Noble (English coin)
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
gold coin
Gold coin
A gold coin is a coin made mostly or entirely of gold. Gold has been used for coins practically since the invention of coinage, originally because of gold's intrinsic value...
produced in quantity, having been preceded by the Gold penny and the Florin earlier in the reigns of King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and King Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, which saw little circulation.
The derivatives of the Noble, the Half Noble and Quarter Noble, on the other hand were produced in quantity and were very popular.
The value of the coin was six shillings and eight pence (written 6/8), or eighty pence, which was equivalent to eighty pence or one-third of a pound sterling. The weight was changed from issue to issue to maintain this value until 1464 when the value was increased. Throughout the history of this denomination there are many varieties of inscriptions, mintmarks, and to some extent, design.
Origin
The coin was introduced during the second coinage (1344-1346) of King Edward III, when the coin weighed 138.5 grains (9.0 grams); during the king's third coinage (1346-1351) the weight of the coin was reduced to 128.5 grains (8.3 grams), while in his fourth coinage (1351-1377) it became even lighter, at 120 grains (7.8 grams). The diameter of the Noble was 33-35 mm, Half Noble 25-26 mm and Quarter Noble 19-21 mm.Edward III Second Coinage obverse legend: EDWAR DGRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB (Edward by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland). Design: The king, holding a sword and shield in a ship. Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORUM IBAT (But Jesus passing through their midst went His way). Design: 'L' in centre of a cross.
The Third Coinage design is the same as the Second Coinage, except for having an 'E' in the centre of the cross on the reverse.
During the Fourth Coinage, politics required changes in the inscriptions. Initially Edward retained his claim on the throne of France, but following the Treaty of Brétigny
Treaty of Brétigny
The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty signed on May 9, 1360, between King Edward III of England and King John II of France. In retrospect it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War —as well as the height of English hegemony on the Continent.It was signed...
in 1360 this claim was dropped, and coins instead claim Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
. In 1369 the treaty broke down and the claim on the throne of France was reinstated.
Pre-Treaty legend (obverse): EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC D HYB(E) (Edward by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of the Irish). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORUM IBAT (But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
Transitional period (1361) and Treaty period (1361-1369) (obverse): EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL DNS HYB Z ACQ (Edward by the grace of God King of England Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine). Reverse legend: IHC AUTE TRANSIES P MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT (many varieties exist and often whole words are missing)(But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
Post-Treaty period (1369-1377) (obverse): EDWARD DEI G REX ANG Z FRA DNS HYB Z ACT (Edward by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine). Reverse legend: IHC AUTE TRANSIES P MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT (many varieties exist and often whole words are missing)(But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
1377 onwards
During the reign of King Richard IIRichard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
(1377-1399) Nobles were struck at both the London and Calais mints, but today they are difficult to obtain. Coins minted at Calais can be distinguished because the ship has a flag at the stern.
Obverse legend: RICARD DI G REX ANGL Z FR DNS HIBS Z AQT (with minor variations in abbreviations) (Richard by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT (many varieties exist)(But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
There exists a variant obverse: RICARD DI GR REX ANGL DNS HIBS Z AQT - note the omission of the French title.
Nobles produced during the reign of King Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
(1399-1413) are divided into the heavy coinage of 120 grains (7.8 grams) produced until 1412, and the light coinage of 108 grains (7.0 grams) produced in 1412-1413. Henrician Nobles are a little difficult to distinguish because King Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
and King Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
also produced Nobles and at first glance they look very similar, but variations particularly in mintmarks can tell them apart -- interested readers are advised to consult a good coin catalogue.
During the Heavy Coinage period, Nobles were minted in both London and Calais, the Calais coins again being distinguished by the flag on the stern of the ship. During the Light Coinage period, Nobles were only minted in London.
Obverse legend: HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FR DNS HIBS Z AQT (with many variations in abbreviations) (Henry by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT (But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
1413 onwards
Henry V's (1413-1422) coins are very similar to those of his father, but there are about 7 different varieties of design and style of lettering. The omission of the "and Aquitaine" title is another difference between the coins of Henry IV and V.Obverse legend: HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB (often abbreviated) (Henry by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of the Irish). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRAN(S)IENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT (But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
Nobles were struck throughout Henry VI's first reign (1422-1461), but a shortage of gold resulted in fewer coins being struck. There were a number of issues, from both the London and Calais mints, but towards the end of the period the coins were only struck in London.
Obverse legend: HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB (often abbreviated) (Henry by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of the Irish). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT (But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
1430 onwards
The gold Noble which had hardly changed in style, value, or quality since the reign of Edward III was minted for the last time during the first reign of King Edward IVEdward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
(1461-1470). The price of gold rose from the 1430s onward, and this meant that gold coins were worth more in Europe than in England, which resulted in a gold shortage in England as coins were exported for profit. Only a small quantity of Nobles were minted during Edward IV's Heavy Coinage period (1461-1464), at London. Finally, in 1464 in an attempt to stop the coins drifting over to the continent, the value of all gold Nobles was raised from six shillings and eight pence, (6/8) = 80 pence to eight shillings and four pence, (8/4) = 100 pence and a new coin, the "Rose Noble, or Ryal" worth ten shillings and weighing 120 grains (7.8 grams) was introduced -- however it was unpopular and was discontinued after 1470. In contrast, a new coin worth six shillings and eight pence (the same as the original Noble), the Angel
Angel (coin)
The Angel is a gold coin introduced into England by Edward IV in 1465 as a new issue of the Noble, thus is was first called the "angel-noble". It is based off the French coin known as the Angelot or Ange, which had been issued since 1340. It varied in value between that period and the time of...
was introduced in 1464 and soon became a popular and important coin.
Obverse legend: EDWARD DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB (Edward by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLOR IBAT (But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).
Shakespeare
The noble is present in Shakespeare's theatre:- Henry IV, Part 1Henry IV, Part 1Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
- Hostess: Marry, my lord, there is a nobleman of the court at door would speak with you: he says he comes from your father.
- Prince Henry: Give him as much as will make him a royal man, and send him back again to my mother.
- The royal refers to an English gold coin worth 10 shillings.
- Henry VI, Part 1Henry VI, part 1Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
:
- Henry VI, Part 1
- Shepard:
' Tis true, I gave a noble to the priest
The morn that I was wedded to her mother.- Henry VHenry V (play)Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
:
- Henry V
- Nym: I shall have my eight shillings I won of you at betting?
- Pistol: A noble shalt thou have, and present pay;
- Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
:
- Richard III
- Gloucester: ...
- That scarce, some two days since, were worth a noble.
- Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
:
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Benedick: ...noble, or not I for an angelAngel (coin)The Angel is a gold coin introduced into England by Edward IV in 1465 as a new issue of the Noble, thus is was first called the "angel-noble". It is based off the French coin known as the Angelot or Ange, which had been issued since 1340. It varied in value between that period and the time of...
;...