Shilling, second coinage, 1607 (grape cluster), 4th bust, 30mm, 5.45gr. Obv: IACOBUS DG. ANG SCO FRA ET HIB, bust right, XII to left of head. Rev: QUAE DEUS CONIUNXIT NEMO SEPARET (What God has joined together let no man separate), central shield. S: 2655, C:J1SH-015.

James was born in 1566 in Edinburgh Castle. He was third cousin of Elizabeth and son of Mary Queen of Scots. He traced his English lineage back to Margaret, daughter of Henry VII. He was James VI of Scotland when he became James I of England, in 1603. He married Anne of Denmark and Norway in 1589 and they had nine children. He died in 1625. A lasting contribution was his authorization of the King James version of the bible.

Uniting the crowns of England and Scotland greatly enhanced English security. Stress was internal, between a king claiming ‘divine right' and a Parliament claiming the rule of law. Judges claimed the right to arbitrate this dispute, counter to the interests of the king, but reinforcing the rule of law. During this reign the Mayflower landed in Plymouth and North America was opened for British colonization.

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Shilling, third coinage 1603-4, 26mm 4.56gr. Obv: IACOBUS DG ANG SCO FR ET HIB REX, crowned portrait right with XII left of portrait. Rev: QUAE DESU CONTIUNXIT NEMO SEPARET (what god has put together let no man put asunder), central quartered shield. S:2645, C:J1SH-030. The contemporary French kings were Henri IV  and Louis XIII.

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6p 1605, third bust, second coinage 1604-16 26mm, 2.43gr. Obv: JACOBVS D.G. MAG BRIT:FR:ET:HIB:REX, portrait right, VI to left of portrait. Rev: QVA DEVS CONJVNXIT NEMO SEPARET (What God has joined together let no man put asunder). S:2657, C:J16D-015.

Shilling, 1633-4, portcullis, Tower mint, 31mm. Obv: CAROLVS D:G:MA:BR:FR:ET:HI:REX, portrait left. Rev: CHRISTO AVS|PICE REGNO (I reign under the auspices of Christ), center is a quartered shield. S:2693, C:C1SH-050. The contemporary French kings were Louis XIII and Louis XIV.

Charles was born in Scotland in 1600. He became king of England in 1625, on his father James' death. He married Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henri IV of France, in 1625 and they had nine children. Charles was condemned to death by Parliament after the civil war and executed outside Inigo Jones' Banqueting House  in 1649.

Charles had to deal with an increasingly assertive Parliament, and fought the erosion of royal privilege. His appearance in Commons to arrest several members in 1642 triggered resistance, and ultimately, civil war. Royalists were strongest in the north and west, Parliamentarians in London and the south. By 1646 Parliament prevailed on the battlefield, and subsequently Cromwell ended up Dictator in England. Charles, in captivity, was finally executed in London, ushering in an interregnum of Republicanism.

Cromwell

Charles 11 (1660-85)

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4p, 1679, earliest milled coin in the collection, 20mm. Obv: CAROLVS II | DEI GRATIA, portrait right. Rev: 16|79 MAG.BR.FRA.ET.HIB.REX, with central design, topped by crown, with symbols, including lis, in each quadrant. S:3384, C:C24MM-130. The contemporary French king was Louis XIV.

Charles was born in St. James Palace, London, in 1630. He spent time in exile during the Republic, and returned as king (1660) after Cromwell's death. He married Katherine Henrietta of Portugal and had no live children (3 stillborn). He died in 1685.

The Civil War permanently changed the nature of English politics, and with the restoration came the recognition of the power of the House of Commons and the dominance of common law over kingly prerogative. Perhaps in consolation, Charles lived a licentious life. During his reign the great plague ravaged London (1665), the great fire of London occurred (1666), and England was embroiled in a war with the Dutch - a powerful trading and maritime nation in that century. The French were on and off enemies and allies (against the Dutch). England gained New York, and France, under Louis XIV, became dominant on the continent.

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3p 1660-62, latest hammered coin in the collection, 19. Obv: CAROLUS II DG.MAG BRI F ET H. Rev: CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO (I reign under the auspices of Christ). S:3325, C:C23DH-005.

4 pence, 1687, 19mm. Obv: IACOBVS.II | DEI GRATIA, portrait left. Rev: MAG.BR.FRA.ET.HIB.REX 1687, large crown surmounting four large ‘I's. S:3414, C:J24M-015/20. The contemporary French king was Louis XIV.

James was born in 1633 at St. James's Palace in London. He was married two times, first to Anne of Clarendon, with whom he had 8 children, and then to Mary of Modena, with whom he had 11 children, 5 of them stillborn. He had very strong Catholic sympathies, and was a convert. This caused internal conflict, and he abdicated in 1688. He died in France in 1701.

James's short reign was spent in conflict over the threats to Protestantism due to his Catholicism. The English resented the influence of Catholic Louis XIV, and conflict with a Protestant nation (Holland) with a Catholic ally. It was more than he could survive and he fled to France. He was deposed by Parliament in 1688.

William and Mary (1689-94)

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Half crown,  1689, 33mm. Obv: GVLIELMVS.ET. | MARIA.DEI/GRATIS, double portraits facing right. Rev: MAG.BR.FR.ET.HIB.REX.ET.REGINA 1698, large crown surmounting quartered shield. S:3434, first shields, C:WMHC-015/20. The contemporary French king was Louis XIV.

Mary was daughter of James II by his first wife. She was born in London in 1662 and became queen in 1689. She married William of Orange and they had three stillborn children. Mary died of smallpox in 1694.

This reign brought Protestantism firmly and irrevocably to the throne. William arrived in force from Holland to support the Protestant cause and King James, though with a strong army, found himself deserted by his supposed allies. James fled, was captured, and then allowed to escape to France.

Shilling,  1697, 25mm. Obv: GVLIELMVS | III DEI.GRA, PORTRAIT RIGHT. Rev: MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX 1697, four shields facing outwards. S:3505 third bust, C:W3SH-010/140. The contemporary French king was Louis XIV

William succeeded Mary and ruled as William III until his death in 1702.

England, allied with Holland, entered a period of sustained war with France. The English ultimately established supremacy at sea, fought on the continent and were involved in the war of Spanish succession. On James' death, Louis XIV recognized James' son as rightful king of England, keeping alive Jacobite hopes, and abrogated a treaty whereby he earlier agreed to recognize William III. This set the stage for continual conflict.

Shilling, 1711, 25mm. Obv: ANNA DEI | GRATIA, portrait left. Rev: MAG BRI.FRET.HIB REG 1711, four shields facing outwards. S:3610, C:ASH-185/90, reverse for this 1711 is not in C. The contemporary French king was Louis XIV.

Anne was sister of Mary and daughter of James II. She was born in London in 1665 and came to the throne in 1702. She married George of Denmark and conceived 18 times, although none of her children outlived her. With her death in 1714 died the Stuart line.

England, led in war by Marlborough, fought with France, and enjoyed success such as its victory at Blenheim and Ramillies. The Treaty of Utrecht gained England advantages at home (recognition of Protestant succession), secure borders for her Dutch ally, and territories in the new world. England emerged as a major European power, capable of containing the French.