By Mr. William Boyne, F.S.A. 



75 



English leaden Tokens, all of which were illegal, and against the 

 circulation of which many severe laws were enacted by our earlier 

 Kings. Silver money was coined as low in value as the penny, 

 three-farthings, half-penny, and farthing ; all these were in com- 

 mon use, but from their small size and weight — the silver half- 

 penny of Elizabeth weighing only four grains — they were extremely 

 inconvenient and were easily lost. Small change of a more useful 

 size and weight was required, even though it must consist of a 

 baser metal. In the reign of Elizabeth, pattern-pieces were struck, 

 and a proclamation drawn up, legalizing the circulation of copper 

 money ; but owing to the difficulties the Queen had experienced 

 in restoring the standard of silver money, which had been much 

 debased during the extravagant reign of Henry VIIL, her aversion 

 to a base currency was so great, that the project was abandoned 

 without trial. Pennies and half-pennies of small size, however, 

 were issued in 1601 and 1602 for circulation in Ireland, and 

 authority was granted by Elizabeth, to the Mayor and Corporation 

 of the city of Bristol, to issue a Corporation farthing Token. 



The need for small change being urgent, leaden Tokens, generally 

 of mean workmanship, continued to be issued by tradesmen until 

 1613, the eleventh year of the reign of James L, who then delega- 

 ted his prerogative of striking copper money to John, Baron 

 Harington, for a money consideration ; the patent however was 

 granted for farthings only. 



On the accession of Charles I. to the throne in 1625, the patent 

 for the coinage of farthings was renewed. The privilege was grossly 

 abused by the patentees, who issued them in unreasonable quanti- 

 ties, and of a merely nominal intrinsic value, the coins weighing 

 only six grains each. They encouraged the circulation by giving 

 twenty one shillings in farthings for twenty shillings in silver ; by 

 this means many unprincipled persons were induced to purchase 

 them, and would force five, ten, and even twenty shillings' worth 

 of them at a time on all with whom they had dealings. In a short 

 time, not only the city of London, but the whole kingdom, and 

 especially the counties adjacent to the metropolis — Kent, Essex, 

 Suffolk, and Norfolk — were so burdened with them, that in many 



