Merk
Encyclopedia
A merk was a Scottish
silver
coin
. Originally the same word as a mark
of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13s
4d
(exactly ⅔ of a pound Scots, or about one shilling in English coin), later raised to 14s Scots. In addition to merks, half-merk and quarter-merk coins were produced with values of, respectively, 7s and 3s 6d, as well as a four-merk coin of 56s (£2 16s).
The first issue weighed 103.8 grains and was 50% silver and 50% base metals, thus it contained 0.108125 troy ounces of silver, worth about £1 at modern prices.
Markland or Merkland
was used to describe an amount of land in Scottish deeds and legal papers. It was based upon a common valuation of the land.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
. Originally the same word as a mark
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
4d
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
(exactly ⅔ of a pound Scots, or about one shilling in English coin), later raised to 14s Scots. In addition to merks, half-merk and quarter-merk coins were produced with values of, respectively, 7s and 3s 6d, as well as a four-merk coin of 56s (£2 16s).
The first issue weighed 103.8 grains and was 50% silver and 50% base metals, thus it contained 0.108125 troy ounces of silver, worth about £1 at modern prices.
Markland or Merkland
Markland (Scots)
A markland or merkland is an old Scottish unit of land measurement.There was some local variation in the equivalences, for example, in some places eight ouncelands were equal to one markland, but in others, such as Islay, a markland was twelve ouncelands...
was used to describe an amount of land in Scottish deeds and legal papers. It was based upon a common valuation of the land.