THE TOKENS OF CORNWALL. 29 



are now known as black money, and the leaden private tokens 

 aforesaid, no attempt had been made to issue coins of any other 

 metal than gold and silver, although these metals were frequently 

 sadly debased for coinage purposes. In 1613, however, James I 

 not only abolished the leaden tokens, but granted a patent to 

 Lord Harrington, of Exton, to issue farthing tokens of copper. As 

 they only weighed nine grains, they did not find favour with the 

 public. Charles I granted a patent to coin copper farthings for 

 17 years to the Dowager Duchess of Richmond and Sir Francis 

 Crane. These also were very small; moreover the patentees 

 refused to re-change them. So the discontent waxed great, and in 

 1644, in reply to many petitions, Parliament "decried" the 

 farthings and the legal issue of copper coinage ceased. 



Bu£ the course of trade could not be cheeked. " Change," as 

 some of the tokens themselves express it, was " necessary " ; and 

 so in every city and town, and almost in every village, throughout 

 the kingdom, traders of all kinds issued their own brass or copper 

 penny, half-penny, or farthing tokens, chiefly the latter ; which, as 

 the intrinsic was far beneath the nominal value, they would change 

 again for their customers. This fact was occasionally announced 

 on the tokens, as by Edward Broad, Southmolton. 



" When you please 

 lie chainge these." 



The earliest date on these tokens is 1648 ; the latest, in Eng- 

 land, 1672, in which year Charles II made a very stringent 

 proclamation against them ; and what was very much more to the 

 purpose, ordered half-pence and farthings of copper to be issued 

 from the mint. The necessity for the tokens thus disappeared 

 coincidently with their prohibition. They fell into disuse and are 

 now only objects of curiosity ; — interesting relics of the internal 

 commerce of this kingdom two centuries ago. 



But Charles II did not issue any copper pence, nor did his 

 successors down to 1797. Meantime, small change had again 

 become scarce, immense quantities of copper half-pence and 

 farthings had been forged, and failing to grapple with the mone- 

 tary wants of the nation itself the government permitted the 

 issue of copper tokens. Pence, half-pence, and farthings were 

 again coined privately, but this time of a size that made them 



