Much of the action of latest release, Mr. Darcy's Bargain, is based around a scam
perpetrated by Mr. Wickham upon the citizens of Meryton, as well as Mr. Darcy's
attempts to thwart him. Wickham convinces many in Hertfordshire to invest in an
annuity scheme. But how exactly did annuities work during the Regency?
First, if you are like me, your eyes blur over
when people in other fields start tossing around the "jargon"
associated with their occupations. I do not pretend to be an expert in such
matters as annuities, but I will attempt to keep my description of public funds
at the time as simple as possible.
First, there were Navy five percent annuities
that were produced from about fifty millions of stock, partly formed out of
navy bills and converted in 1784, into a stock bearing interest at five
percent, whence the name.
Four percent consolidated annuities were popular
at the time. They were produced from a like stock as was the Navy five percent
funds. They offered a profit of 4% as the title indicated. They originally
carried a higher percentage rate.
