Medieval English Hammered Farthings: Edward III Farthing

Coins of this reign were minted in four places, which can easily be identified by the legend on the reverse of each coin:

Berwick mint (VILLA BERVVICI)
Dublin mint (CIVITAS DVBLINIE)
London mint (CIVITAS LONDON)
Reading mint (VILLA RADINGY)

To find out more about the farthing types for each mint, click on the mint name above.

Click here to find out more about why the coinage of Edward III has classifications such as Pre-Treaty, Treaty and Post-Treaty.

The "missing" Calais mint farthings:

Edward III successfully besieged and captured Calais in August 1347. It was an "English" until the French recaptured in 1558, during the reign of Mary I. An indenture of 1 March 1363 appointed Henry de Brisele as Master of the Mint in the English possession of Calais. The indenture authorised denominations to be struck that matched those in use in England, with the provision that 'a hundred pounds' weight of silver per annum was to be coined into ferlings, or farthings.'¹ For the king's part, he agreed that once a month a proclamation would be made in Calais forbidding the use in the locality, for any purpose, of any money except that issued by the Calais mint. Those who did not comply could have all their non-Calais money confiscated and be imprisoned.

If London dies were used to produce farthings in Calais, then it would not be possible to identify them as produced in Calais and those using them would be subject to the harsh penalties specified in the proclamation. The first known farthings from the Calais mint were struck under Henry V, 130 years later.

So why are no Edward III Calais farthings are known - as the authorisation to specifically produce them was issued in 1363. The answer may be found on the gold Noble from Calais at this time, which has a flag applied to the stern castle (as a sort of privy mark) as the only way of distinguishing it from the London struck coins. The farthings may have been considered too small to for any distinguishing privy mark, although it remains anomalous that if Calais farthings were issued, the reverse of all known Edward III farthings have the legend CIVITAS LONDON.

Medieval English Hammered Farthings: Edward III - Intro.