76 Australasian COIN & BANKNOTE YEAR BOOK 2015

MOST coin collectors are not awarethat from 1279 to 1534 a numberof English bishops minted coins, andtheir marks or initials appear on thecoins. This period includes the reign ofHenry VIII, and is interesting for sev-eral reasons, especially for the historyof the Church in England.

There were Christians in Englandeven before 410 when the Roman legionsleft and Roman control ceased, andduring the subsequent Anglo-SaxonPeriod the Church became establishedin the country. Because secular controlwas often weak the bishops and arch-bishops became powerful figures, andsometimes their names appeared on thereverse of coins with the king’s nameon the obverse. The earliest example ofthis is a styca (a coin that circulated inthe north of England) issued by KingEadberht of Northumbria (737-58) andArchbishop Ecgberht of York. (Figure1) Ecgberht was Eadberht’s brother. Inthe south of England the archbishop ofCanterbury was particularly powerfulin Anglo-Saxon times, and ArchbishopWulfred (805-32) minted a penny withhis name and title on the obverse andthe name of the moneyer on the reverse.(Figure 2) The archbishop is shownwith his head tonsured, i.e. the hair on

top of his head has been shaved off.Why monks and priests were tonsuredis unknown, but the remaining ring ofhair might have represented the Crownof Thorns. According to malicious rum-our a married woman could tell if it washer husband in her bed at night byfeeling the hair on top of his head. The last archbishop of Canterbury to

issue coins in the Anglo-Saxon Periodwas Plegmund (890-914), and althoughthe ecclesiastical mints continued tostrike coins it was not till the reign ofEdward I (1272-1307) that bishops’marks appear on the coins. Antony Bek(also spelt Bec and Beck) was the bishopof Durham from 1284 to 1311, and heput a cross moline (a cross with curvedends) in one angle of the cross on thereverse of the pennies minted at Dur-ham. (Figure 3) A cross moline was Bek’scoat of arms. (Figure 4) He had aninteresting career, accompanying theking on crusade and being made patri-

English Ecclesiastical Coinageby Peter E. Lewis

View of Durham Cathedral. (Wikimedia Commons. Photo by mattbuck)

Figure 1 – Silver styca of King Eadberht andArchbishop Ecgberht (737-758) minted at York.Diameter 13 mms. The king’s name surroundsa cross on the obverse. The archbishop standsholding two long crosses on the reverse,and his name is to the right. SCBC 852. (TritonXV, Lot 1843)

Figure 2 – Silver penny of Archbishop Wulfred (805-832) minted at Canterbury. His tonsured bustappears on the obverse surrounded by his name. The name of the moneyer, Saeberht, appearson the reverse. Like SCBC 889. (Classical Numismatic Group Auction 63, Lot 1928.cngcoins.com)

77Australasian COIN & BANKNOTE YEAR BOOK 2015

arch of Jerusalem by Pope Clement Vin 1306. The archbishop of York put aquatrefoil (a symbol with four leaves) inthe centre of the cross on the penniesminted at York. (Figure 5) Bishops’marks continued to appear on pennieson and off till the reign of Henry VI(1422-61 and 1470-71), when a promi-nent B appeared to the right of theking’s neck on the pennies minted atDurham. The letter stood for LawrenceBooth, who was appointed bishop ofDurham in 1457. Putting an initial nextto the king’s bust seems rather bold,but Henry VI was a gentle and devoutman who was more interested in church

music than in fighting battles or evenruling the country. During the reignof Edward IV (1461-70 and 1471-83)Lawrence Booth moved the B up to beon the left of Edward’s crown. (Figure 6) Edward IV granted Thomas Bourchier,

Archbishop of Canterbury (1464-7), theright to mint halfgroats and halfpen-nies, in addition to the pennies that theecclesiastical mints had previouslyproduced. George Neville, Archbishop ofYork (1465-76) continued the practiceof putting initials on coins, and a Gappears to the left of King Edward’sneck. Also there is a key to the right ofhis neck and a quatrefoil on the reverse.

(Figure 7) The key refers to Jesus giv-ing Peter the keys of the Kingdom ofHeaven (Matthew 16:19), and bishopsput keys on their coins to emphasizetheir spiritual authority.The first Tudor king was Henry VII

(1485-1509), and in 1486 he appointedJohn Morton (Figure 8) to be archbishopof Canterbury. In 1487 Henry made himLord Chancellor, and in 1488 the popemade him a cardinal. With secular andclerical power Morton was one ofthe most influential people in the king-dom, and it is not surprising that hisinitial should appear in the centre ofthe cross on the halfgroats, pennies

Figure 3 – Silver penny of Antony Bek, Bishopof Durham (1284-1311). On the obverse arethe bust and name of Edward I. A crossmoline appears in one angle of the cross onthe reverse, and the legend is CIVITASDUREME, Durham City. SCBC 1424. (St JamesAuction 7, Lot 58)

