The Seventeenth-Century Token Issuers of Gravesend and Milton-next-Gravesend
THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF
GRAVESEND AND MILTON-NEXT-GRAVESEND
By ERNEST W. TILLEY
THE term 'token' is commonly given to a class of coins struck by traders
or official bodies without the authority of the government. They were,
therefore, not legal currency, but were a 'money of necessity' without
which local trading would have broken down when the government
neglected its duty of striking coins of low value.
During two periods of our history, the first in the middle of the
seventeenth century, and the second at the end of the eighteenth
century, there was an acute shortage of small change as the National
Mint issued very little lower than sixpence. Local bodies and tradesmen
on their own initiative remedied this state of affairs by issuing their
own pence, halfpence and farthings. Tokens first began to be issued in
1649, and during the Commonwealth period no copper coinage was
.officially issued. In 1672, · regal copper coinage was restarted under
Charles II, and the Royal Proclamation of 16th August, 1672,
announcing the new currency ordered the withdrawal of the tokens.
Very few of these seventeenth-century tokens have any artistic
merit; in nearly all cases the designs are simple and poorly struck, and
the spelling sometimes eccentric and inconstant. All the Gravesend and
Milton ones are of brass or bronze, although lead was sometimes used
in other parts of the country. The inscriptions on traders' tokens
usually consist of the Christian name and surname of the issuer, his
vocation and the town or village where he lived. In addition, we often
have the initials of the issuer and his wife, the value and a device.
These designs are the arms of his trading fraternity or guild, shop or
tavern sign, his family arms, or a device indicating his trade.
Many tokens are dated and much information about the issuers
can often be gleaned from them. They are very useful to local historians
as an aid to building up a picture of local conditions of life in the
seventeenth century . .As a rule they did not travel very far afield, for it
was only the issuer who was bound to honour them. Evelyn, the diarist
of the period, wrote, 'The "Tokens" which every tavern and tippling
house (in the days of the late anarchy among us) presum'd to stamp and
utter for immediate exchange, as they were passable through the
neighbourhood, which, tho' seldom reaching farther than the next
street or two, ma,y happily in after times come to e:x:ercise and busie
149
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
the learned critic ,vhat they should signifie and fill whole volumes with
their conjectures.'1
Despite the importance of the parishes of Gravesend and Miltonne.
xt-Gravesend, now known collectively as Gravesend, as evidenced
by the number of tokens issued, it is unfortunate that very little trace
of the issuers' descendants remains after the period covered by the
tokens, a fact noted by R. P. Cruden jn 1843 in his history of Gravesend.2
Complete reliance upon the fragmentary contemporary records is,
therefore, a necessity in most instances in checking topographical or
other relevant details, and any information thus obtained is of the
utmost value.
The seventeenth-century tokens of Gravesend and Milton are
clearly listed, first by Cruden who also included two excellent plates
in his history,a and secondly by Williamson in his edition of Boyne,4
covering, with only slight alterations, the information provided by
Cruden. However, on looking into the possibilities of further research
on the subject, it seemed that at least an interesting record might be
made from the tokens of the local history of the period they covered,
roughly 30 years. In so doing, one might discover some hitherto
unnoticed information concerning the dating of the undated issues, the
locality of the issuers and the issuers of the few tokens whose names
were unknown.
Our sources of information, apart from the tokens themselves, are
the local records and these have been quoted at varying length by all
the local historians; the prime sources being R. Pocock0 and Cruden.
Pocock, in 1797, had access to a limited number, but he had additional
information which he had stored over the years and upon which he
could draw. Cruden repeated much of Pocock and set out additional
facts from records which, in 1843, had become available to him.
The Arnold, Mansfield and Philips histories of Gravesend are useful
guides, but contain very little of use to us in our research. The admirable
articles by .J. Benson which have appeared over the years in the
Gravesend Reporter are most valuable and have been referred to
extensively. The unabridged edition of Pepys's Diary6 gives a fine
contemporary sidelight on Gravesend life and provides important
evidence in deciding the issuer of one particular token. For the coins
themselves, Williamson's Boyne is the only book to be used, and this is
1 John Evelyn, Numismata (1698).
1 Robert P. Cruden, The HistOT'IJ of the, Town of Gravesend in the Oount,y of
Kent and of the PO'l't of Lond,on (1843), p. 364-.
