Money and costs in the 11th C (Normandy and France)

Please note that these come from a variety of sources and are general - they are meant to be a starting point for further discussion

MONEY AND COINAGE

1 Livre = 20 Sous = 240 Deniers = 480 Oboles

1 Sou = 12 Deniers

1 Denier = 2 Oboles

Silver denier (d)

Sou = 12 d

Livre = 20 sou

Pecking

Vikings practiced coin pecking - testing the quality of silver by observing the resistance of the metal to the blade of a knife. This prasctive spread with the Viking raids and incursions.

Hack Silver

Many hoards contain silver bands of 'hack silver' where slivers of metal were cut from a bracelet to make the weight of a trade, and there are many examples of ingots - trade weighted bars - in Viking hoards.

Similarly, silver and gold jewelry fragments have found to be deliberately broken for this reason, as have coins (half pennies, quarters, etc.).

COST OF FOOD

Ale - 1/5 d for a good pint half that for poor ale

Bread - A denier would buy 12 loaves

Cheese ½ d for a pound

Chicken two – 2 d

Eggs 1 dozen 1 d

Grain - A denier would buy two pounds of barley

Oats - One d would buy 24 loaves of oats or 2 pounds

Wine = ½ d for a bottle of paint stripper 2d for good wine

Cost of Animals

Bull = 90 cow = 15 d

Chickens (10 to 15) = 1 d

Dog = 12

horse = 200 – 300 d [colts = 1/3 to 1/2 price]

Hunting dog = 30+ d [1/2 for a puppy]

ox = 40 – 80 d

pig = 20

ram = 12 d

sheep = 10 d

Cost of cloth and clothing

Buckle 3 d

Cloak 8 d

Linen – 4 d per piece

Monk’s cowl = 60 d

Serge = 12

Sheepskin cloak = 12 d +

Short mantle = 120 d

Cost of other stuff

Bridle 6.5d

Spurs 13d

Stirrups 81.25d

Cost of Weapons

Helmet = 6 0- 90

Knife = 2 d

Lance and shield = 40 -80 d

Mail = 200 - 600 d

In tenth century France, a mailed coat was valued at 60 sheep or six oxen.

Scabbard = 20 d

Shield and spear = 80 d

Spear = 20 – 30 d

Sword = 80 – 120 d

Warhorse = 500 - 1000 +

A good warhorse would have cost at least as much as a hauberk.

Stud-stallions were worth more for its qualities as a fighter etc.

A horse itself was worth five times as much as a bull, and by the 13th century a warhorse or destrier was no less than seven times as valuable as an ordinary horse.