Figure 4 – The coat of arms of Bishop Bek in theform of a cross moline. (Wikimedia Commons)

Figure 5 – Silver penny minted at York during the reign of Edward 1 (1272-1307). It has a quatre-foil, the symbol of the archbishop of York, on the king’s chest and in the centre of the cross on thereverse. The old Latin name of York, EBORACUM, is on the reverse. SCBC 1430. (ebay: wiglaf2008)

Figure 6 – Silver penny of Lawrence Booth, Bishop of Durham (1471-1476). On the obverse isthe bust of Edward IV with a V on his neck, crosses above his shoulders and a large B to theleft of his crown. SCBC 2120. (Baldwin’s Auction 80, Lot 2220)

Figure 7 – Silver penny of George Neville, Archbishop of York (1465-1476). On the obverse are thebust and name of Edward IV with a key to the right of his neck and G (for George) to the left.There is a quatrefoil in the centre of the reverse. SCBC 2062. (Baldwin’s Auction 80, Lot 2218, part)

78 Australasian COIN & BANKNOTE YEAR BOOK 2015

and half-pennies minted at Canterbury.(Figure 9)Ecclesiastical coinage becomes par-

ticularly interesting during the reign ofHenry VIII (1509-47) because in 1514he appointed a clever and ambitiousman to be archbishop of York. In 1515he made him Lord Chancellor, and inthe same year the pope made him acardinal. His name was Thomas Wolsey.(Figure 10) Wolsey was skilful in dealing

with European politics and expected tobecome pope, but in this he was notsupported by the emperor Charles V.In 1527, when Henry began to takesteps to divorce his wife, Catherine ofAragon, Wolsey worked with this aimin view, but Catherine was the aunt ofCharles V, and Wolsey failed to obtainthe necessary papal dispensation. Thepope did not want to offend Charles.Anne Boleyn, whom Henry intended tomarry, blamed Wolsey, and in 1530 hewas arrested on a charge of treason. Inpart, Wolsey was accused of oversteppinghis authority by issuing groats with hisinitials on either side of the king’s arms

on the reverse, and his cardinal’s capbelow the cross. (Figures 11, 12 and13) Bishops had not previously mintedgroats, which were fairly large silvercoins worth four pence. They were aroyal prerogative, having been firstissued by Edward I (1272-1307), and itseems unlikely that Wolsey would nothave obtained at least tacit approvalfrom the king before minting them.Apparently it was the placing of hiscardinal’s hat on the groat that wasthe principal offence. It represented anauthority that came from a figure aboveeven the king. The wording of theactual indictment was: Also the said

Figure 8 – Portrait of Cardinal John Morton,Archbishop of Canterbury (1486-1500). (Wiki-media Commons)

Figure 9 – Silver halfgroat of Archbishop Morton. There is a bust of Henry VII on the obverse,and M (for Morton) in the centre of the cross on the reverse. SCBC 2208. (Collection of StJohn’s Cathedral, Brisbane)

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79Australasian COIN & BANKNOTE YEAR BOOK 2015

lord cardinal of his further pompous andpresumptuous mind, hath enterprisedto join and imprint the cardinal’s hatunder your arms in your coin of groats,made at your city of York, which likedeed hath not yet been seen to have beendone by any subject within your realmbefore this time. (Quoted on page 76 ofCoins and Christianity by KennethJacob) Wolsey avoided trial and execut-ion by dying on his way to London in1530.Wolsey was not the archbishop of

Canterbury, who from 1504 to 1532was William Warham. (Figure 14) ButWarham was not a cardinal and wasovershadowed by Wolsey. Although con-servative in his views, in 1531 Warhamagreed that Henry VIII should be headof the Church in England “as far as thelaw of Christ allows.” This, of course,was part of Henry’s strategy in obtain-ing a divorce from Catherine, but itencouraged those in England who werebeing influenced by the Reformation inEurope. In 1532, however, Warhamprotested against the changes beingenacted by the pro-Reformation parlia-ment. He might have been a powerfuladversary of the king if he had notdied of natural causes soon after. AtCanterbury he minted halfgroats,pennies and halfpennies, with WA (forWarham Archbishop) on the reverse.(Figure 15)Following Warham’s death in 1432

Henry VIII arranged for Thomas Cran-mer to be elected archbishop of Can-terbury. (Figure 16) Cranmer had beenstrongly influenced by Reformation ideasand supported the king in breaking awayfrom Rome. In 1533 he annulled Henry’smarriage to Catherine, and subse-

Figure 10 – Portrait of Cardinal Wolsey, Archbishop of York. (1514-1530) His cardinal’s hat isshown in the upper right. (Wikimedia Commons)