8 Ibid.
4 W. Boyne, Trade 'l'olcens issued in the Seventeetlth Oentury (ed. G. C. Williamson,
1889-1891). For the county of Kent.
6 Roberi Pocock, '1.'he History of the Incorporated Town and Parishes of
Gravesend and Milton in the Oount,y of Kent (1797).
6 Samuel Pepys, The Diary of (Everyman's Library, 1912).
15'0
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
accurate in most cases, but now needs amplification and a little
correction.
There are 23 types of seventeenth-century Gravesend tokens
known, and these are easily identifiable. With the Milton tokens,
however, some controversy exists. Cruden7 mentions 12 while Boynes
lists 14. The argument arises from the fact that there are several
Miltons. There is a Milton-ne:xt-Sittingbomne, a small parish of Milton
near Canterbury, as well as Milton-next-Gravesend, all in the county
of :(Cent. With the aid of the parish records, all e;x:cept two tokens can
be correctly assigned to the latter. These two can fairly safely be put in
the Milton-next-Sittingbourne series and will be discussed at the end
of this paper.
When endeavouring to match a token to a contemporary record,
it must be remembered that the spelling of surnames in those days
had nothing like uniformity. The names appeared in a great variety of
forms and were written down in whatever manner the writer felt to be
correct. One Milton issuer, Anthony Si:ffiet, had his name spelt in nine
different ways. Another factor to consider is that traditional family
Christian names were e;x.ceedingly popular. Some parents were so
determined to have at least one living descendant bearing a favourite
name that in a number of cases the same name was borne by several of
the family at the same time. For instance, there were si;x: Walter Ninns
in less than 80 years.
The earliest token is dated 1651, during the Commonwealth, and
was issued by Jacob Parson (G301-2), a most influential and important
man in the town at this period. He was undoubtedly a Cromwellian
supporter; the events of 1662, when his Commonwealth sympathies
became apparent, bear this out. His tokens carry the design of clasped
hands with no indication of h.is calling, but the joined hands motif would
seem to be evidence of his satisfaction at the victory of the Commonwealth
forces, and possibly the hand of common friendship as
indicative of the Commonwealth cause. On 25th April, 1651, Oliver
Cromwell came to Gravesend and Parson no doubt cheered with the
rest of his supporters. .An entry in the town accounts for this date
reads, 'Payd for wine bread and beere when the Lord Generali came to
town and at his returne, by Mr. Mayors order, £01 • 10 • 00.9 Only two
entries in the accounts refer to Jacob Parson, neither mentions his
trade. One in 1642, when he obtained his freedom to trade, and another
which reads, '1644 Aprill 3rd, Paid to Jacob Parsons for eyghteen Deale
Boards, 16s. 6d.'lO
7 R. P. Oruden, 364.
8 W. Boyne (Milton, Korit).
° Chamberlain's Accounts, Gravesend Corporation, Gr/FAo 1.
10 Ibid.
151
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
He is well documented in the records, serving the town, except for a
brief period between l 662 and l 667, for 30 years. He came to the
Corporation in 1646 and was immediately pressed into being one of
the collectors for Gravesend parish when an assessment was made on the
inhabitants to raise £50. In 1649, the Council of State ordered that the
mace belonging to the town be altered and one bearing the Oommonwealth
arms take its place. This was finished and paid for in 1653, the
charge of £23 10s. 0d. being borne by the Jurats and Common Councillors.
