<P> According to Hawkins' History of the Silver Coins of England, groats were also known as "Joeys", </P> <P> so called from Joseph Hume, M.P., who strongly recommended the coinage for the sake of paying short cab - fares, etc . </P> <P> This refers to the Victorian fourpenny piece . The mention of cab fares is related to the fact that the standard minimum was fourpence, so many passengers paid with a sixpenny piece, allowing the cabbie to keep the twopence change as a tip . The slang name "Joey" was transferred to the silver threepenny pieces in use in the first third of the twentieth century . </P> <P> In A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Sara Crewe picks up a fourpenny piece from the street and uses it to buy buns . The original story was set in 1888 . </P>

When did groats cease to be legal tender