Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library

VALUES OF JAMAICAN CURRENCY IN 1787

In the 17th through 19th centuries, the Jamaican pound (£) did not have the same value as the British pound.  This fact is often reflected in the wording of wills, which distinguished between bequests in "currency" (Jamaican), and "sterling" (British) funds.

The following table reflects monetary values in 1787.

A comparison is made between the pound (£) in Jamaican currency and British sterling.

The "real", which was a monetary unit and coin of Spain and its possessions, was also used in Jamaica.  The table shows the value of the real at that time.

Gold coins were weighed in drams and grams.  Each coin was assigned a value based on its weight, as reflected in this table.

JAMAICAN   CURRENCY   BRITISH  STERLING   RYALS    GOLD COINS
                or BITS      
£ s. d.   £  s. d.       dwt. gr.
1     14 3 1/2        
10     7 2 10        
100     71 8 6        
1000     714 5 8        
10000       7142 17 1 3/4          
             
7 1/2   5 1/2   1    
6 3   4 5 1/2   10    
3 2 6   2 4 7 1/2   100      
             
2 19 6           10 14
4 0 0           14 0
5 0 0           17 8
                       

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