The Jurats, Parson amongst them, were to pay £1 each and the
Councillors l0s. each. Parson had been appointed a Jurat in the previous
year, he was Mayor in 1656 and a Justice of the Peace a year later.11
In 1661, an Act of Parliament was passed for regulating Corporations;
in other words, to purge them of Commonwealth sympathizers,
'for the Publique Peace and Safety of this Kingdome'. On 14th August,
1662, the Commissioners came to Gravesend to carry into effect this
Act. The outcome was that Mayor James Woodcott was removed and
his place taken by John Smith (M426), Jurat Jacob Parson was also
dismissed; likewise, Thomas Hill (G296), a Common Councilman and
Collector of the Fair and Market dues.12 These will be discussed in
greater detail later when we come to a consideration of the undated
tokens. Others were removed from office and replaced at the same time
but, as they issued no tokens, we can disregard them.
By 1667, it seems that past political differences had been forgotten,
or perhaps Jacob Parson was too influential a man to lose, for in that
year he was re-elected ais a Jurat and in the following year was again
Mayor. Additional proof of his value to the town is to be found in the
Corporation Minute Book for July, 1669, during his second Mayoralty
where an extremely complicated minute is recorded. By the year 1669,
the old prison-house and its neighbouring premises were in ai very
dilapidated condition, so much so that the Corporation decided that they
should be demolished and new brick buildings erected in their place.
The cost was estimated to be £400 but, unfortunately, there was only
£150 in the funds, leaving them £250 short. Mayor Parson was
approached and agreed to lend them the balance. To secure this loan
the Corporation went through the rather complicated manceuvre of
leasing the market to George Oliver (1\1420) and Walter Nynn (M419)
for a term of six years at a nomina.I rent of one peppercorn, trustees as
it were, to repay Parson out of the benefits and profits of the market.
There is a provision at the end of the minute that, as soon as the loan is
repaid, Oliver and Nynn immediately surrender the lease. This seems
to make quite clear the intention of the whole transaction. However,
n Gravesend Corporation Minute Book (Burmote), Gr/AC2. (Abbreviated
hereafter to G.C.M.B.)
12 R. P. Cruden, 333.
152
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
the sum borrowed increased to £300 and it was not until 1673 that
Mr. Parson received all of his money back.13
It seems most probable that Parson lived in a house in the manor of
Parrock at Milton for he is mentioned in an inquest on a seaman,
Samuel Loveridge, from on board the Interminable, and who had
recently returned from fighting the Dutch. This seaman, in attempting
to rob a travelling Frenchman on the London-road in Milton, had been
badly wounded in the stomach during the fight. He had been carried to
what was apparently the nearest house, that of Jacob Parson, in
Parrack, and had there died.14
Parson's wife Elizabeth, the 'E' on the reverse of his token, had
died in October, 1666, and he married a lady named Sara Hills four
months later. He is not mentioned in the records after 1676 except for
an entry in the Milton burial register dated 16th October, 1678.15
The next dated token, the commonest of the Gravesend series, is
that of John Watson (G308), in 1653, with the obverse design of a
pierced heart. This is followed in Williamson's Boyne by a scarce
farthing of John Wetson (G309) having a roll of tobacco as the obverse
design. As the same initials, 'I KW' appear on the reverse of each
issue it is highly probably that Wetson is a die-sinker's error and that
both tokens were issued by John Watson. The name of Wetson has not
been found in any of the numerous records that have been searched.
The device of a heart pierced by an arrow and dripping blood could well
represent the sympathy which he felt for the lost Royalist cause after
the Commonwealth success. That he went with John Reddall (G304) in
1660 to have the King's arms replaced on the mace must show his
Royalist pleasure and supports the choice of design. for one of his
tokena.16 In the Apprenticeship register17 for 1669 he is classed as a
mercer, and he lived in a, four-hearthed house on the south side of
West-street, near the High-street corner. He ea.me from an old Gravesend
trading family, his father a.nd grandfather had been freemen before
him and his son was later to follow. Ju.at prior to the date of his token
he is several times recorded as selling and hiring deal boards, spars, and
brass nails to the Corporation for use at Saint Pa,ul's Fair and the
school-house.is
John Watson first came to public service when he was elected to the
18 G.C.M.B., Gr/AC2.
14 'Informations and Examinations made and taken before William Dove, Esq.,
one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace for Gravesend and Milton', 1673-1677.
British Museum, Harl. MSS. 6749.
