LL-L "Abbreviation" 2008.08.19 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 20 August 2008 - Volume 02
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From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Abbreviations"

Beste Pat,

You wrote:

I have been asked by a friend for help with translating a medieval document
(for her family history, which involves Scots people in Rotterdam).  One
point that I don't understand (perhaps because they h is the currency - a
typical entry is "117 symbol like a U with a line through it = fl =
guilders) 16s18d. GR"  What does the 'GR' mean?  And I thought there were
only 8 duits to the stuiver .... This could be a really odd way of writing
117 pounds, 16 shillings, 18 pence - but again there are 12 pence to the
shilling, so that doesn't make sense, either¬


My first thought was that it could be a Latinized abbreviation of
Rijnsgulden (= a famous coin), but that proved wrong. "GR" stands for
"groot", which was a Flemish coin (to be distinguished from money Parisis).
More here:

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=58996660

John H. Munro is a Canadian professor emeritus who studied medieval exchange
rates (among other things). You can find some results of his research here:

http://www.economics.utoronto.ca/munro5/MoneyCoinage.htm

http://www.economics.utoronto.ca/munro5/

Kind greetings,

Luc Hellinckx

PS: Sorry for the late response, but am just back from an 18 500 km long
motorbike trip...took me a while to catch up on Lowlands post *s*.
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