was 100 shillings a lot in the early 20th century?

Answer 1

It was £5 - enough to live on for a week, just. A miner got paid the equivalent of about £1.75 a week.

Answer 2

Sure was - there were 20 shillings to one pound [English] so that 100 shillings = £5. In the early 20th century wages were quite low and the average worker pre-World War One, would not have earned more than about £1.50 [30 shillings] a week.

Yup, a fiver was big money back then. Come to think of it a fiver was big money when I started in the Army aged 15 back in 1957 when my weekly pay was thirty shillings or £1.50 in modern money. Just about the price of a cup of coffee here in London now, but back then a whole week of entertainment, including the movies for about 15pence [equivalent]. And a cup of tea back then [1957] cost about 2p - blimey!

1941 model....

Answer 3

Yes, 100 shillings would be five pounds which is approximately what I was paid a week when I joined the Army as a (regular) private soldier ( Ist. Bn . Royal Fusiliers ) in 1960 . A National Serviceman was paid less 30 shillings a week ( £1.50 ) This (£5) would buy 40 pints of beer ( about half a crown a pint ) 8 half crowns made a pound . Today you would be lucky to get two pints of beer for £5.... I was living in the South of England then ( London ) beer was probably cheaper in the north.
Just shows the rotten effect of inflation.

Answer 4

There were 20 shillings to every £1, when i started work as a shop assistant in the early 60s, i was paid 5 pounds, 2 shillings and 6 pence for a 5 and a half days work. it was written as £5/2/5. For information on the pre decimal currency, go to http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/moneyold.htm
Also this is a good site if you want to see what the old money looked like http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/units/money.htm

Answer 5

The wages for a downstairs maid in 1900 was 70 shillings a year

Answer 6

This may help. A pound of bread in 1912 Britain was 1.3 pennies. A loaf of bread (in the U.S.) is usually ~ one and one quarter pounds, so figure maybe two pennies for a loaf of bread in 1912 Britain (if their loaves are similar).
There were 12 pennies in a shilling, so 100 shillings would be 1200 pennies. That would buy 600 loaves of bread.
Then you have to figure housing costs, clothing, heating, and so on. The Victorian source below may be useful for you.

Answer 7

Yes, that was £5 and that would be a half a years wage for a servant who lived in

Answer 8

It was £5. Probably a week's wages for most folk!