Coins of Charles I
The following coins were manufactured from Charles' succession in 1625, until the formal start of the First English Civil War on August 22nd 1642, when the King raised his standard at Nottingham.
|
Gold |
Unite |
20 |
Shillings |
|
|
Angel |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Double Crown |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Crown |
5 |
Shillings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Silver |
Half Crown |
2 |
Shillings and 6 Pence |
|
|
Shilling |
12 |
Pence or 1 Shilling |
|
|
Sixpence |
6 |
Pence |
|
|
Groat |
4 |
Pence |
|
|
Threepence |
3 |
Pence |
|
|
Half Groat |
2 |
Pence |
|
|
Penny |
1 |
Pence |
|
|
Halfpenny |
½ |
Pence |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copper |
Royal Farthing |
¼ |
Pence |
|
|
Rose Farthing |
¼ |
Pence * |
* Rose Farthings manufactured privately by The Duchess of Richmond. (1624 - 34).
The licence was later held by Lord Maltravers. (1634 - 44 ).
The term "Mark" was in common usage to denote 13s 4d, being two-thirds of a Unite.
|
1½ |
Marks |
20s |
0d |
|
1 |
Mark |
13s |
4d |
|
¾ |
Mark |
10s |
0d |
|
½ |
Mark |
6s |
8d |
|
¼ |
Mark |
3s |
4d |
Notes:
Pounds and Half Pound coins were minted by Elizabeth I.
Trading tokens were only manufactured from 1648.
The Guinea did not become a unit of currency until 1663.
In 1638 the smallest coin current in New England had a value of 2 pennies.
From March 1642 in Scotland a new coinage of 2s and 3s coins were introduced the Scottish "Merk" (sic) and its fractions replaced.
In each week of August 1653 at the Tower of London, coins to the value of twenty thousand pounds were minted.
On April 25th 1640 at Southampton Abraham Tuke from Frome, Somerset was found to have a counterfeit Half Crown coin in his possession. When questioned he claimed to have received the coin from one John Marshall of Castle Carew, Somerset.
English / French exchange rates.
On September 4th 1625 at Titchfield a proclamation by Charles I made current in England the silver coin of France called "Cardecues" at a value of 1 Shilling and 7½ Pence.
Bryan J. Maloney has told us that the coin in question may have been a
"quart d'ecu" (1/4 ecu). A silver coin that, at that time, was
about 6.7g of 91.7% silver.
Place House (Titchfield Abbey ) owned by Wriothesly Earl of Southampton, where Charles I stayed in September 1625.
In 1645 at St.Malo 1 Franc was equal to 1 Shilling and 6½ Pence.
In 1653 1 Livre was equal to 1 Shilling and 3 Pence.
English / Fleming exchange rates.
~1629 1632
|
100 |
Guilders |
equal to |
200 |
Shillings |
|
59 |
Guilders |
. |
118 |
Shillings |
|
Rix Dollar |
equal to |
4s |
10d |
|
Lion Dollar |
. |
3s |
11d |
|
2 Guilden |
. |
3s |
11d |
|
Spread Eagle |
. |
2s |
10d |
|
Flemish Shilling |
. |
. |
6d |
|
Gold Rider |
. |
21s |
6d |
|
11 Guilder 6 Stivers |
. |
22s |
6d |
There were 12 Stivers to 1 Guilder. Therefore 1 Stiver is approximately equal to 2 pennies.
The statutory maximum rate of interest for the years' 1639-40 was 8%. Henry Best a yeoman farmer from Elmswell recorded an interest rate of 6% in 1645. The following year 1646, Adam Eyre a yeoman farmer from Peniston in his "Dyurnall" recorded a rate of 7% from September 14th 1645. A year later Eyre shows a five year loan of one hundred pounds at a 6% rate. Note that Eyre was in debt, and a more normal rate of interest for those years was perhaps 4%.
The recorded prices for gold, silver and pewter.
In 1654 Gold bullion is recorded in London as having a value of £2 10s 3¾d per ounce.
