Overview:
The medieval hammered silver farthings of Ireland were, from a strictly monetary perspective, the coinage of the English overlords in their Irish possessions.
These coins were produced from Irish silver and were the only recognised instruments of paying taxes to the English. These coins were neither intended for, nor used as, coinage for commonplace financial transactions. The "game" was that the Irish would have to exchange their goods or currency for English silver to pay taxes. There was a transaction fee to make the conversion - so not only did the Irish have to pay taxes to the English, but they also got charged for the pleasure of doing it!
Stylistically these coins had the same style of reverse as their English equivalent (i.e. a long cross with three pellets in each quadrant and the mint name around the outer edge). But the obverse was notably different with the inner circle that surrounded the English farthings replaced by a triangle that framed the kings' head and divided the legend.
In January 1281 Alexander Normanni of Lucca became Master of the Irish money, in charge of minting at both Dublin and Waterford. He replaced Walter Unred, who was mayor of Dublin as well as royal moneyer, and probably did not have the time or the experience to supervise a large-scale recoinage. Edward also chose Andrew de Spersholt, a burgess of Dublin, as Warden in place of Henry de Ponte, perhaps in order to keep the citizens of Dublin closely associated with the exchange.
The "Early Issue" Edward I Irish farthings appear to have been struck from dies produced in London. It is possible that the the "Late Issue" farthings were struck from the dies ordered for Ireland from William de Wymundham between 1292 and 1295 (ref. BNJ 46 1976, pp 46-47) although Withers puts the issue date at 1297-1302.
Mintages:
RHM Dolley suggested that between c.1280 and c.1285 there was approximately £40,000 of silver minted into Pennies, Halfpennies and Farthings at Edward I's Irish mints. He breaks this down further into £24,000 minted at Dublin and £16,000 at Waterford.
Between c.1294 and 1302 no more than £10,000 of was silver minted in Ireland. Dolley calculates that £8,500 was minted at Dublin and a mere £250 at Waterford.
This total of £50,000 compares with approximately £1,400,000 struck during the same period at the English mints.
FIRST/SECOND ISSUE1
Date: 1280-1284
Mint: Dublin
Type: First/Early Issue - Type I
Diameter: 10-11mm
Weight: 0.36g
Obverse:
ERA NG LI
E
Legend around the outside of a triangular frame which encloses the kings' head. Tall trifoliate crown. Oval face with pellet eyes and bushy hair of three strands. No neck with triangular drapery. Open C & E, composite S, large A, wedge tailed R, incurved uprights to the I's and N's.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
DF.70
W-VI.1a
Scarcity: Scarce
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£175 (Very Fine)
Sold by:
Two examples of this coin are listed in the SCBI 10, "Anglo-Irish Coins in the Ulster Museum":
-
(573) Grainger [donated to the Ulster Museum in 1891]
-
(574) Seaby [1964]
Date: 1280-1284
Mint: Dublin
Type: First/Early Issue - Type I
Diameter: 10-11mm
Weight: 0.36g
Obverse:
ERA (triangle)NG LI
E
Legend around the outside of a triangular frame which encloses the kings' head. Tall trifoliate crown. Oval face with pellet eyes and bushy hair of three strands. No neck with triangular drapery. Open C & E, composite S, large A, wedge tailed R, incurved uprights to the I's and N's.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
W-VI.1b
Scarcity: Very Rare
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£175 (Very Fine)
Sold by:
- The example shown above could be Type 1b (with a triangle followed by NG on the obverse legend) or Type 1d (with ANG on the obverse legend) - the condition of the coin makes positive identification impossible.
Date: 1280-1284
Mint: Dublin
Type: First/Early Issue - Type I
Diameter: 10-11mm
Weight: 0.36g
Obverse:
ERA N·G LI
E
Legend around the outside of a triangular frame which encloses the kings' head. Tall trifoliate crown. Oval face with pellet eyes and bushy hair of three strands. No neck with triangular drapery. Open C & E, composite S, large A, wedge tailed R, incurved uprights to the I's and N's.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
W-VI.1c
Scarcity: Very Rare
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£175 (Very Fine)
Date: 1280-1284
Mint: Dublin
Type: First/Early Issue - Type I
Diameter: 10-11mm
Weight: 0.36g
Obverse:
ER ANG LI
E
Legend around the outside of a triangular frame which encloses the kings' head. Tall trifoliate crown. Oval face with pellet eyes and bushy hair of three strands. No neck with triangular drapery. Open C & E, composite S, large A, wedge tailed R, incurved uprights to the I's and N's.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
W-VI.1d
Scarcity: Very Rare
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£175 (Very Fine)
Note:
- The same obverse die was used on both the examples seen.