15 Milton ohuroh burial register. Colyer-Fergusson transcript.
10 R. P. Cruden, 332.
11 Register of Apprenticeship Indentures, 1636-1716. Gravesend Muniment
Room, Gr/Ar. (Abbreviated hereafter to R. of A.I.)
18 Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr(FAc 1.
153
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
Corporation in 1646, four years after obtaining his freedom to trade.
In 1653, while still a Common Councillor, he was appointed Chamberlain
and, as such, had all the financial dealings with the alteration of the
mace. 1659 saw him a. Jurat and the following year, Mayor. In 1670 he
was chosen Mayor for the second time having served continuously as a
Jurat for the previous 10 years. During the winter months of 1659,
following Cromwell's death, the mutinous unpaid soldiers virtually
took over the country. Everywhere law-abiding citizens rose against
them demanding their disbandment and a free parliament. Gravesend
suffered in common with other towns for, on 7th December, Mr. Watson
was at Rochester arranging to 'gett the Souldiers removed from
Gravesend'. His expenses for the day came to 4s. Sd.19
In August, 1676, after 30 years' continuous service to the town,
John Watson was honourably discharged from the Corporation. Two
years later, he was awarded a, pension of £10 8s. 0d. and is no longer
mentioned in the records.20
Edward Pashlow (M421) of Milton, whose token is dated 1656, was
Mayor in the year 1653, and he figures prominently in the affairs of the
town. During the Civil War he had been responsible for fortifying the
town and the expenses which he incurred are entered in the Corporation
books.21 We have several records naming hlm during his Mayoralty in
connection with local proceedings and the new marriage ceremonies.
In this year, the celebration of marriage was transformed, and an Act of
Parliament directed a new form for the solemnization and registry of
marriages. Public notice of an intending marriage had to be given in
the parish church or market place on three successive Sundays, and
after the couple had made their mutual acceptance as man and wife
before a Justice of the Peace, his Worship declared the marriage valid.
Pashlow was elected to the Corporation in 1640 at the same time
as John Reddall (G304) on the death of two ofits members; in 1653, he
became Mayor having gone through the stages of Assistant to the
Clerks of the Market in partnership with Ja.cob Parson, auditor and
Jurat. During his Mayoralty, it was decided to offer to His Excellency,
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, the High Stewardship of the town, an
office which he graciously consented to accept. A letter of thanks was
sent to Cromwell-and this fact is recorded in the Minute Book. 'The
Lord Generall his E:xcellency having accepted of the High Stewardshipp
of the said Corporation and having confirmed and commissionated
John Parker Esq. his Under Steward there, It was then agreed and
voted by the major pa.rte of the Jurates and Comon Counsellors of the
said Corporation that the letter of thanks as it was written wthout
19 Ibid.
20 G.O.M.B., Gr/AC2, and Chamberlain's Accounts, GrfFAo 2.
21 Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr/FAo I.
154
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
any alteration, and then read in Court and left in the hands of the said
Edward Pashlowe Esqr. Mayor, should bee forthwith humbly prsented
to his Lord Excellanoy the said Generali Cromwell. '22
Pashlow is not mentioned in the records after the Restoration in
1660 although no entry of his death in either of the two parishes oan be
found. His token shows a full-blown rose, but there seems to be no
connection with this emblem and his occupation which is noted in the
Apprenticeship Register as being that of a 'Barber-chirlll'geon' .2s
The Mermaid Inn token appeared also in 1656. This gives no name,
only the initial 'ID P', but it is undoubtedly conneoted with the inn
of that name once standing on the south side of West-street. The initials
refer to John Preston and his wife Dorothy who held the house at least
until her death in 1668. Preston, who was· born in 1637, the son of a.