The highest point for silver being in 1643 when objects mortgaged by Winchester Corporation attained the rate of sixty pence per ounce. By contrast in 1638 at Southampton the price of pewter is recorded as being 0.625d per ounce.
Silver
|
1635 |
4s |
0d |
Per ounce. |
|
1643 |
5s |
0d |
. |
|
1654 |
3s |
9d |
. |
Rebellion in Ireland, Irish Catholics set up
their own council The Catholic Confederacy at Kilkenny in 1642. Proclaiming
loyalty to Charles I they issued their own coinage "Blacksmiths'
money" silver 2s 6d with copper ½d and ¼d coins.
James I coins 1603 - 1625
|
Gold |
Rose-Ryal (sic) |
30 |
Shillings |
|
|
Unite |
20 |
Shillings |
|
|
Sovereign |
20 |
Shillings |
|
|
Laurel |
20 |
Shillings |
|
|
Spur-Ryal (sic) |
15 |
Shillings |
|
|
Half Sovereign |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Half Laurel |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Angel |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Double Crown |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Half Angel |
5 |
Shillings |
|
|
Quarter Laurel |
5 |
Shillings |
|
Gold or Silver |
Crown |
5 |
Shillings |
|
Gold |
Britain Crown |
5 |
Shillings |
|
|
Thistle Crown |
4 |
Shillings |
|
Gold or Silver |
Half Crown |
2 |
Shillings and 6 Pence |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Silver |
Shilling |
12 |
Pence or 1 Shilling |
|
|
Sixpence |
6 |
Pence |
|
|
Half Groat |
2 |
Pence |
|
|
Penny |
1 |
Pence |
|
|
Halfpenny |
½ |
Pence |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copper |
Farthing |
¼ |
Pence |
Notes:
1603 the weight of the gold Pound was reduced, and the new coin called a Unite.
1612 all gold coins had their values increased by 10%, but in 1619 new lighter coins (Laurels, Spur-Ryals and Angels) were introduced at their original values.
1613 James I prohibited the practice of Tokens as they were a breach of the Royal prerogative.
1619-25 copper oval shaped Farthing Tokens were minted for circulation in Ireland.
In James I reign an Irish Shilling was tariffed in England at 9d and an Irish Groat (4d) at 3d.
The relative purchasing power of Scottish and English money remains unclear in any detail (Scotland being until 1707 politically a separate country). With the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, James VI of Scotland became James I of England. In 1603 Scottish money is worth one twelfth of the corresponding nominal amount of English money. The English ½d was equivalent to the Scottish 6d and the Scottish "Thistle-Merk" (sic) of 13s 4d (made current in England by proclamation in 1603) was worth 1s 1½d. An Act of Parliament in June 1686 established the exchange rate "as it had been under James I and Charles I " at 12:1.
Using the assize of bread, set annually by the Justices in England and by law in Scotland. We offer the following prices as some indication of the relative purchasing power of the two currencies.
|
1625 |
Southampton |
1½ Lbs |
Bread |
1d |
|
1642 |
Edinburgh |
¾ Lb |
Wheat Loaf |
12d |
|
1642 |
Edinburgh |
1 Lb |
Sour Bread |
12d |
|
1642 |
Edinburgh |
1¼ Lbs |
Rye Loaf |
12d |
|
1642 |
Aberdeen |
. |
Loaf of Bread |
12d |
|
1643 |
Southampton |
1 Lb |
Wheat Bread |
¾d |
|
1677 |
Portsmouth |
1½ Lbs |
Wheaten Bread |
2d |
|
1677 |
Portsmouth |
1 Lb |
Household Bread |
1d |
|
1677 |
Portsmouth |
1 Lb |
White Bread |
2d |
Coins of Elizabeth I 1558 - 1603
|
Fine Gold |
Sovereign or Double Noble |
30 |
Shillings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gold |
Pound |
20 |
Shillings |
|
|
Ryal (sic) or Noble |
15 |
Shillings |
|
|
Half Pound |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Angel |
10 |
Shillings |
|
|
Half Angel |
5 |
Shillings |
|
|
Crown |
5 |
Shillings |
|
|
Half Crown |
2 |
Shillings and 6 Pence |
|
|
Quarter Angel |
2 |
Shillings and 6 Pence |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Silver |
Shilling |
12 |
Pence or 1 Shilling |
|
|
Sixpence |
6 |
Pence |
|
|
Fourpence-Halfpenny |
4½ |
Pence |
|
|
Groat |
4 |
Pence |
|
|
Threepence |
3 |
Pence |
|
|
Twopence-farthing |
2¼ |
Pence |
|
|
Half Graot |
2 |
Pence |
|
|
Threehalfpence |
1½ |
Pence |
|
|
Penny |
1 |
Pence |
|
|
Threefarthings |
¾ |
Pence |
|
|
Halfpenny |
½ |
Pence |
Notes:
Gold was struck in two standards of fineness. Standard gold 23 carats 3½ grains. Crown gold 22 carats.
