3G 



ON LOCAL TOKENS. 



By Wm. Jackson, J. P. 



(This Paper is given in abstract, the author having been requested to bring 

 the subject before the Cumberland and "Westmoreland Antiquarian and Archoe- 

 ological Society.) 



Mr. Jack.son exhibited two cases of Cimiberland Tokens, the larger 

 one containing twenty-seven, and the smaller four, specimens, and after a 

 few preliminaiy remarks on the subject of Tokens generally, stated that so 

 very numerous were the varieties, and so extensive had been their circu- 

 lation at one time when the copper currency was not in the settled 

 condition that it is at present, that a correspondent of his, an ardent 

 collector, possessed not less than 15,000 varieties in his cabinet. He then 

 drew attention to the larger case, the specimens in which (though they 

 had passed in a few instances into the general circulation as pence, half- 

 pence, and fartliing.s, according to their various sizes,) were not formally 

 intended to pass as money, but were given out to carters as certificates 

 that the load of coals taken from the pit, had been duly delivered at the 

 shipping port, and therefore the holder was entitled to receive a certain 

 sum, on presenting the same at the office on pay nights. Each shipping 

 colliery had a die of its own struck off, and one of the specimens exhibited 

 dated as far back as the sixteenth century, which indicated the antiquity of 

 the practice. 



The smaller case contained a few of the many pecuniary tokens struck 

 by John Wilkinson, the great iron founder, of last century, whose residence 

 at the foot of Castle Head, near Grange, may be seen by the traveller on 

 the Furness line to Carnforth, on the left, after passing the Grano-e station. 

 Amongst other very interesting facts in connection with this very re- 

 markable man, it was stated that he was the first who made practical use 

 of coke in the smelting of iron ; that he built the first iron vessel ; that he 

 was primarily concerned in the erection of the first iron bridge, that of 