Milton victualler, was elected to the Corporation in 1670 and appointed
Chamberlain in the following year. By 1678 he was a Jurat and, in 1680,
was asked to serve as Mayor. However, this undoubtedly expensive
position does not seem to have been very agreeable to him and he
refused the office. For his refusal, he was nned the sum of £20 which he
paid in two instalments, in January and October. Four years later, he
was again asked to take the office of chief-citizen and this time he
accepted. It was during this term of offioe in 1684 that the Mayor,
Jurats and inhabitants of Gravesend were served with a writ of 'Quo
warranto' and he had the unenviable task of yielding up the Borough
charter to King Charles II. The King, in an effort to increase his powers
and weaken his political enemies, had ordered the cities and corporate
towns of England to surrender their charters. The dismay and anxiety
of the townspeople was great, but they were defenceless aga.inst the
might of the Crown and so, taking the advice of Sir Joseph Williamson,
who acted as High Steward of Gravesend, they surrendered the charter
into the King's hands on 28th November. Appended to a copy of the
writ in one of the Corporation's books is the following account of the
ceremony by one who was present.
'Note, That this summons was out of date two days before it was
served, and signified nothing; yet notwithstanding, to shew our
innocency and our loyalty, we in a full body went to London on the
26th day, a night tide about eight o'clock. The 27th, Sir Joseph
Williamson, and Sir John Heath, with the Mayor, 11 Jurats, and 17
of the Common council, did wait and attend at Whitehall, where we
were ordered to attend the next day at eleven o'clock, which we did,
and were presented to the King by the Earl of Sunderland and Sir
Joseph, where Mr. John Preston, then Mayor, did, on his knees
deliver the Charter into the King's hand, which he graciously returned
to Mr. Mayor again, and twice bidding him rise, and on the rising of
29 G.O.M.B., Gr/AC l. 23 R. of .A.I., Gr/AJ..
155
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
Mr. Mayor, he said he would ta.ke care of us, which hope he will.
After that we returned the Charter to the Ea.rl of Sunderland, being
Secretary of State, and so went a.bout our concerns.'H
Three years la,ter, by the efforts of Sir Joseph Williamson, a new
Charter granted by King James II, was borne to Gravesend amidst
great jubilation. To defray expenses in connection with this new
charter, ea.eh Jura.t advanced £10, each Common Councillor £5 and
the High Steward £20. It was also agreed that, 'One hundred pounds
now be borrowed uppon the Townehouse towards the paying for the
Charter.'25
After his term of office had e:ir.pired, John Preston was automatically
appointed a, Justice of the Peace, a position he held until his death in
June, 1692.
In the Gravesend Central Library is preserved the red brickwork
panel which formed a decorative feature high up on the front of the
Mermaid Inn. This consists of a central panel with a well-worked
mermaid holding a mirror and combing her hair, very similar to the
design of the token. It is, however, later than the token, for it bears
the date 1688. The house, although not still an inn, was standing with the
panel in situ up until 1900, having miraculously survived the nunierous
fires that devastated the area throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries.
1657 brings two tokens, one of Margret Bird (G289), and the other
of Thomas Wood (G310}, both of Gravesend. Neither have so far
yielded much information. Margret Bird may have been the widow
of the innkeeper of the same surname whoae tavern was pulled down
in 1649 in connection with the illegal shipment of gold and silver and
the dispatch and receipt of Royalist lettera.20 Her token shows a, hen
and chickens, which may be a play on her name or more likely show a
connection with the Hen and Chickens Inn which stood on the north
side of West.street but which, in 1662, was held by William Naylor.27
Thomas Wood, whose token shows a heart, lived on the south side
of West-street and he also owned property elsewhere in the town.28
He purchased his freedom to trade in 1651, but no indication of what
that trade was has been found. Tokens in brass and copper are known
from this issuer.
1658 gives us one dated token, that of William Crouch (G294), of
whom we know very little except that he was apparently Mayor in
1677. His token bears a, hand holding a bird which may be a clue to
2• G.C.M.B., Gr/AC 2.
21; Ibid.
u R. P. Crudel'I., 318.
27 Kent Arohives Office. Victualler's Recognizances, 1662, Q/RLV 1/10.
(Abbreviated hereafter to K.A.O.)
2s K.A.O. Hearth Tax Returns for Kent, 1664.
