Shilling (English coin)
Encyclopedia
The English shilling was a coin of the Kingdom of England
, when first introduced known as the testoon. It remained in circulation until it became the British shilling as the result of the Union of England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain
in 1707.
There were twenty shilling
s to the pound sterling
and twelve pence to the shilling, and thus 240 pence to the pound.
times, when it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere.
, during the reign of Henry VII
, the forerunner of the shilling, the testoon, was introduced. This coin was produced in extremely small quantities, probably around 1489, and the fact that there are only three known dies for this issue (and three subsequent legend varieties, HENRIC, HENRIC VII and HENRIC SEPTIM) shows clearly that the coins were not made for general circulation. They were made during the same period as the trials for the Profile issue of groats and half-groats, so they were probably trial pieces or patterns.
In the Kingdom of Scotland
, during the regin of Mary I, Queen of Scots, the testoon and half testoon were introduced to the Scottish coinage
in 1553 and 1555 respectively.
The testoon was struck in quantity during the last part of the reign of Henry VIII
, with The Tower
, Southwark
, and Bristol
mints producing testoons in 1544–1551. These testoons were made in the very poor base silver, as were all coins of this period, and are known as base testoons. The coins were struck after Henry's death in 1547, at The Tower, Southwark, and possibly at Bristol.
The mint-marks for these testoons are as follows:
The coins from Southwark have the reverse legend "CIVITAS LONDON" (City of London) and the Bristol coins the legend "CIVITAS BRISTOLLIE" (City of Bristol). The obverse of these coins shows a facing bust of Henry VIII and the reverse side, a crowned rose.
continued the issues of base testoons. In his reign the testoons were called "shillings" for the first time, and the coins show the bust of the young boy king. Unlike his father's coins, the shillings of Edward VI cannot be differentiated by their reverse legend. There are six slightly different busts for these issues. Most importantly, these coins are the first English ones to carry the date, which is in Roman numerals. The coins were minted at the Durham House, Tower, Southwark, Canterbury and Bristol mints.
The mint-marks for these coins are:
Mint-marks:
was married in 1554 to Philip of Spain
, though Irish shillings with Mary's portrait were struck in 1553 and 1554 before her marriage.
After Mary's marriage some shillings were coined. To boost Philip's popularity his bust was placed on these coins, facing Mary's. These coins are fairly rare, but nevertheless do frequently appear on the market. There are two main varieties: Spanish titles (which adds on "Prince and Princess of Spain") and English titles. Many of these coins were dated using Arabic dates and some coins have a mark of value (I__II) above the royal shield. There is an exceedingly rare variety which has the date under the busts. All the coins were made at the Tower mint.
's reign was the counter-marking of the Edward VI shillings to revalue them to their true worth. These coins have the counter-mark of a portcullis or greyhound and are extremely rare. The coins with the portcullis counter-mark were revalued at fourpence halfpenny, and the coins with the greyhound were revalued at twopence farthing.
A major recoinage was then embarked upon, with thousands of silver coins being produced. The shilling was no exception with the date being removed from the design (however, mint-marks can be used to reveal the date). No shillings were produced between 1562 and 1582, but the next issue was also very large and a good number have survived for collectors.
Mint-marks:
The milled issue was produced by Eloye Mestrelle using horse power. The issues were a success, especially the sixpences, but he lost his post over various disputes with the mint workers. Although Eloye found it very difficult to make smaller coins the sixpences and shillings were made in fairly large quantities. The shillings still tend to be much rarer than sixpences and are often found weakly struck, gilded, holed, mounted etc. They are still available to collectors, albeit in poor condition.
, coinage continued in much the same way as in Elizabeth's but the coins have a mark of value (XII) in front of the bust. Some shillings were struck with a plume above the shield (Welsh silver).
The mint marks for these coins are:
period.
From 1707, as the result of the Union of England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain
, the English shilling was converted into the British shilling.
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, when first introduced known as the testoon. It remained in circulation until it became the British shilling as the result of the Union of England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
in 1707.
There were twenty shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s to the pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
and twelve pence to the shilling, and thus 240 pence to the pound.
Name
The word shilling originates in the schilling, an accounting term dating back to Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times, when it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere.
The testoon
In the Kingdom of EnglandKingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, during the reign of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, the forerunner of the shilling, the testoon, was introduced. This coin was produced in extremely small quantities, probably around 1489, and the fact that there are only three known dies for this issue (and three subsequent legend varieties, HENRIC, HENRIC VII and HENRIC SEPTIM) shows clearly that the coins were not made for general circulation. They were made during the same period as the trials for the Profile issue of groats and half-groats, so they were probably trial pieces or patterns.
In the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
, during the regin of Mary I, Queen of Scots, the testoon and half testoon were introduced to the Scottish coinage
Scottish coinage
The coinage of Scotland covers a range of currency and coins in Scotland during Classical antiquity, the reign of ancient provincial kings, royal dynasties of the ancient Kingdom of Scotland and the later Mediaeval and Early modern periods....
in 1553 and 1555 respectively.
Henry VIII (1509–1547)
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, with The Tower
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
mints producing testoons in 1544–1551. These testoons were made in the very poor base silver, as were all coins of this period, and are known as base testoons. The coins were struck after Henry's death in 1547, at The Tower, Southwark, and possibly at Bristol.
The mint-marks for these testoons are as follows:
- TOWER (London)
- two lis OR
- lis OR
- pellet in annulet
- Southwark
- S OR
- E
- Bristol
- WS (for William SharingtonWilliam SharingtonSir William Sharington was an English courtier of the time of Henry VIII, master and embezzler of the Bristol Mint, member of parliament, conspirator, and High Sheriff of Wiltshire.-Early life:...
