l06 CURRENCY OF GUERNSEY, ETC. 



In 1829, on the issue of the new French coinage of francs 

 and centimes (such as we know it to-day), the old coinage 

 was called in, and it was about time it was, as the liards, or 

 doubles as we call them now, at that time " were formed of 

 various sizes, thicknesses and materials, some of them being 

 old English farthings, some Dutch or Flemish, others French 

 or Spanish, many of them only very thin pieces of copper, 

 whilst a few of them are soldiers' buttons, beaten flat. ,,(1) . 



Also in the "Billet d'Etat" of 17th Feb., 1830, attention 

 was called to the various coins in use in Guernsey, which were 

 quite obsolete in France, and pointing out that if steps were 

 not taken to call them in at once, serious inconvenience would 

 arise to the public, as they would only have bullion value. 

 The ancient coinage it appears (2) became obsolete on Jan. 1st, 



l8 34- 



After the introduction of the new coinage in 1829 matters 

 went on very quietly. The franc was fixed at 10 pence 

 Guernsey and was legal tender to any amount, British being 

 in circulation, but not legal tender, except for a short time 

 in 1848, when gold and silver British money and also Bank 

 of England notes were made legal tender in the Island at 

 the rate of £1 is. 3d. currency for each pound British (3 \ this 

 Ordinance being repealed in 1850 " owing to the reasons for 

 which it was passed having ceased to exist," referring to the 

 unsettled conditions on the Continent generally. 



During the next twenty years, no startling changes took 

 place. In 1864, a change of pattern of the copper coins took 

 place, and the change necessitated the old ones being called 

 in. The new ones are of bronze, the old ones being of 

 copper, and though of more value intrinsically they were 

 inferior in wearing power to the newly issued coinage. In 

 1868 these old coins ceased to be legal tender. 



In 1870 the war with Germany in which France was then 

 engaged resulted as in 181 3, and later in 191 4, in the mys- 

 terious disappearance from circulation of the greater part of 

 the silver coinage. The remedy was simple, and in 18^0 

 British coin was made legal tender, equally with French, 

 followed in 1873 bv the legalising of Bank of England notes 

 in like manner, and this Ordinance has never been repealed. 



The growth of trade with the United Kingdom, the de- 

 cline of traffic with France, and the inconvenience to com- 

 merce of having two currencies in the one Island, there being 

 two pounds, one of 252 Guernsey pennies, the other of 2zio, 

 spelt the doom of the old currency, and it is within the 

 memory of all of us that in March, tq^t , the change over to 

 British currency entirely, took place. The old French silver 



(U Jacob's Annals of Guernsey, p. 41C. 

 O) Ordinance of 1K 9 9. 

 (3) Ordinance of 1843. 



