Money in the 17th century was calculated on the basis of pounds, shillings and pence (l.s.d., for libri, solidi, denarii, from the Latin).

2 farthings = 1 halfpenny (pronounced hayp-nee)
2 halfpence (pronounce hay-pence)= 1 penny (d)
12 pence (pennies) = 1 shilling
20 shillings = 1 pound

In addition there were other values of money used:

1 mark = 13s 4d (therefore half a mark = 6s 8d)
1 laurel = 20s (the king's head bore a laurel crown)
1 angel =- 10s (the coin bore a figure of St Michael)
1 groat = 4d (therefore half a groat = 2d)

Many household accounts books of the time still typically used Roman numerals for calculations. It is therefore useful to remember the numbers used:

1= i, 2= ii, 3= iii, 4= iiii
5= v, 6= vi (v + i), 7= vii (v +i+i) and so on until
10= x, 20= xx and so on until
50= l
100= c
500= d
1000= m

Thus the number 1678 would have been represented by the letters:
mdclxxviii
(for 1000 + 500 + 100 + 50 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1)

Typically the last i in a written number was represented by a j, so 4 would have been shown as iiij, or 6 as vj.

For some examples of values of common and not-so-common commodities, follow the link.

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