Peter,
I have Lionel Munby's book, but the answer to your question is not as
simple as that as so much depends upon the prices of consumer goods and the
type of goods which people actually bought as compared with what people buy
today, and many other factors.
The Berkshire Family Historian, Sep. 1995 contained a table (from the
Phelps-Brown-Hopkins Index) which gives the comparative value of the pound
in 1770 as 73 pounds, but it's stated to be very approximate. However,
this is rather a simplification and you really need to read the Munby book
or one written by Colin Chapman entitled How Heavy, How Much and How Long?
Both the Munby and Chapman books are usually available by post from Family
Tree Magazine - you can phone them to order and pay by credit card -
they'll put the books in the mail immediately (surface mail unless you pay
more for airmail).
Alternatively, you could ring SAG (the Society of Australian Genealogists
in Sydney) - they may have copies for sale.
I would expect the 1995 Berkshire journal to be available for reference at
your local family history society.
If I can help further, please let me know.
Jo Keen,
>From Birmingham, living in Tasmania.
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