Traders’ Tokens
This series by Colin Smale traces the history of 17th-century currency in Lincolnshire. This month the focus is on Boston and Bourne.
Boston & Bourne
As I said in my previous article, Boston had more than its fair share of traders’ tokens (29) and so before I move on to the town of Bourne, which had only two (but possibly a further three that
are disputed), I will look at a Boston halfpenny with its own depiction of Boston’s coat of arms and even more significantly, the sheep on a woolsack.
The woolsack is still a formal part of tradition in the Houses of Parliament of course. There has been a need for wool in the UK and therefore a woollen industry for at least 2,000 years. It could be said that England’s early prosperity was built on wool and Boston is slap bang in the middle of some of the best sheep grazing land. Boston was a major exporter of wool, salt and grain and so there was plenty
of trade here, shipping such goods overseas.
The depiction of a sheep on the woolsack reflects the prosperity of the place but “The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11) and so it was for some folk in Boston because this token was made by the local wealthy tradesmen to be distributed to the poor by the local overseer.
On the obverse is Boston’s coat of arms (three coronets), with ‘A BOSTON HALF PENY TO BE’ around the edge and on the reverse, ‘CHAINGED BY YE OVERSERS’. Meaning seems to have been more important than spelling in those days.
Now we come to Bourne, or Burne (meaning water) as this market town was known in Saxon times. Here we see the token halfpenny of William Birridge, a mercer. The figure that looks like a Queen within that shield is in fact a mercer symbol and can be seen on many mercer tokens. This symbol can be seen carved on buildings and walls in all the big cities, homes, offices and warehouses.
William left very little for us to glean of his life. We know he was married, had three girls and one boy between 1672 and 1679 and sadly that is all we have. The coin reads ‘WILLIAM BIRRIDGE OF BOVRNE MERCER’.
My thanks to Mr M O’Bee of New Waltham, Grimsby who allowed me to photograph his coin collection for this series of articles.
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Grantham school joins Carol Service in celebration of town’s hospital![]()
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Pupils from St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy are taking part in the first Carol Service to celebrate the special relationship Grantham and District Hospital has with the town and surrounding communities.![]()
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The school children will join in the singing of favourite Christmas Carols as well as perform their own set musical piece at the Carol Service on Thursday 11th December at 7pm, in St Wulfram’s church, Grantham.![]()
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Deputy Head Teacher Olivia Mumford said: “The Carol Service is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to share the joy of music while showing appreciation for the incredible work done at Grantham and District Hospital. It’s a privilege to support such an important event in our town."![]()
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The Carol Service has been organised by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity, who work closely with staff at Grantham and District Hospital and provides those extras for staff and patients that NHS budgets are unable to fund. ![]()
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Further details on the Grantham NHS Carol Service can be found by visiting www.ulhcharity.org.uk/news/christmas-carols-at-grantham-st-wulfram-church-in-thanks-for-towns-sup...