Regency Travel: Currency Exchange (England to France)

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EXCHANGE OF COINS TRAVELLERS in passing from England to France or the contrary must exchange their coins for others of the country into which they are about to go It is ge nerally preferred to make this exchange prior to the embarkation and in leaving England for every English guinea there ought to be received a French louis and a twenty four sols piece and in leaving France the value of a pound sterling should be received for every louis This exchange of coins is the most conveniently managed by applying to the respective innkeepers or to the bankers at Dover Calais Brighton or Dieppe t In this place it may be proper to observe that only a certain proportion of specie from ten to twenty guineas is permitted to be taken from cither kingdom and consequently it is necessary that persons over and above the sum which ihey carry with them should be provided with bills upon Paris or Calais or with letters of credit addressed to a banker at Paris THE COURSE OF EXCHANGE PERSONS actually in France who have occasion to receive remittances through a banker in Paris will It is the practice however to give after the rate of only twenty five livres for a guinca The bankers at Dover are Messrs Fector and Minet and Messrs Latham and Co those at Brighton are Messrs Michell and Co and Messrs Wigncy and Co and at Cao lais Messrs Mouron and M Pigault Maubaillarcq
receive value for value in proportion to the course of exchange then existing between the two countries the state and variations of which are regularly inserted in all the public newspapers These variations depend on the reciprocal amount and value of the exports and imports from and to each country When England has sent more goods or remitted more value to France than she has received the exchange will be in her favour and vice versa Latterly the exchange has been against England having been so low as twenty one livres to the pound sterling being three livres in iwenty four or twelve and a half per cent against this country The newspapers always indicate the number of livres and sols which a pound sterling will bring Whatever may be the little differences in the course of exchange either in favour of or against the pound sterling the foregoing tables of the relative value of the coins of the two nations will be sufficiently correct for the use of the traveller
traveller THE BANKERS As it is our intention to give in a subsequent part of this work a complete list of the bankers of Paris with their addresses we shall confine ourselves in this place to a few brief observations more especially as the principal banking houses in the French capital are well known on this side and as those who may have occasion to resort to them will be influenced in their choice by the persons to whom they address themselves previously to iheir setting out to France for letters of credit and recommendation It ought in general to be observed that no one on the eve of his departure for Paris ought to neglect to make proper enquiries relative to the different banking houses in Paris and their A deduction is however made by the Paris banker for his own trouble in the negociation of the paper and for brokerage
mode of doing business They vary in the prices they give for paper drawn on them from four to six per cent The banking house in Paris which was the most resorted to by the English before the revolution and which still maintains great credit is that of Perrigeux and Co in the rue Mont Blanc near the Boulevards This house corresponds in London with Morland Ransom and Co and Hammersley and Co in Pall Mall Sir Robert Herries and Co St James's street Minet and Fector in Austin Friars and with most of the other banking houses in London by any of which all money negociations letters of credit & c & c are pleasantly and readily managed In addition to the above house there are several others well known to the commercial world on which letters of credit may be obtained with advantage among them that of Doyen and Co Rue Cerutti No 5 is a very excellent house VIEW OF EXPENCES 33 A Practical Guide during a Journey from London to Paris (1803)

This excellent resource has a lot of practical information about travelling to France from the UK, including the above details on currency exchange.  Not unlike today, the recommendation is generally to exchange money at ports or in the major metropolitan banks.

Shannon Selin has a nice post on currency and exchange rates, with info for the US, too, if you are interested to know the purchasing power: Currency, Exchange Rates & Costs in the 19th Century – Shannon Selin

We also have some links to tools and calculators for Regency money here.

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One Response to Regency Travel: Currency Exchange (England to France)

  1. miriam green says:
    November 22, 2021 at 9:42 am

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