Date: 1280-1284
Mint: Dublin
Type: First/Early Issue - Type I
Diameter: 10-11mm
Weight: 0.36g
Obverse:
ERA NG LI
E
Legend around the outside of a triangular frame which encloses the kings' head. Tall trifoliate crown. Oval face with pellet eyes and bushy hair of three strands. No neck with triangular drapery. Open C & E, composite S, large A, SCROLL tailed R, incurved uprights to the I's and N's.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
W-VI.1e
Scarcity: Extremely Rare
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£175 (Very Fine)
Note:
- Patrick Finn noted in his May 1999 List of Coins: " The earliest of Edward's Irish farthings, a previously unrecorded variety... of greatest interest and the highest rarity. I am grateful for Jeffrey North's comments on this piece and in particular for pointing out that he had not noted the scroll-tailed R on a farthing before, it is always the wedge-tailed form."
Date: 1280-1284
Mint: Dublin
Type: First/Early Issue - Type I
Diameter: 10-11mm
Weight: 0.35g
Obverse:
ERA NG LI
E
As Type 1e (above) with a SCROLL tailed R - but on the reverse there is a pellet before the T in TAS.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
Unrecorded
Scarcity: Currently Unique
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£175 (Very Fine)
FOURTH / FIFTH ISSUE1:
In the Red Book of the Irish Exchequer, there is a reference to ''William
de Wymundham, comptroller of the King's exchange in England, by command from the bishop of Bath and Wells, the King's treasurer, sent to Sir William de Essenden treasurer of Ireland, twenty four stamps for coining money there, viz. three piles with six crosses for pennies; three piles with six crosses for half-pennies, and two piles with four crosses for farthings. And these be sent by John le Minor, Thomas Dowle, and John de Shordich, clerks, Members of the Company of Minters at London, to be by them used in the coinage of money.' It is possible that this entry in the Red Book refers to a new Irish coinage some time between 9 June 1292 and 16 August 1295 - during the Fourth or Fifth coinage. No farthings are currently known to exist from that period2.
SIXTH ISSUE1
Date: 1297-1302
Mint: Dublin
Type: Second/Late Issue - Type 2
Diameter: 11mm
Weight: 0.33g
Obverse:
ERA N G LI
E
Legend around the outside of a triangular frame which encloses the kings' head. Very wide trifoliate crown. Small face with flatter string-like hair. Long neck with V-shaped drapery. Closed C & E, continuous S, squat A, curved tailed R, straight uprights with serifs to the I's and N's.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
W-VI.2
Scarcity: Very Rare
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£180 (Very Fine)
Date: 1297-1302
Mint: Dublin
Type: Second/Late Issue - Type 3
Diameter: 11mm
Weight: 0.33g
Obverse:
ERA N G LI
E
Legend around the outside of a triangular frame which encloses the kings' head. Very wide trifoliate crown as Type 2. Small face with flatter string-like hair. Long neck with V-shaped drapery. Closed C & E, continuous S, squat A, curved tailed R, straight uprights with serifs to the I's and N's. Pellet below bust.
Reverse: CIVI TAS DVBL INIE
Long-cross with three pellets in each quarter.
Reference(s):
S.6267
W-VI.3
Scarcity: Very Rare
Guide Price:
£70 (Fine)
£180 (Very Fine)
Note:
- This coin was recorded in the British Numismatic Journal 46 (1976), pp.46-47, and SNC Vol. C, No. 9, (Nov. 1992), pp. 305.
Can't find your coin?
¹ DOLLEY, RHM. 1968: The Irish Mints of Edward I in the light of the
Coin-hoards from Ireland and Great Britain,' Proceedings of the Royal
Irish Academy, 66, Section C, no. 3, pp. 235-97.
² DYKES, DW. 1976: The Anglo-Irish Coinage of Edward III, (BNJ 1976),
pp 46
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