Pay
By the time of the American War of Independence, the pay of a private in a
regiment of foot was widely recognized to be completely inadequate. In 1782, a
commission met to review the pay rates and reform the pay system. This brought
an increase to all ranks and thoroughly changed the system of stoppages. There
was much opposition to these changes by all of those who had gone to great
lengths to learn the overly complex system of stoppages and refunds of stoppages.
| Regiment of Foot | Regiment of Foot Guards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Pay | Subsistence | Full Pay | Subsistence | |
| Captain | 10s. | 7s. 6d. | 16s. 6d. | 12s. 6d. |
| Lieutenant | 4s. 8d. | 3s. 6d. | 7s. 10d. | 6s. |
| Ensign | 3s. 8d. | 3s. | 5s. 10d. | 4s. 3d. |
| Serjeant | 1s. 6d. | 1s. | 1s. 10d. | 1s. 4d. |
| Corporal | 1s. | 8d. | 1s. 2d. | 10d. |
| Drummer | 1s. | 8d. | 1s. | 8d. |
| Private | 8d. | 6d. | 10d. | 6d. |
On a weekly basis, the subsistence money was paid out (deducting for rations received). Also, for the regiments of foot, one day’s subsistence per week was withheld to cover the cost of “necessaries.”
Every two months the balance remaining between the full pay and subsistence, called the “off-reckonings” was paid out, minus deductions. Basically, the British soldier had to pay for the food he ate, the clothes on his back, and cover the cost of loss or damage to his equipment.
| Gross Off-Reckonings (two months) | 10s. |
| Poundage | 2s. |
| Agency | 4d. |
| Deductions toward new uniform, etc. | Could be the entire balance! |
| Net Off-Reckonings | No more than 7s. 8d. (one and a half d. per day) |
The main difference between the British soldier’s pay and that of a soldier of the Continental army was that although the British rates were low, the few coins they were paid were worth something rather than practically worthless paper.
Some Useful Definitions:
- Agency - A charge of two pence per pound (5/6%) which was divided between the regimental Agent and the Chaplain.
- Chelsea Hospital - Each man had one full day's pay per year stopped for the support of the hospital for invalid soldiers.
- Deputy Paymaster General - Each regions distant from London had a official who served as the Paymaster General’s deputy, taking charge of the accounts and authorizing payment locally.
- Subsistence - That portion of the pay which is intended to provide food, but one day’s subsistence per week was also subject to stoppages (except in the Guards).
- Gross Off-Reckonings - The difference between the full pay and subsistence.
- Necessaries - Shirts, shoes, stockings and a penny for the surgeon were paid for under this heading, as well as paying for shaving and laundry.
- Net Off-Reckonings - Gross Off-Reckonings after all deductions are taken.
- Paymaster - A junior officer of each corps was given the additional duty of acting as paymaster. He received and disbursed the money for pay and kept the records of money due and paid. He was assisted by a serjeant.
- Paymaster General - The official in the War Office with overall control over the pay accounts and money intended for the maintenance of the army. Due to the nature of the system, this post was a highly lucrative one.
- Poundage - A charge of one shilling per pound (5%) of the whole pay.
- Stoppages - Deductions.
The three basic denominations used to account for money were the pound, shilling, and penny. These denominations may be abbreviated to make the notation of monetary amounts simpler. For example, three pounds six shillings and two pence would be noted as £3 6s 2d. Fractions of one half and one quarter d were used to designate halfpence and farthings. The coins produced at the English royal mints through the era of the American Revolution were:
Gold coins included the Five Guinea (105s. =£5 5s.), minted up to 1753; Two Guinea (42s. = £2 2s.); also produced up to 1753, the Guinea (21s. = £1 1s.), the name derived from the source of the first gold used in them - the Guinea coast of Africa, and the Half Guinea (10s. 6d.).
Silver coins included the Crown (5s.), Halfcrown (2s. 6d.), Shilling (12d.), Sixpence (6d.), and Threepence (3d.), produced up to 1763. There were also Fourpence, Twopence, and Pence made of silver, but were rare.
The two denominations of copper coins were: Halfpence (1/2 d.), up to 1754 and from 1770-1775, and Farthing (1/4 d.), up to 1754 and from 1771-1775.
The British army used a rate of exchange between Pounds and Spanish “Dollars”, the prevalent coinage of the colonies, of 4s. 8d. per dollar, or 4 2/7 dollars per pound.