Rights Holder: Durham County Council
CC License:
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Unique ID: DUR-05B561
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Lead Boy Bishop Token, Post Medieval in date.
It is copying a long cross coin- with the reverse having a long cross. The obverse design is unclear but has a central design with the legend on the outside.
Notes:
Cult of Boy Bishops throughhout Europe in Medieval times. Many abbeys and larger churches elected a choirboy to act as the Boy Bishop during Christmas. He dressed as a bishop, preached sermons and handed out lead tokens to the congregation. In Britain this practise was mainly confined to East Anglia. Tokens from Bury, Ely, Sudbury and Ipswich are known. Earliest date from about 1480. Tokens could be used to buy alms at local shops. Shopkeeper was reimbursed by abbey. Tokens found on market sites suggest use as small change. Designs imitate pennies, half groats and groats with St Nick or a bishop's mitre on the reverse. Many Boy Bishop tokens were found in St Mary's church, Bury St Ed. when the priests stalls were removed in 1842.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1500
Date to: Circa AD 1650
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 3.74 mm
Weight: 22.4 g
Diameter: 37.46 mm
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Primary material: Lead
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
No numismatic data has been recorded for this coin yet.
4 Figure: SE5071
Four figure Latitude: 54.132424
Four figure longitude: -1.236298
1:25K map: SE5071
1:10K map: SE57SW
Grid reference source: Centred on parish
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
No references cited so far.