Ms. Stoner’s Income
In The Speckled Band, which is my favourite Holmes story, Helen Stoner’s late mother left her daughters an annual income of 1100 Pounds. In today’s money that would be 171,121.15 Pounds or $204,507.74.
Due to falling agricultural prices, that fell to 750 Pounds, which today would be 116,673.51 Pounds or $139,437.10. This is how much Dr. Roylott was making annually with both Helen and Julia unmarried. Each girl was entitled to 250 Pounds a year upon marriage. This would be 38,891.17 Pounds or $46,479.03 today.
One marriage would bring Roylott down to 500 Pounds or 77,782.34 Pounds/ $92,958.06. Two would force him into the same income as both sisters. Either way, he’d be placed in the Lower Middle Class rather than Upper. He would definitely lose his lifestyle. Yet again, people in the Victorian Era Middle Class making more than I do.