Daddy was waiting with DGS, who seems to be liking his new primary school. (Some of you may remember that he moved school due to bullying).