156
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
the Falcon Inn, known from Milton entries to have been in East-street,
but which in 1662 was held by Thomas Morris. William Crouch is listed
in the same year as holding the Blew Boar's Head.29 In the Hearth Tax
Returns for 1664 he is charged for nine hearths in a house on the south
side of West-street. 30 In the Milton registers, in contrast and contradiction
to the above, we find that on 29th April, 6th May and 13th May,
1655, the announcement of the forthcoming marriage of 'William
Crouch, Lynnon Draper, and Mary Christian of Milton, S.' was read in
three public places.31 What the 'hand holding a bird' reverse has to do
with the trade of linen draper is difficult to imagine, unless, by 1658, he
had changed his occupation. In 1680, the town accounts record transactions
between William Crouch and the Corporation when he supplied a
coat for the town cryer.32 He seems to have been elected to the Corporation
in 1665 and was for a few months in that year acting as Chamberlain.
In 1683 he has 'Exit' written against his name in the Minute Book. ss
It is possible that at one time he was the Borsholder, for in the accounts
of the plague year we find the entry, '1665. Sept. 8. Pd for a lanterne
that ye bosholder William Crouch had to burie ye dead. £0 - 1 • 6.'84
For 12 years from 1659 we have a period of good records and much
activity in Gravesend. During this period came the Restoration, the
plague and the Dutch war.
John Reddall (G304) was Mayor as from October, 1659, and he
would thus have received the recorded disbursement of £1 10s. 0d. for
making the address to the late Lord Protector, Richard Cromwell, on
10th November.S5 He was likewise Mayor during the Restoration of
Charles II. Everywhere in the country the Commonwealth arms were
being replaced by the Royal arms. Gravesend was no exception and
Reddall's name was inscribed on the frame of the new painting of the
King's arms set up in the Town Hall. He issued two tokens, one with an
anchor on the obverse which has been ta.ken as the symbol of Hope for
the Restoration, and another bearing the crowned head of the King,
taken as an issue subsequent to the King's return. On 9th May, 1660,
the Corporation recorded their delight at the King's homecoming, and
declared their allegiance by a resolution, that 'by reason of the most
happy alteration of Government from a Commonwealth to a Kingly
government, under his most excellent Majesty Charles II, the arms of
the late Commonwealth and of the late Protector, which were on the
mace of the Corporation, should be taken off and defaced, and instead
u K.A.O. Viet. Reoog., Q/RLV 1/10.
3° K.A.O. Hearth Tax Retums.
81 l'I I:ilton church marriage register. C-F. transcript .
. 32 Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr{FAo 2,
83 G.C.M.B., Gr/AO 2.
" Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr{FAc 2.
au R. P. Cruden, 321.
157
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
thereof his Majesty's arms put and placed thereon, with the motto
thereto bolonging.'36
It was John Redd0,ll who went with Mr. Watson (G308) to have the
King's arms replaced on the mac.a at a cost of £17 IOs. 0d., a fortnight
before Charles landed at Dovor.37 Possibly, in view of the King's
pnssing through Gravesend on his way to London, the alteration had
beon o.ffootod l:!O as to be ready for use on 26th May, tho day of his
arrivo.l. John Watson, who suoooedcd Rcddo.11 as fayor in 1660, we
have alreo.dy met in 1653 with the token of the piorced heart. We can
well imagine the ploo.sure of Redda.ll and Watson, both obvious
Royalists, as they carried out the official task of altering the mace.