)
- WS (for William Sharington
The coins from Southwark have the reverse legend "CIVITAS LONDON" (City of London) and the Bristol coins the legend "CIVITAS BRISTOLLIE" (City of Bristol). The obverse of these coins shows a facing bust of Henry VIII and the reverse side, a crowned rose.
Edward VI (1547–1553)
Henry VIII's young son Edward VIEdward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
continued the issues of base testoons. In his reign the testoons were called "shillings" for the first time, and the coins show the bust of the young boy king. Unlike his father's coins, the shillings of Edward VI cannot be differentiated by their reverse legend. There are six slightly different busts for these issues. Most importantly, these coins are the first English ones to carry the date, which is in Roman numerals. The coins were minted at the Durham House, Tower, Southwark, Canterbury and Bristol mints.
The mint-marks for these coins are:
- Durham House MDXLVIII (1548)
- BOW
- This issue is exceedingly rare and could be a pattern or contemporary forgery.
- Durham House MDXLIX (1549)
- BOW
- Tower MDXLIX (1549)
- ARROW OR
- GRAPPLE OR
- PHEON OR
- SWAN
- Southwark MDXLIX (1549)
- Y OR
- EY
- Canterbury MDXLIX (1549)
- ROSE OR
- T
- Bristol MDXLIX (1549)
- Tower MDL (1550)
- LION OR
- LIS OR
- PHEON AND
- SWAN OR
- MARLET OR
- CROWNED LEOPARD'S HEAD
- Southwark MDL (1550)
- Y OR
- LIS AND Y
- Tower MDLI (1551)
- LION AND ROSE OR
- ROSE AND ROSE
- Southwark MDLI (1551)
- Y AND LIS
- Undated issue (Durham House)
- BOW
Fine silver issue
In 1551 the silver standard was restored from about 0.250 silver to the normal 0.925 "sterling" silver. This issue has a stunning facing bust of the king and is very highly collectible. It was struck in large quantities but is normally found fairly worn and sometimes holed.Mint-marks:
- Tower. No date (1551)
- Tower. No date (1551-3)
- TUN
Mary (1553–1558)
No shillings were struck in England until Queen Mary I of EnglandMary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
was married in 1554 to Philip of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, though Irish shillings with Mary's portrait were struck in 1553 and 1554 before her marriage.
After Mary's marriage some shillings were coined. To boost Philip's popularity his bust was placed on these coins, facing Mary's. These coins are fairly rare, but nevertheless do frequently appear on the market. There are two main varieties: Spanish titles (which adds on "Prince and Princess of Spain") and English titles. Many of these coins were dated using Arabic dates and some coins have a mark of value (I__II) above the royal shield. There is an exceedingly rare variety which has the date under the busts. All the coins were made at the Tower mint.
Elizabeth I (1558–1603)
One of the first events of Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
's reign was the counter-marking of the Edward VI shillings to revalue them to their true worth. These coins have the counter-mark of a portcullis or greyhound and are extremely rare. The coins with the portcullis counter-mark were revalued at fourpence halfpenny, and the coins with the greyhound were revalued at twopence farthing.
A major recoinage was then embarked upon, with thousands of silver coins being produced. The shilling was no exception with the date being removed from the design (however, mint-marks can be used to reveal the date). No shillings were produced between 1562 and 1582, but the next issue was also very large and a good number have survived for collectors.
Mint-marks:
- Hammered issue (all coins were produced in the Tower)
- Lis (1559–1560)
- Cross crosslet (1560–61)
- Marlet (1560–61)
- Bell (1582–83)
- A (1582–84)
- Escallop (1584–86)
- Crescent (1587–89)
- Hand (1590–92)
- Tun (1592–95)
- Woolpack (1594–96)
- Key (1595-98)
- Anchor (1597–1600)
- 1 (1601)
- 2 (1602)
- Milled issue (Tower mint only)
- Star (1560–1)
The milled issue was produced by Eloye Mestrelle using horse power. The issues were a success, especially the sixpences, but he lost his post over various disputes with the mint workers. Although Eloye found it very difficult to make smaller coins the sixpences and shillings were made in fairly large quantities. The shillings still tend to be much rarer than sixpences and are often found weakly struck, gilded, holed, mounted etc. They are still available to collectors, albeit in poor condition.
James I (1603–1625)
During the reign of James IJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, coinage continued in much the same way as in Elizabeth's but the coins have a mark of value (XII) in front of the bust. Some shillings were struck with a plume above the shield (Welsh silver).
The mint marks for these coins are:
- First coinage (reverse legend Exurgat deus dissipentur inimici)
- Lis (1603–4)
- Thistle (1603–4)
- Second coinage (reverse legend Quae deus coniunxit nemo seperat, square cut beard)
- Lis (1604–5)
- Rose (1604–6)
- Escallop (1606–7)
- Grapes (1607)
- Coronet (1607–9)
- Key (1609–10)
- Mullet (1611–2)
- Tower (1612–3)
- Trefoil (1613)
- Tun (1613–5)
- Cinquefoil (1613–5)
- Closed book (1615–6)
- Plain cross (1617–18)
- Third coinage (very long curly hair)
- Spur Rowel (1619–20)
- Rose (1620–1)
- Thistle (1621–3)
- Lis (1623–4)
- Trefoil (1624)
- Welsh issues (with plume above shield)
- Thistle (1621–3)
- Lis (1623–4)
- Trefoil (1624)
1625 to 1706
Shillings were minted in every subsequent reign as well as during the CommonwealthCommonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
period.
From 1707, as the result of the Union of England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
, the English shilling was converted into the British shilling.