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England - 1795

St. Paul`s Cathedral

Obverse:

Front view of St. Paul's Cathedral from the west.

Legend:

LONDON AND BRIGHTON HALFPENNY

Edge:

Plain.

Reverse:

Arms: (Azure, two dolphins naiant, in pale, or) between crossed branches. The latter tincture is not shown on the token.

Legend:

PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF I. SPITTLE LONDON 1795
In the field: OR OF I. KIRBY OR R. LASHMAR BRIGHTON

Vern's Comments:

Diesinker and manufacturer, unknown. Common.

Comments. There is a common variety with ST. PAUL'S, inserted beneath the building and the letters I.P. in small Roman Capitals appear just below the letter N in the word BRIGHTON of the obverse legend.

This token was issued by three tradesmen. The London issuer, James Spittle, was a cheesemonger at No.6 Broadway, Blackfriars, close to St. Paul's; Richard Lashmar was a shopkeeper at Brighton; and J. Kirby a grocer in the same town.

St. Paul's cathedral is 360 ft. high from the pavement, and the artist has given considerable detail in his design; even the statues of St. Paul at the apex of the pediment, and those of St. Peter and the Evangelists at the sides and angles, are shown.

The Arms are those of the Lashmar family, though possibly derived from the Town Seal of Brighton. (Argent, two dolphins naiant in pale, apparently proper.) Brighton was not incorporated until 1854.

Pye does not record the diesinker or manufacturer of these tokens; and Sharp assigns them to James, but this is not his usual style, and the execution of the piece suggests Birmingham manufacture; and a curious error supports this suggestion - note that two clocks are shown, one in either tower of the front of the cathedral, whereas the north- western one should be empty. A London man would hardly have made this error, or certainly not repeated it in the second die. The letters I.P. may represent the initials of James Pitt as the manufacturer.

In 1779 Richard Lashmar was the High Constable of the Hundred of Wellsbourne, otherwise Whalesbone, within which Brighton is situated.

Commercial Coins 1787-1804., pp. 121-123

England — Middlesex

D & H 902 — Spittle`s

Bell Pg: 121-123

O: View of St. Paul's. LONDON AND BRIGHTON HALFPENNY.

A. 720

R: Shield of Arms. PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF I. SPITTLE LONDON OR OF I. KIRBY OR R. LASHMAR BRIGHTON 1795.

E: Plain.