Kelly Ufford, who plays Jenny Hill, had a questions about the currency during the early nineteen hundreds. The line in question was when she returns from a collection in Act II and exclaims that she made "Four and tenpence" to Major Barbara. Monetary values are much different in England now then they were one hundred years ago.
You can get clues from the text on how much the collection they received was. Barbara wishes that they would have gotten "the whole five schillings!" When looking up Victorian money, there were three types of coins (pound, schilling, penny). That would mean the four in "four and tenpence" would be four schillings, making the amount "four schillings and tenpence (or ten pennies)." Undershaft offers to "contribute the odd twopence" since they are two pence short of five schillings. In Victorian times, twelve pennies equaled one schilling.
Sometimes the play itself, and a little research, can rule out any mathematical calculations.
You can get clues from the text on how much the collection they received was. Barbara wishes that they would have gotten "the whole five schillings!" When looking up Victorian money, there were three types of coins (pound, schilling, penny). That would mean the four in "four and tenpence" would be four schillings, making the amount "four schillings and tenpence (or ten pennies)." Undershaft offers to "contribute the odd twopence" since they are two pence short of five schillings. In Victorian times, twelve pennies equaled one schilling.
Sometimes the play itself, and a little research, can rule out any mathematical calculations.
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