286 The Early Coinage of Scotland. 



of a century had effectually rubbed off the Scottish rust from 

 David, converting him into a feudal baron ; and many years 

 before he was called upon to fill the throne he had gathered 

 around him in his Cumbrian principality a body of knights and 

 barons from whom spring the older chivalry of Scotland." 

 David, the "mighty innovator," would naturally feel that if 

 Scotland was to make progress it must have a coinage of its own, 

 and the type he evidently admired and copied was, as in many 

 other things, that of England. The two chief Mints were Berwick 

 and Roxburgh, and, so far as we know at present, are the earliest 

 Scottish Mints. The coins themselves are not well struck, have 

 rather a rude appearance, and seldom have the inscription or 

 legends entire. 



Malcolm IV. minted coins similar to the first coinage of 

 Henry II. at Roxburgh, but they are very rare. 



It is in the reign of William the Lion that we ha\e definite 

 information regarding the coinage. His first coinage was what 

 is known as the crescent and pellet sterlings. The sceptre head 

 on the obverse is the distinguishing feature, those with a cross 

 potent correspond with the pennies of the first coinage of Henry 

 II., while those with a cross of four pearls correspond to the 

 second coinage. We find in the " Chronicle of Melrose " this entry 

 under the year 1195: — " Willelmus Rex Scottorum innovavit 

 monetam suam," which can mean nothing else than a change from 

 the short single cross on the reverse of the coin to the short double 

 cross — a change which had taken place in England 15 years pre- 

 viously. Wyntoun in his " Chronicle " also mentions: — 



" Of Scotland then the Kyng Willame 

 Renew'd his mone then at hame." 



The coinage of William would, however, occupy consider- 

 able time, as the names of the Mints and moneyers are numerous, 

 and we must leave it to some future occasion, and hurry on to 

 the coinage of the Alexanders, which is more the subject of this 

 paper. Alexander II. succeeded his father in 1214. His coins 

 are rare, considering that he reigned for 35 years. Mr Burns 

 explains this by saying that Alexander II., like his English con- 

 temporaries, struck his money with his father's name and type up 

 to 1247. At this point we are confronted by the double cross 