Figure 11 – Silver groat of Cardinal Wolsey, minted at York. There is a bust of Henry VIII on the obverse, and the letters TW (for Thomas Wolsey)beside the shield on the reverse. Wolsey’s cardinal’s hat is below the cross on the reverse. SCBC 2339. (Collection of St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane)

80 Australasian COIN & BANKNOTE YEAR BOOK 2015

quently worked towards aligning theChurch in England with the Protestantchurches in northern Europe. At Can-terbury he minted halfgroats, penniesand halfpennies with his initials onthe reverse. (Figure 17) During Henry’s reign the following

prelates also issued coins with theirmarks or initials on them: ArchbishopBainbridge of York (1508-14), Arch-bishop Lee of York (1531-44), BishopRuthall of Durham (1509-23) and BishopTunstall of Durham (1530-59). BishopTunstall (Figure 18) had a stormycareer. Named ‘Cuthbert’ after SaintCuthbert, whose tomb is in DurhamCathedral, he eventually agreed thatHenry should be the head of the Churchin England, but he was devoted to Cath-olicism and as England became moreProtestant under Henry’s son, EdwardVI (1547-53) his position became un-tenable. In 1552 he was deprived of hisbishopric. When Henry’s Catholic daugh-ter, Mary Tudor (1553-58), became queenhe was re-instated, but when Henry’ssecond daughter, Elizabeth (1558-1603),became queen, he was imprisoned inLambeth Palace. On the coins that heminted at Durham the initials CD (forCuthbert Durham) appear on thereverse. (Figure 19) Tunstall’s mint buil-ding at Durham still stands, and thereis a one-minute video about it on the

Figure 13 – Detail of reverse of Figure 12 with colour added. No hat has ever been so important in the history of a nation.

Figure 12 – Silver halfgroat of CardinalWolsey. It is similar to the groat in Figure 11,and Wolsey’s hat is clearly shown on thereverse. The reverse legend is CIVITAS EBO-RACI, City of York. SCBC 2346. (Collection ofSt John’s Cathedral, Brisbane)

Figure 14 – Portrait of William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury (1504-1532). (Wikimedia Commons)

81Australasian COIN & BANKNOTE YEAR BOOK 2015

website ‘Durham Video Diaries’. Go tohttp://tapnortheast.co.uk/durhamblog/and click on ‘Durham Mint’. Thomas Cranmer also had a stormy

career. He was very influential duringthe reign of Edward VI who was onlynine when he became king but he heldstrongly Protestant views. Cranmerwas able to bring about fundamentalchanges in the Church, such as theBook of Common Prayer in English andthe recognition of clerical marriage.When Mary became queen he wastried for heresy, and in order to savehis life he recanted his previous views. In1556, however, he renounced his recan-tations and was burnt at the stake.According to John Moorman, the authorof A History of the Church in England,“He could not say he believed some-thing which he knew to be untrue. So hefaced his martyrdom, plunging the hand

that had signed his recantations intothe flames, crying: ‘This hand hathoffended’.”In 1544 Henry VIII did not confirm

the right to mint coins by the archbish-ops of Canterbury and York and by thebishop of Durham. This was part of hisstrategy to deprive the Church of itswealth and power. Monasteries weredemolished and ecclesiastical mintsclosed. Even the shrine of St ThomasBecket in Canterbury Cathedral wasdestroyed. Control of minting by theprince-bishops in their cathedral citieswas replaced by state control. It is amazing to think that these coins

which bear the marks and initials ofsuch famous men as Cardinal Wolseyand Archbishop Cranmer can be coll-ected and studied today. Anyone inter-ested in the history of the Church inEngland, which is relevant to the historyof the Anglican Church of Australia,should treasure these coins.

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Figure 15 – Silver halfgroat of Archbishop Warham. There is a bust of Henry VIII on the obverse,and the letters WA (for Warham Archbishop) beside the shield on the reverse. SCBC 2343.(Collection of St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane)

Figure 16 – Portrait of Thomas Cranmer,Archbishop of Canterbury (1532-1553). (Wiki-media Commons)

Figure 17 – Silver halfgroat of ArchbishopCranmer. There is a bust of Henry VIII on theobverse, and the letters TC (for Thomas Cran-mer) beside the shield on the reverse. Thereverse legend is CIVITAS CANTOR (Canter-bury City). SCBC 2345. (Collection of St John’sCathedral, Brisbane)

Figure 19 – Silver penny of Bishop Tunstall.Henry VIII is shown enthroned on the obverse,and the letters CD (for Cuthbert Durham) arebeside the shield on the reverse. The reverselegend is CIVITAS DURHAM, Durham City.SCBC 2354. (Classical Numismatic GroupAuction 72, Lot 2569)

Figure 18 – Portrait of Cuthbert Tunstall,bishop of Durham (1530-1552 and 1554-1559). He is wearing a biretta, which is a stiff,square hat with four ridges on top. It is blackfor priests, purple for bishops and scarlet forcardinals. (Wikimedia Commons)