£ s. d.
£ s. d. means pounds, shillings and pence, the money used in colonial accounts: 20 shillings to a pound, 12 pence to a shilling.
£ s. d. stands for pounds, shillings and pence, from the Latin librae, solidi and denarii. The colonies kept accounts this way, and many states still did after 1776 until the dollar took over. There were 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound.
Inventories and deeds often show three columns headed £, s and d. A value written 3/6 means 3 shillings and 6 pence.
As seen in a recordValue column of a 1780s estate inventory
To 1 feather bed & furniture ... £4 10s 0d
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "£ s. d.." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/lsd. Last checked 2026-10-01.