COINS OF SAINTS

This seems to be the proper place to speak of the coins of saints, or rather coins bearing their names, which were struck by particular abbots in virtue of authority granted for that purpose. Those of St. Peter have been called Peter pence, and erroneously supposed to have been coined for the purpose of paying to Rome the tribute which bore that name. The coins bearing the name of St. Peter are silver pennies, and were coined at York, as the legend on the reverse is always Eboraci (York) more or less abbreviated. The style and execution of the sword on the obverse being precisely similar to that on the coins of Eric, refers these coins at once to that period.

Those of St. Martin are similar, with the exception of having "Lincoia civit" (city of Lincoln) on the reverse: they are undoubtedly of the same period.

Those of St. Edmund have no place of mintage: they are evidently earlier than the time of Edward the Confessor, and must be placed at latest with those of St. Peter and St. Martin, and possibly refer to St. Eadmund Rex, of the East Angles, 855 to 870, a. D.

COINS OF DIGNITARIES OF THE CHURCH.

The archbishops, bishops, and abbots, had authority, soon after the firm establishment of Christianity in the island, to strike money and enjoy the profits of mintage. But archbishops alone had the privilege of stamping the coins with their portraits and names; a privilege withdrawn by Athelstan in 924. The ecclesiastical coinage after this period is only distinguished from the royal by peculiar mint marks, and even these terminated in the reign of Henry VIII. The coins of the Archbishops of Canterbury are pennies.

The pennies of Jaenbert, who held the see of Canterbury from 763 to 790, have a flower surrounded by IAENBRHT. AREP., and on the reverse Offa Rex, from which it would appear that they had in some way joint jurisdictions.

A coin of Ceolnoth, who held the see of Canterbury from 830 to 870, has the front face of the Archbishop, with his name, and on the reverse a cross with "civitas" in the angles; the legend, DOROVERNIA* (Canterbury).

The coins of the Archbishops of York were stycas + till they became by the edict of Athelstan assimilated to the coins of the realm; those of Ulphere or Vulphere, who held this see from 854 to 892, are the last of the episcopal mint which bear the name of the archbishop.

CHAPTER XXIX.

COINS OF THE SOLE MONARCHS OF ENGLAND.

FROM EGBERT TO EDWARD THE CONFESSOR.

THE first sole monarch, as Egbert (Ecgbeorght) has been termed, became king of the West Saxons in the year 800, and gradually subduing nearly the whole of South Britain, gave the name of England to his territories. But Burgred, king of Mercia, reigned as late as 874, in the time of Alfred the Great. Ethelstan was also king of the East Angles late in the reign of Alfred- -as late as 890; and Eric, king of Northumberland, though tributary to the grandson of Alfred in 951, might even till then be considered as holding separate jurisdiction; and it was not till Eadred, another grandson of Alfred, who succeeded his brothers Athelstan and Eadmund, that Northumbria was annexed, and not till Edgar that the whole kingdom may be said to have been firmly united under one monarch. But having already spoken of the kings of the heptarchy separately, I may henceforth, for the sake of convenience of arrangement, treat of the coins of Egbert and his successors, as those of sole monarchs of England.

The coins of Egbert do not differ in general from those of the kings of the heptarchy; some have the king's profile

*There are also coins of Vulfred, 803 to 830; Plegmund, 891 to 923 and Ethered, 871 to 890.

There are also stycas of Eanbald, 796; and Vigmund, 851.

with his name, as "Ecgbeorht Rex," with a cross and the moneyer's name on the reverse; others have a cross with his name and title, and on the reverse a different cross with the moneyer's name; some have a monogram supposed to be "Dorob. C." (city of Canterbury), and others" Saxo" or "Saxon," with the king's name and title as legend.

ETHELWFL (837 to 856) succeeded his father 837 A.D.; but his brother, Æthelstan, took a part of the territory; namely, Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Surrey. On his death they reverted to Ethelwfl; so that some of his coins exhibit the legend, Rex. Cant. Saxoniorum, and sometimes Occidentalium Saxoniorum. Canterbury is the only mint named on the coins of this king. His portrait is generally surrounded with "Edelwfl Rex," and the reverse of the coins has a double cross, with the moneyer's name. But there are many varieties, in which the small crosses are of a different design, &c.; and some have the monogram of Christ in the centre of the reverse.

