tifies their origin. They were only produced for one year and they carry the date of the final year of the war. Some of the Sovereigns struck in Bombay found their way into the hands of Lawrence of Arabia and helped fund the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.
Isolation necessitates improvisation and siege tactics advanced significantly during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With nothing allowed in or out of a town or castle, ways had to be found to maintain everyday economic activity. During the English Civil War, Carlisle became an isolated Royalist outpost in the north of England. When the city was besieged by a Scottish army from October 1644, every citizen was asked to offer up their silver plate to be coined. Siege pieces are often square or diamond shaped and, without access to minting tools, it was easier to cut these patterns from whatever precious metal was available.
Similarly, Royalist strongholds that became cut off from newly established regional mints still needed to pay garrisons to ensure their continued commitment. At Newark, Scarborough, Carlisle and Pontefract, improvised money was produced. Rough-hewn in nature, some of the source material was domestic silverware.
Spoils of War
Conversely, war can provide access to bullion that isn’t normally available. In medieval times a country would pay to secure the release of a captured monarch in its own currency, only to find it melted down to make coins of the opposing territory.
In 1194, Richard I (1189–99) paid a substantial weight of silver coins to Duke Leopold V of Austria to buy his freedom. The Austrian leader went on to strike coins from the coin, which, it is claimed, led to the founding of the Austrian Mint.
Edward III (1327–77) was successful in extracting large ransoms from, amongst others, John II of France and David II of Scotland. It seems a small element was melted down to be made into English coins.
Captured bullion can also bolster the supply of precious metals. One of the most famous examples is the George II silver shillings of 1745 and 1746, with their inscription 'Lima’ revealing their origin – silver mines located near the Peruvian capital. The consignment came into British hands thanks to the exploits of Commodore George Anson RN, one of the Royal Navy’s greatest commanders.
Tasked with raiding Spanish possessions in the Pacific in a bid to disrupt trade, Anson sent sail from England in September 1740 with a squadron of eight ships. Despite some small gains, the mission was a disappointment. Half of Anson’s fleet were lost or forced to return home and most of his men had died. Undeterred, he resolved to make one final attempt to capture a Spanish Galleon.
Anson’s gamble paid off when the Galleon Neustra Señora de Covadonga was spied sailing for Manila – she was no match for the superior British warship. Boarding the captured vessel, Anson and his crew discovered a huge hoard of silver, including more than 1,300,000 Spanish reale 'pieces of eight' and a further 35,000 ounces of silver bullion. On his return in June 1744, crowds gathered in London to watch the captured loot rolling past in wagons on its way to The Royal Mint.
In 1702, after failing to capture the Spanish port of Cadiz, Admiral Sir George Rooke received news that a Spanish treasure fleet had entered Vigo Bay. Rather than return home empty-handed, he ordered a daring raid. All of the French ships were destroyed along with Spanish treasure galleons but, unlike Anson’s haul, the spoils were disappointing. Most of the gold and silver had already been offloaded.
When the fleet returned, some of the looted treasure was handed to The Royal Mint. In June 1703, Master of the Mint Isaac Newton noted the paltry amount: 4,504 pounds of silver and seven and a half pounds of gold. Turning it into coins presented a propaganda opportunity to reassure the public that the war was going well.
It is estimated around 20 coins were struck from the gold seized during the battle and they would have commanded a huge price tag at the time. The coins bear the distinctive ‘VIGO’ 