In 1603 silver was restored to the standard before Henry VIII debasement. i.e. 11oz 2dwt of silver to 18dwt alloy.
Both Henry VIII and Edward VI minted Farthings, Elizabeth did not. (See Pledges)
Henry VIII minted a silver Testoon worth 1 Shilling reduced in value from July 1551 to 9 Pence then 6 Pence.
In 1574 Shopkeeper's Tokens were manufactured in lead, pewter or tin, the scheme did not mature and an undated proclamation prohibited these Tokens and legalised a limited tender of ½d and ¼d "Pledges" made of pure copper.
In 1577 the City of Bristol was granted a licence to make its own copper ¼d square or diamond shaped coinage.
Silver "Portcullis" money minted in 1600 specifically for the Company of Merchants trading to the East Indies. These "Testerns" minted to an exact equivalent weight in silver to the Spanish "Real".
|
8 |
Testerns |
equal silver to |
8 |
Reals |
|
4 |
Testerns |
. |
4 |
Reals |
|
2 |
Testerns |
. |
2 |
Reals |
|
1 |
Testern |
. |
1 |
Real |
Source:
Standard Catalogue of British Coins. Seaby Numismatic Publications. London 1968.
Standard Catalogue of British Coins. Seaby Numismatic Publications. London 1990. ISBN 1 85264 0413.
Calendar of State Papers Domestic Series Charles I 1625-49. HMPRO. 1897.
Calendar of State Papers Colonial 1574-1660. HMPRO. London.
Calendar of State Papers Domestic 1625-26. HMPRO. London.
Calendar of State Papers Domestic 1654. HMPRO. London.
Calendar of the Clarendon Papers. Bodliam Library Vol. I, 1523-1649. Clarendon Press. London.
Calendar of the Clarendon Papers. Bodliam Library Vol. III, 1649-1654. Clarendon. Press. London.
The Early Churchwarden's Accounts of Hampshire. J.F. Williams. Simkin. London 1913.
English Coins. G.C. Brooke. Methuen. London 1955.
The Story of British Coinage. Seaby. London 1985.
The Civil War in Hampshire. G.N. Godwin. Oxley. Alresford.
Southampton Record Society, Book of Examination & Depositions Vol. 3.HCRO.
Southampton Record Society, Book of Examination & Depositions 1622-44. HCRO.
The King's Servants 1625-42. G.E.Aymer.
Routledge and Kegan. ISBN 07 100 789 43. London 1974.
Dyurnall of Adam Eyre, Yeoman. Sheffield University Library.
The Farming and Memorandum books of Henry Best of Elmswell 1642.
D. Woodward. The Oxford University Press. London 1984. ISBN 0 19 726029 2.
Portsmouth Record Series, Borough Sessions Papers 1653-88. A Wallis. PCC.
A History of Southampton. J Davis. London 1883.
Civil War & Salt Fish. S. Peachey. Partizan Press. ISBN 0 946525 42 0. 1988.
Hampshire Notes and Queries Vol IV. W Jacob.
The Scottish Coinage. I Halley Stewart. Spink & Son. London 1955.
Seaby Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands. Seaby Numismatic Publications. London. 1984.