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The noble was the first
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
gold coin A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Buf ...
produced in quantity, introduced during the second coinage (1344–1346) of King Edward III. It was preceded by the
gold penny The gold penny was a medieval English coin with a value of twenty pence (i.e. pound sterling). Until the reign of King Henry III of England (1216–1272), any need in England for coins worth more than one penny, at the time a silver coin, was me ...
and the florin, minted during the reign of King Henry III and the beginning of the reign of
King Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...
; these saw little circulation. The derivatives of the noble, the half noble and quarter noble, on the other hand, were produced in quantity and were very popular. The value of the coin was six shillings and eight pence (written 6/8, or 6s.8d., vjs.viijd.), which was equivalent to eighty old pence or one-third of a
pound sterling Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...
. The weight was changed from issue to issue to maintain this value until 1464 when the value was increased. Throughout the history of this denomination there are many variations of inscription, mintmark, and (to some extent) of design.


Origin

The coin was introduced during the second coinage (1344–1346) of King Edward III, when the coin weighed 138.5 grains (9.0 grams); during the king's third coinage (1346–1351) the weight of the coin was reduced to 128.5 grains (8.3 grams), while in his fourth coinage (1351–1377) it became even lighter, at 120 grains (7.8 grams). The diameter of the noble was 33–35 mm, half noble 25–26 mm and quarter noble 19–21 mm. Edward III Second Coinage obverse legend: EDWAR DGRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB ("Edward by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland"). Design: The king, holding a sword and shield in a ship. Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORUM IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way"). Design: 'L' in centre of a cross. The image of the ship and the Biblical text (from the
Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-vol ...
4:30) commemorate Edward's victory at the
Battle of Sluys The Battle of Sluys (; ), also called the Battle of l'Écluse, was a naval battle fought on 24 June 1340 between England and France. It took place in the roadstead of the port of Sluys (French ''Écluse''), on a since silted-up inlet between ...
in 1340. The Third Coinage design is the same as the Second Coinage, except for having an 'E' in the centre of the cross on the reverse. During the Fourth Coinage, politics required changes in the inscriptions. Initially Edward retained his claim on the throne of France, but following the
Treaty of Brétigny The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty, drafted on 8 May 1360 and ratified on 24 October 1360, between Kings Edward III of England and John II of France. In retrospect, it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years ...
in 1360 this claim was dropped, and coins instead claim
Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...
. In 1369 the treaty broke down and the claim on the throne of France was reinstated. ''Pre-Treaty legend (obverse)'': EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC D HYB(E) ("Edward, by the grace of God King of England and France, Lord of Ireland"). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORUM IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way"). ''Transitional period (1361) and Treaty period (1361–1369) (obverse)'': EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL DNS HYB Z ACQ (Edward by the grace of God King of England Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine). Reverse legend: IHC AUTE TRANSIES P MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way") (many varieties exist and often whole words are missing). ''Post-Treaty period (1369–1377) (obverse)'': EDWARD DEI G REX ANG Z FRA DNS HYB Z ACT (Edward by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine). Reverse legend: IHC AUTE TRANSIES P MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way") (many varieties exist and often whole words are missing).


1377 onwards

During the reign of
King Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father d ...
(1377–99), nobles were struck at both the London and Calais mints, but today they are difficult to obtain. Coins minted at Calais can be distinguished because the ship has a flag at the stern. ''Obverse legend'': RICARD DI G REX ANGL Z FR DNS HIBS Z AQT (with minor variations in abbreviations) ("Richard by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine"). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT (many varieties exist) ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way"). There exists a variant obverse: RICARD DI GR REX ANGL DNS HIBS Z AQT – note the omission of the French title. Nobles produced during the reign of King Henry IV (1399–1413) are divided into the "Heavy Coinage" of 120 grains (7.8 grams) produced until 1412, and the "Light coinage" of 108 grains (7.0 grams) produced in 1412–13. Henrician nobles are a little difficult to distinguish because
King Henry V Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hu ...
and King Henry VI also produced nobles and at first glance they look very similar, but variations particularly in mintmarks can tell them apart – interested readers are advised to consult a good coin catalogue. During the Heavy Coinage period, nobles were minted in both London and Calais, the Calais coins again being distinguished by the flag on the stern of the ship. During the Light Coinage period, nobles were only minted in London. ''Obverse legend'': HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FR DNS HIBS Z AQT (with many variations in abbreviations) ("Henry by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine") . Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way").


