18.--Dec. 2, 1723. The value of deniers fixed at 20 to the sol tournois.
19.--Dec. 7, 1723. Marked sols are not to pass current.
20.--Oct. 3, 1763. Great quantity of Liards (commonly called Great Doubles) being constantly sent out of the island, small change is difficult to get. The order of Court of 2nd June, 1741 (which fixed the value of the said liard at 13 for 2 sols tournois) is annulled.
Liards of France, alias Grand Doubles, are to go 6 to the sol tournois; but none need accept more than 7 sols tournois at each payment.
21.--March 28, 1797. In order to keep in the island all English money and all foreign coin which can be used, the Court orders that the French 6 franc pieces shall be held equal to 5s. 3d. sterling, and three livres pieces shall be held equal to 2s. 7-1/2d. sterling; and inasmuch as the Bank of England has put in circulation a quantity of Spanish dollars, fixing their price at 4s. 9d. sterling per dollar, the said dollars shall pass current here at the same value, and may not be refused. No money to be exported from Guernsey.
22.--Jan. 22, 1798. The last order repealed so far as relates to Spanish dollars.
23.--Sept. 30, 1799. No coined money is to be embarked here on pain of confiscation. Merchandise imported is to be paid for by bills on London or other places; the masters of vessels are only to receive enough cash for their expenses here.
24.--Jan. 2, 1802. Owing to the scarcity of coined money, the Court renews the ordinance of March 28, 1797, and orders that the said 6 livre pieces shall be current, and held worth 5s. 3d. sterling, and the 3 livre pieces worth 2s. 7-1/2d. sterling. Export of money again forbidden.
25.--May 12, 1802. Last ordinance _re_ 6 livre and 3 livre pieces repealed.
26.--Jan. 17, 1803. Deniers and centimes are not to be passed for liards, and to prevent fraud these small coins are not to be used in _rouleaux_, in which pieces of lead, wood, &c., are often to be found.
27.--Aug. 5, 1809. Export of money again forbidden, except of foreign dollars in parcels brought to the island, but not circulated.
28.--Oct. 1, 1810. To the same effect.
29.--March 9, 1813. The importation of silver and copper _tokens_ forbidden.
30.--April 26, 1813. The ordinances forbidding the export of money repealed, except as regards money of the United Kingdom.
31.--July 6, 1816. The Constable complaining of the inconvenience caused by the fluctuation in the value of French money, "which has always been current in this island," the said coins are to pass at their current value, but may be refused.
The values are fixed thus:--
Pieces or crowns of 6 Francs to be worth 4s. 10d.
Petits Ecus, 2s. 4d.
Pieces of 24 Sous, 10d.
Pieces of 12 Sous, 5d.
This order is not to apply to worn-out or defaced coins, or to Irish shillings and sixpences.
32.--April 24, 1817. The last order repealed, but the coins must be clearly marked, and need only be received to a fixed amount.
33.--June 14, 1821. Liards are to be held worth 7 to the sou.
34.--April 15, 1829. The order of 6th July, 1816, repealed so far as regards the old French crowns of 6 francs.
35.--April 27th, 1829. Considering that French money has been from time immemorial, and still is, legal currency in this island, orders that the _new_ French coinage shall be in use here--one franc to be worth 10 Guernsey pennies.
36.--May 1, 1848. The French money not always being available in sufficient quantity, English gold and silver coins and Bank of England notes are to b used concurrently with French money. The pound British sterling is to be held worth 1 1s. 3d. Guernsey sterling.
37.--Jan. 21, 1850. The last ordinance repealed.
COPPER AND BRONZE COINAGE OF GUERNSEY FROM 1830.
Sir C. W. Freemantle kindly gives me the following information respecting copper coins minted and supplied for currency in Guernsey:--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- DENOMINATIONS SUPPLIED.
1 2 4 8 DOUBLE. DOUBLES. DOUBLES. DOUBLES.
s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d.
[I]Copper of date 1830--Values sent 858 13 4 420 0 0 [I]Additional sent in 1831 420 0 0 [I]Copper of date 1834--Values sent 410 13 4 [I]Additional sent in 1836 105 0 0 102 13 4 [I] " " " 1837 210 0 0 205 6 [I] " " " 1839 210 0 0 205 6 8 [J]Copper of date 1858--Values sent 58 9 0 237 12 6 464 7 0 [J]Bronze of date 1864--Values sent 218 18 0 463 8 0 [J]Additional sent in 1865 224 16 0 723 0 0 [K]Bronze of date 1868--Values sent 33 10 6 36 2 10 120 4 0 228 0 0 [K]Bronze of date 1874--Values sent 48 2 0 144 4 0 305 4 0 [L]Bronze of date 1885--Values sent 29 4 6 74 5 0 145 4 0 290 8 0 [L]Bronze of date 1889--Values sent 58 6 6 37 2 0 217 12 0 924 16 0 [L]Bronze of date 1893--Values sent 29 3 6 108 16 0 490 0 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[I] Coinage executed by Messrs. R. Boulton & Co., Soho, Birmingham.
[J] Coinage executed by Messrs. Henry Joy & Co.
[K] Coinage executed by Messrs. Partridge & Co., Birmingham.
[L] Coinage executed by Messrs. Heaton & Sons (now "The Mint,"
Birmingham, Limited).
The type of all the above copper and bronze issues for Guernsey remains generally the same, there being, of course, specified the various dates and differences for value.
The description of one coin, as following, will therefore answer in general terms for the whole of the issues:--
_O._ The Guernsey Arms [_gules_, three lions passant gardant _or_], surmounted by a sprig of three laurel leaves, the whole within two laurel branches fastened by a ribbon, and with GUERNSEY under.
_R._ 8 DOUBLES 1834, in three lines. Minor points, such as the omission or insertion of the wreath of laurel and the beaded circle, are fully described in the works of Mr. James Atkins[M] and of Mr. D.
F. Howorth[N], and need not therefore be repeated here.
[M] "The Coins and Tokens of the Possessions and Colonies of the British Empire," by James Atkins. Published by Bernard Quaritch, 15, Piccadilly.
1889.
[N] "Coins and Tokens of the English Colonies and Dependencies," by Daniel F. Howorth, F.S.A., Scot. Published by Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Paternoster Square, 1890.
P. Briard, Esq., makes the following interesting communication respecting the "Double" from information he obtained from Guernsey:--
"The present Guernsey "Double" owes its name to an ancient French coin which became later the "Liard," and equals the 1/4th part of a sou. I see, by an ordinance passed in the year 1763, the following clause:--
"'Que les paiements qui se firont en Liards de France ou Grand-Doubles seront sur le pied de seulement de six Liards ou Grand-Doubles par sol tournois.'
"By another ordinance of more than a century before--viz., in 1626--I find these words: 'D'autant qu' a present, le pas estant rempli de _Doubles_ apportis par les estrangers, plusieurs demeurent charges de grande quantite d'iceux doubles qu'ils ne peuvent mettre ny debiter a leur grande perte et dommage. A este ordonne que dormavent seul recevant argent, ne sera tenu en prendre a plus de la valeur de deux sous par escu sur l'argent qu'il recevra.'
"In the margin opposite this ordinance there is insertion of the words 'Doubles ou Liards,' thus showing decisively that with us in Guernsey a Double was a Liard, and a Liard a Double. In France, however, in ancient coinage a Liard was the fourth part of a Sou, and a Double intrinsically held of slightly higher value. We have kept the value of the Double to be the same as that of the Liard--that is to say, our Guernsey half-penny is _quatre doubles_, and our penny _huit doubles_.'"