British Coins and Tokens

Harold II (1066), Penny, PAX type, Hastings, Dunning, group B, harold rex ang, rev. +dvnning on hæ, 1.32g/11h (Pagan, NM p.190, this coin listed; HHK 143; N 836; S 1186). Extremely fine, toned and with with an impressive provenance; the mint extremely rare during the reign of Harold II £6,000-£8,000

E.J. Shepherd Collection, Sotheby Auction, 22 July 1885, lot 110; H. Montagu Collection, Part II, Sotheby Auction, 11-16 May 1896, lot 164; H. Symonds Collection, Glendining Auction, 26-7 September 1973, lot 54

Of the whole Anglo-Saxon period, it is the final chapter that has left the greatest impression. The vision of a heroic defender of England, fighting to repel foreign invaders, is endearingly romantic. The reality - as always - was a little more complex. Harold II (Godwinson) was, on his mother’s side, of Danish blood, and was certainly no Ætheling. His claim to be Edward the Confessor’s successor was perhaps contentious and his support was not universal. Nevertheless, Harold alone of the leading men was equipped with the experience necessary to face the very real threat posed by invasions, and thus it was he who was crowned on the 6 January 1066: ‘And Earl Harold was now consecrated king and he met little quiet in it as long as he ruled the realm’ (the Anglo Saxon Chronicle). The ceremony probably took place at the newly consecrated Westminster Abbey, establishing a tradition which has endured for almost a thousand years.

In early September, Harald Hardrada, the king of Norway, appeared off the Yorkshire coast, accompanied by 300 ships of fighting men. In short order the local English defences were scattered, and the people of York offered hostages in exchange for peace. Harold II gathered his militia and marched to York. On 25 September he came upon the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge, overwhelming and crushing them. Harold’s victory was impressive and absolute, bringing to a close more than two centuries of Anglo-Scandinavian conflict. It was also short-lived. A few days later, William ‘The Bastard’ set out from Normandy, intent on asserting his own claim over the English throne. The landing was made at Pevensy and the Normans established a good defensive position at Hastings. News reached Harold at York, and with great energy he covered the 190 miles down to London. There he gathered additional forces before continuing down to Sussex. At first light on 14 October, William’s army marched out to meet the English, who were caught by surprise. Harold’s men stood defiant and heavy fighting endured all day. In the evening, the English resolve finally collapsed, their spirit broken by the sight of King Harold struck down (quite possibly by an arrow to the face). The Anglo Saxon Chronicle describes: ‘the king nevertheless fought hard against him, with the men who were willing to support him, and there were heavy casualties on both sides. There King Harold was killed and Earl Leofwine his brother, and Earl Gyrth his brother, and many good men, and the French remained masters of the field’. As the great historian Sir Frank Stenton puts it, William ‘had won one of the battles which at rare intervals have decided the fate of nations’.

Coin production at Hastings is first recorded in Æthelstan’s Grately code (c. 926-30). This wide-ranging administrative document stipulated (amongst other things) the number of moneyers who were to be employed at each mint-place; Hastings was afforded one moneyer. It is quite surprising, then, that no coins of Æthelstan, or his immediate successors, can be attributed to the town. Instead, Hastings is first named on Æthelred II’s second hand type, some sixty years later. Thereafter, the mint appears to have been fairly active, producing a steady flow of coinage down to The Anarchy in the mid twelfth century. The exception to this rule is found within the reign of Harold II. At this point, output appears to have been greatly reduced. Pagan, in his survey of Harold II’s coinage, notes only 8 specimens of Hastings, compared to 15, 41 and 30 at the nearby Sussex mints of Chichester, Lewes and Steyning respectively. This pattern is also borne out by the recent Chew Valley hoard: of the 1,238 coins of Harold II contained within, only 3 carry a Hastings mint signature. This compares to 244 from Chichester, 22 from Lewes, and 97 from Steyning. Hastings, then, is demonstrably an extremely rare mint in this type. Not since the Norweb sale in 1986 (Part III, lot 829) has a penny of Harold Godwinson struck at Hastings been offered for sale on the open market, making this a generational opportunity to acquire an iconic and evocative coin; it is no small benefit that the penny in question also happens to be beautifully preserved, and comes with a distinguished provenance.