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DUR-5D129B: DUR-5D129B

Rights Holder: The Portable Antiquities Scheme
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TOKEN

Unique ID: DUR-5D129B

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Awaiting validation Find awaiting validation

A copper-alloy River Wear Commissioners ferry token from the Modern period, c. AD 1900.

The token is complete except for a small portion missing on the edge. It is circular with a sub-circular perforation.

The obverse reads: 'RIVER WEAR' 'COMMISSIONERS' around the outside with the perforation in between 'River' and 'Wear'. It has been stamped with 'No. 9083' in the centre.

The reverse has been stamped with 'T 163'. It appears that the 'T' was stamped over a smaller 'T' .

The token is in good condition with only patches of green/grey patina on the reverse.

The token weighs 6.3g and has a diameter of 34.13mm.

The 'River Wear Commissioners' were formed in 1717 when a group of Wearside coal owners petitioned parliament with the aim of creating an authority to oversee improvements the to the river through the adoption of new civil engineering techniques. The Wear Commissioners were reformed (at reduced size) in 1859 (Milne 2006, 86).

"It would appear that this ferry, which crossed River Wear from (in the south) the steps at the bottom of Bodlewell (sometimes Boddlewell) Lane [Sunderland], to Monkwearmouth for almost 250 years, was established by an Act of Parliament in 1710. Passage was by rowing boat, though service may later have been provided by a steam powered vessel which 'were tried on this route without a great deal of success. The crossing was, eventually, faithfully served by "Wear" which made the four minute journey regularly for many decades until the closure of the service in 1957.' "


Refs:
Milne, G.J., 2006. North East England, 1850-1914: The Dynamics of a Maritime-industrial Region. Boydell Press.

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: MODERN
Period from: MODERN
Period to: MODERN

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Weight: 6.3 g
Diameter: 34.13 mm

Personal details

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Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete

Numismatic data

No numismatic data has been recorded for this coin yet.

Spatial metadata

Region: Yorkshire and the Humber (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: North Yorkshire (County)
District: Ryedale (District)
Parish or ward: Sherburn (Civil Parish)

Spatial coordinates

4 Figure: SE9676
Four figure Latitude: 54.17082534
Four figure longitude: -0.53092164
1:25K map: SE9676
1:10K map: SE97NE
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.

References cited

No references cited so far.

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Audit data

Recording Institution: DUR
Created: 3 years ago
Updated: 3 years ago

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