Durham Palatinate Mint Coin Collection

This material is held atDurham University Archives

Scope and Content

58 coins from the Durham mint, Henry II to Bishop Tunstall (1530-59), together with one non-Durham coin (Viking coinage of York).

This collection includes coins from the reigns of Henry II, Richard I, Henry III, Edward I, II and III, Richard II, Henry V and VI, Edward IV, Richard III, Henry VII and Henry VIII.

Administrative / Biographical History

One of the rights enjoyed by the Bishops of Durham as Palatine Princes was that of coining silver pennies and smaller denominations, a right maintained until 1536 when the mint was closed under Henry VIII. The mint was situated on Palace Green, Durham.

Access Information

Open for consultation.

Acquisition Information

35 presented by G.W. Kitchin, Dean of Durham, 1908; 1 presented by W.M. Dixon, 1908; 18 from the collection of J.T. Pegge, Saddler St. Durham, presented by Canon J.T. Fowler, 1914; others unrecorded.

Other Finding Aids

Online catalogue. Detailed handwritten description by J.T. Fowler (on cards) of the Kitchin and Pegge coins, plus notebook of descriptions of the Kitchin donation.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Sub-Librarian, Special Collections (e-mail PG.Library@durham.ac.uk) and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Bibliography

M.R. Allen, The Durham mint (London, 2003). M.R. Allen, The Carlisle and Durham mints in the short cross period, British Numismatic Journal, 49 (1979), 42-55.  B. Bartlet, The episcopal coins of Durham, and the monastic coins of Reading, minted during the reigns of Edward I, II, and III. A new ed. with notes and illus. by J.T. Brockett. (Publications of the Newcastle upon Tyne Typographical Society, 1817)  J.T. Fowler, On the distinctive marks of the coins of the bishopric of Durham, Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland, 6 (1907), 81-102.  M.A. Guilding, The Durham episcopal mint under the Tudors (unpublished B.A. dissertation, University of York, 1971).  L.A. Lawrence, The Durham hoard of Edward I - III, Numismatic chronicle, 5th series, vol. 11 (1931), 201-228.  L.A. Lawrence, Long cross coins of Durham, British numismatic journal, 23 (1938-9), 29-30.  M. Noble, Two dissertations, upon the mint and coins, of the episcopal-palatines of Durham ... (Birmingham, 1780).