Home
|
Scottish Coins ~ James III (1460 - 1488)
Yet another child monarch, James III ascended the throne at the age of eight years after the death of his father in the cannon firing accident at Roxburgh in 1460. The early part of his reigh saw a regency that was headed by his mother, Mary of Gueldres. Mary continued the tacit support of the Lancastrian contestant of the War of the Roses, Henry VI, giving refuge to him when the tide turned against him in England. However the death of Mary of Gueldres and Bishop Kennedy saw a power shift in Scotland after 1465 and the subsequent kidnapping of James III by the Boyd family in 1466. James III was bethrothed to Margaret of Norway in 1469, and as part of the dowry from the King Kristian of Norway, the Orkney Isles were ceded to Scottish control, and Scotland as a nation as it is now known was finally complete. The latter years of this reign saw much internal conflict, with Earls opposing James, but also Alexander, the King's younger brother styling himself as Alexander IV and but he later reconciled with James but was driven out of Scotland. The death of Queen Margaret in 1486 depressed James III considerably, though later he sought negotiations to marry the widow of Edward IV of England though it came to no fruition. The accusations of James III being an Anglophile by his Earls resulted in disaffection on their parts, and the result was a battle at Sachieburn, near Bannockburn in June of 1488 where James III died under uncertain circumstances. Numismatically this reign is significant for collectors of Scottish coinage for the new denominations introduced, but most significantly for the new renaissance style likeness of the monarch on the coinage. The coin above is known as a "Crosraguel" penny, from a small hoard of them found at St. Andrews. Denominations used during this reign: GoldIssue of 1475 - 1483Rider or 23/- or 276dHalf rider or 11/6 or 138dQuarter rider or 5/9 or 69dIssue of 1484 - 1488Unicorn or 18/- or 216dSilverLight Issue ca. 1467Groat or 12dHalf groat or 6d Extremely rareBase Silver Issue of 1471-1483 .770 FineGroat or 6dHalf groat or 6d Very rareLight Issue of 1475Groat or 12dHalf groat or 6d Very rarePenny, then current for 3dLight Issue of 1482Groat or 12dHalf groat or 6dPenny, then current for 3dHeavy Issue of 1484-1488Groat or 1/2 or 20dRegular Issue of 1484-1488Groat or 1/2 or 20dHalf groat or 6d rareBillonPlack or 4dHalf plack or 4dCopperPenny or 1dHalfpenny or 1/2d Probably uniqueFarthing or 1/4d Popularly known as "Black money"
Ecclesiastical IssuesMost of the available coinage for collectors from this reign is in the form of Pennies or farthings, which are commonly referred to as Crosraguel pennies, from the abbey at St. Andrews where most of the extent examples were found. It is not for certain whether these were an Ecclesiastical issue that was issued by Bishop James Kennedy, or if they were a regal issue. At any rate, regardless of the issuer, they must have not been popular as they have never been found in any quantity aside from the Crosraguel hoard. Penny or 1dFarthing or 1/4d |
Page last updated on 5th August 2011 Года All pages and images copyright © David Parrish 1999 - 2011 Года