1413 onwards

Henry V's (1413–22) coins are very similar to those of his father, but there are about seven different varieties of design and style of lettering. The omission of the "and Aquitaine" title is another difference between the coins of Henry IV and V. ''Obverse legend'': HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB (often abbreviated) ("Henry by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of the Irish"). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRAN(S)IENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way"). Nobles were struck throughout Henry VI's first reign (1422–61), but a shortage of gold resulted in fewer coins being struck. There were a number of issues, from both the London and Calais mints, but towards the end of the period the coins were only struck in London. ''Obverse legend'': HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB (often abbreviated) ("Henry by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of the Irish"). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORR IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way"). In an episode of the British archaeological television series ''
Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television producer Tim ...
'', a gold Noble was unearthed while excavating the drawbridge area of the moat of
Codnor Castle Codnor Castle is a ruined 13th-century castle in Derbyshire, England. The land around Codnor came under the jurisdiction of William Peverel after the Norman conquest. The building is registered as a Scheduled Ancient Monument a Grade II Listed B ...
. This helped to date the original castle construction and was believed to confirm the participation of the occupants in the Battle of Agincourt.


1430 onwards

The gold noble, which had hardly changed in style, value, or quality since the reign of Edward III, was minted for the last time during the first reign of King Edward IV (1461–1470). The price of gold rose from the 1430s onward, so gold coins were worth more in Europe than in England, which resulted in a gold shortage in England as coins were exported for profit. Only a small quantity of nobles were minted during Edward IV's Heavy Coinage period (1461–64), at London. Finally, in 1464 in an attempt to stop the coins drifting over to the continent, the value of all gold nobles was raised from six shillings and eight pence (6/8 or 80 pence) to eight shillings and four pence (8/4 or 100 pence), and a new coin, the "Rose Noble, or Royal" worth ten shillings and weighing 120 grains (7.8 grams) was introduced – however, it was unpopular and was discontinued after 1470. In contrast, a new coin worth six shillings and eight pence (the same as the original noble), the
angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
was introduced in 1464 and soon became a popular and important coin. ''Obverse legend'': EDWARD DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HYB ("Edward by the grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland"). Reverse legend: IHC AUTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLOR IBAT ("But Jesus passing through their midst went His way").


Shakespeare

The noble is present in
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's theatre: * Henry IV, Part 1 :Hostess: ''Marry, my lord, there is a nobleman of the court at door would speak with you: he says he comes from your father.'' :Prince Henry: ''Give him as much as will make him a royal man, and send him back again to my mother.'' :The royal refers to the new noble, or royal, worth 10 shillings. *
Henry VI, Part 1 ''Henry VI, Part 1'', often referred to as ''1 Henry VI'', is a history play by William Shakespeare—possibly in collaboration with Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe—believed to have been written in 1591. It is set during the lifetime ...
: :Shepard:'''Tis true, I gave a noble to the priest''
''The morn that I was wedded to her mother.'' * Henry V: :Nym: ''I shall have my eight shillings I won of you at betting?'' :Pistol: ''A noble shalt thou have, and present pay;'' * Richard III: :Gloucester: ... :''That scarce, some two days since, were worth a noble''. * ''
Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...
'': :Benedick: ''...noble, or not I for an
angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
;...''''Much Ado About Nothing'', II, 3
/ref>


References

*''Coincraft's Standard Catalogue English & UK Coins 1066 to Date'', Richard Lobel, Coincraft. (1999)


See also

*
List of British banknotes and coins List of British banknotes and coins, with commonly used terms. Coins Pre-decimal Prior to decimalisation in 1971, there were 12 pence (written as 12d) in a shilling (written as 1s or 1/-) and 20 shillings in a pound, written as £1 (occasionall ...
{{Coins of England English gold coins Coins of medieval England Ships on coins