Martin Lister, Money Matters

Lister wrote in Folios 4-7 of his pocketbook:

From Bourdeaux to Mont-pelier. 27 lv.[1] to

Nismes 6 li [2] to

Avignon. 4 li  to

Arles. 1 li  to Aix 7 li

Received in all.                 770 li

Expended upon the

roade                                  1369 li

______________

rem.                                     403

Sept. 27th returned from Bordeaux a bill of 300 lb which I had payed me at Montpelier upon my return out of Provence[3]

December the 22 a bill 150 lb returned me from Bourdeaux by Camby.

August 14 \1665/ a bill of 122 £ returned me from Bourdeaux by Kerby.

August 11th 1663 When I left England I returned to Burwell 84 crownes.[4] I had left in my pocket

when I took Skippon[5] thither at Gravesend 7 Jacobuss[6]besides neere 40 shill in Silver. put a 100 lb. fr.

returned me from England a bill of 40 Cr. and soon after an other of 50 both which I received by bill of Exch. at Montpellier.

Montpellier. February 30 received by bill of Ex from Bourdeaux. 50 lv.

whereof it cost me when  I was upon the roade from B to Bordeaux 90 lv.

 


[1] Livre. In unit terms, the livre corresponds to the English pound sterling, the l.s.d. of pre-decimal UK currency representing the livre-sou-denier equation, which had 12 deniers to the sou, and 20 sous to the livre.

[2]  Thoughout, Lister indicates a £ by li.  A crossed li was later formalized into the pound sign.

[3] Lister is describing a bill of exchange.  According to the OED, A written order by the writer or ‘drawer’ to the ‘drawee’ (the person to whom it is addressed) to pay a certain sum on a given date to the ‘drawer’ or to a third person named in the bill, known as the ‘payee’. A true bill of exchange is given in consideration of value received (and this is usually stated upon the bill), but a bill is sometimes drawn, not against value received, but merely as a means of raising money on credit, and is then known as an accommodation bill.

[4] A crown was worth five shillings. Lister brought back £21 to Burwell after his travels.  The crown was also equal to a French êcu or French crown.

[6] The Jacobus is an English gold coin of the reign of James I, with 25 shillings (a pound and five shillings).

French sol or sou, Reign of Louis XV, Wikipedia

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