Value of £1 from 1785 to 1854
£1 in 1785 is equivalent in purchasing power to about £1.42 in 1854, an increase of £0.42 over 69 years. The pound had an average inflation rate of 0.51% per year between 1785 and 1854, producing a cumulative price increase of 41.67%.
This means that prices in 1854 are 1.42 times as high as average prices since 1785, according to the Office for National Statistics composite price index.
The inflation rate in 1785 was -5.26%. The inflation rate in 1854 was 14.61%. The 1854 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 2.94% per year between 1854 and 2025.
⌃
| Cumulative price change | 41.67% |
| Average inflation rate | 0.51% |
| Converted amount £1 base | £1.42 |
| Price difference £1 base | £0.42 |
| CPI in 1785 | 7.200 |
| CPI in 1854 | 10.200 |
| Inflation in 1785 | -5.26% |
| Inflation in 1854 | 14.61% |
| £1 in 1785 | £1.42 in 1854 |
Buying power of £1 in 1785
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for £1 in 1785 (price index tracking began in 1750).
For example, if you started with £1, you would need to end with £1.42 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When £1 is equivalent to £1.42 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single U.K. pound decreases over time. In other words, a pound will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a pound over time. By calculating the value in 1785 dollars, the chart below shows how £1 is worth less over 69 years.
According to the Office for National Statistics, each of these GBP amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
This conversion table shows various other 1785 amounts in 1854 pounds, based on the 41.67% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| £1 pound in 1785 | £1.42 pounds in 1854 |
| £5 pounds in 1785 | £7.08 pounds in 1854 |
| £10 pounds in 1785 | £14.17 pounds in 1854 |
| £50 pounds in 1785 | £70.83 pounds in 1854 |
| £100 pounds in 1785 | £141.67 pounds in 1854 |
| £500 pounds in 1785 | £708.33 pounds in 1854 |
| £1,000 pounds in 1785 | £1,416.67 pounds in 1854 |
| £5,000 pounds in 1785 | £7,083.33 pounds in 1854 |
| £10,000 pounds in 1785 | £14,166.67 pounds in 1854 |
| £50,000 pounds in 1785 | £70,833.33 pounds in 1854 |
| £100,000 pounds in 1785 | £141,666.67 pounds in 1854 |
| £500,000 pounds in 1785 | £708,333.33 pounds in 1854 |
| £1,000,000 pounds in 1785 | £1,416,666.67 pounds in 1854 |
How to calculate inflation rate for £1, 1785 to 1854
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1785 and 1854:
CPI in 1854 CPI in 1785
×
1785 GBP value
=
1854 GBP value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.K. CPI was 7.2 in the year 1785 and 10.2 in 1854:
10.27.2
×
£1
=
£1.42
£1 in 1785 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as £1.42 in 1854.
To get the total inflation rate for the 69 years between 1785 and 1854, we use the following formula:
CPI in 1854 - CPI in 1785CPI in 1785
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (69 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
10.2 - 7.27.2
×
100
=
42%
Data source & citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the composite price index published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). A composite index is created by combining price data from several different published sources, both official and unofficial. The Consumer Price Index, normally used to compute inflation, has only been tracked since 1988. All inflation calculations after 1988 use the Office for National Statistics' Consumer Price Index, except for the current year, which is based on The Bank of England's forecast.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “£1 in 1785 → 1854 | UK Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 17 Dec. 2025, https://www.officialdata.org/uk/inflation/1785?amount=1&endYear=1854.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
| Cumulative price change | 41.67% |
| Average inflation rate | 0.51% |
| Converted amount £1 base | £1.42 |
| Price difference £1 base | £0.42 |
| CPI in 1785 | 7.200 |
| CPI in 1854 | 10.200 |
| Inflation in 1785 | -5.26% |
| Inflation in 1854 | 14.61% |
| £1 in 1785 | £1.42 in 1854 |