ETHELBALD (855 to 860). A coin of this king is said to have been in existence, and there is an engraving of it, made under doubtful authority. But Dr. Coombe affirmed, that the coin really was once in the collection of Mr. Austin.

ETHELBEARHT, second son of Ethelwfl (856 to 866). Sixty varieties of the moneyers' names upon his coins are known Coins of this king, have his bust, with the legend "Edelbearht Rex," and on the reverse the letters of the moneyer's name, arranged in the angles of a cross.

ETHELRED (866 to 871) deprived Æthelbearht's children of their inheritance, and ascended the throne himself. His coins are generally light, and of impure silver, and somewhat resemble those of Burgred, king of Mercia. *

AELFRED THE GREAT (871 to 901) was the younger brother of Ethelred, and succeeded him. His portrait is very rudely executed on his first coins, and in the same style as those of his predecessors; but others of later date have the portrait in a somewhat improved style, and on the reverse a large monogram of "London," occupying the whole field. On some the word "Ornsnaford," for Oxford, occurs, forming, with the king's name, three lines. There is also a

* Hawkins' British Silver Coins.

small coin of his, appearing to be a half-penny. A very peculiar piece is also in existence, weighing 162 grains, instead of about 20 grains, the average weight of his pennies. It must, however, be rather considered in the light of a medal than a coin.*

EDWARD THE ELDER (901 to 925) succeeded his father, Alfred. His coins are very numerous, exhibiting above eighty varieties of moneyers' names; both pennies and halfpennies of his reign occur; the latter, however, seldom weigh more than from seven to nine grains. His head appears on his coin in a rude but somewhat Roman style, and the reverses are very various, some with a building, of too coarse execution to be interesting as a record of any period of architecture, and others with a large hand expressed by raised outlines. Some have a hand issuing from a cloud, with "Eadweard Rex," and a small cross in the centre, or "Eborace, cv." (city of York). The buildings on the reverses of these coins are very much in the style of some that are found on late Roman coins, particularly those of Constantine, thought to be English, from having P. LON. on the reverse, which may perhaps be read Pecunia

Londiniensis."

ETHELSTAN (925 to 941) succeeded his father (see Plate IX). He paid considerable attention to his coinage, determining, among other regulations made at a grand synod, at which Wulfhelme, archbishop of Canterbury, and all the wise and powerful of the kingdom were assembled, that the whole coinage of the realm should be alike, and therefore withdrew from archbishops, or others, the privilege of having their portraits or names on the coins which they minted; and he also

In the possession of Mr. Garland.

established places of coinage at a number of the then principal towns. The ecclesiastical and royal mints have, from this period, no distinctive mark till about Edward I., when those privileged to mint adopted mint marks, such as initial letters or badges, by which their coins can be distinguished as late as the time of Henry VIII. Athelstan, however, did not interfere with the moneyer's name, which still continued on the reverses of the coins, and from this period more frequently accompanied by the name of the place of mintage, occasionally preceded by the word "Urbs," instead of "Civitas." He is generally styled Rex, sometimes Rex Saxorum, but frequently Rex totius Britanniæ; showing that Egbert and his descendants have not only been styled sole "monarchs of all Britain" by subsequent historians, but, that it was a title of their own assumption: indeed, so great an event was the consolidation of the heptarchy considered, that more than one of the British monarchs had thoughts of assuming the title of emperor (imperator), but abandoned the idea in deference to a contrary wish of the Pope. There are found on the coins of Athelstan about sixty variations of names of mints, and full one hundred of moneyers' names, and the reverses of some have rude buildings, like those of his father. Some little confusion occurs as to some coins formerly attributed to Athelstan, the (self-styled) sole monarch, which Mr. Hawkins is inclined to attribute to Athelstan of the East Angles.

EADMUND (941 to 946). His coins are similar in general character to those of his brother Athelstan, but none have been found having buildings on the reverses, like those of his two predecessors. His portrait has sometimes a helmet, and sometimes a crown. The place of mintage is generally omitted on his coins; some of them have been mistaken for those of St. Edmund.

EADRED (946 to 955), another brother of Athelstan. The types of his coins are similar to those of his immediate predecessor. They have "Eadred Rex;" and on the reverse the moneyer's name. Norwich is the only ascertained place of mintage in this reign.

EADWIG (955 to 959). The son of Eadmund succeeded his uncle his portraits have the name and title with Eadwig Rex;" the reverses Iave only the moneyer's name