The wheel of fortune had turned its full circle, for in 1653 when the
Commonweo.lth mace had to be paid for, both of them, as young
Common Councilmen, had paid their 10s. During the Mayoralty of
Reddall it was decided to present the King with a. piece of plate. This
was done, the cost of £2 l0s. 0d. being paid out of the Corporatfon
Purse.38
Other insto.noes of Reddall's n,nti-Commonwealth sympathies were
evidenced by the fact that twice, in 1650 and 1657, he had his waterside
stairs or landing-stage demolished by the authorities to prevent the
use of them by enemies of the State from secretly entering or leaving
the town by water.so
His services to the town beg,,n in 1640, the year he received his
freedom to trade and Ji.is election to the Corporation. In 1651, he was a
Juro.t,, and Mn,yor in 1659. He lived in one of the largest houses in the
district, one with 15 hearths, but apart from the fact that it must have
been near t,he l'iYer, it is not knmvn where in Grave.send it was situated.40
Reddall's ";fe Elizabeth, died in 1653; in January of the following year,
he married 1\:fary Skeath, the st-ep-daughter of Jacob Parson (G30l), but
she died in July, 1655. In November of the same year the banns were
called fort.he first time for 'John Reddall of l\Iilton, gent. and Elizabeth
Worrell of St. Brides in London', making three wiYes in just over
two years. He lumsolf died in 1663 aft,er a \"ery full public life.41
In spite of tho full documentation of his life no sign of his occuptl.tion
has emue to light and there i:;; only one entry in the town accounts which
might h:we soml3 bearing on it. 'Se,pt. 29, ltl55. Pd. l\Ir. Reddall for
1000 brkks for mending tha Sohole House. £00. 10. 00.'42
In London in 1660, Samuel Pepys, then an unknown .27-year-old
M G.C.l\I.B., Gr/AC j_
1• Chomberli\in's Accllunts, Gr/FA.o 2.
is Ibid.
u British Museum. Colendor of State Papers, Domestio aeries.
•° K.A.O. Hearth Tax Returns.
n l\Iiltou chUNh burial register, and G.C.M.B., Gr/AC 2.
u Qhamberlam's Accounts, Gr;FAc 2.
158
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
clerk began a diary. It is of great interest to us for the many references
to Gmvesend that it contains.48
On 8th and 9th Juno, 1660, Samuel Pepys was at Grll.vesend
returning to London from Deal. Pepys was no stranger to tho town
at this time, but thls is the first entry of real interest. Ho says, 'Came
to Gravesend. A good handsome wench I ldsscd, the first tho.t I ha.vo
seen a good while. Supped with my Lord, drank late with Ponroso,
tho Captain ... Up betimes, 25s. the reckoning for very bore. Paid tho
house and by boats to London.' In 1662, 30th May, wo find Popys
recording that, 'Upon a suddaine motion I took my wife and Sarah and
Will by water, with some victuals with us as low as Gravesend.' Here
they met a :M:r. Shepley in a hoy which they boarded and sailed as far
as Half-way Tree. On 2nd August, he came again, 'After dinner, (at
Greenwich), we to boate, and had a pleasant passage down to Gravesend,
but it was nine o'clock before we got thither, so that we were in great
doubt whether to stay there or no; and the rather because I was afraid
to ride because of my paine; but at the Swan finding :M:r. Henson and
Lieutenant Carteret of the Forsight come to meet me, I borrowed
l\Ir. Thompson's horse; and he took another, and so we rode to
Rochester in the dark .. .' On 4th August they returned, 'Up by four
o'clock and to Upnor Castle ... So to Rochester and Gravesend. Very
dark before we got thither to the Swan; and there, meeting with
Doncaster, an old waterman of mine above bridge, we eat a short
supper, being very merry with the drolling, drunken coachman that
brought us, and so took water ...'
These two references to the Swan must be the Swan referred to on the
undated token reading, 'AT THE SWA NE IN GRAVESEND' with
the initials 'AM W' (G306). During research into the history of the
local tokens, the question arose as to whether it was possible to obtain
any close identification, and with Pepys's further help this was successful.
1665 and 1666 brought the plague. Undoubtedly, thls ravaged the
small Gravesend community with bitter intensity, and must largely
account for the lack, with a few exceptions, of any lengthy family
connections in subsequent years with the token ia.'itterg of this era-.
There were 150 deaths from the p1ague in Gravesend between Augu13t
and December, 1665. Pocock records that in Gra.ve.nd 352 died from
Septmber, 1665, to Septmber 1666, whilst in Milton the number of
deaths was 198.'• A very heavy loss indeed. In London, the epidemic
started in November, 1664; Gra.vesend'e first victims had fallen earlier,
but this did not deter Pepys from visiting the town. On 17th AUf,'USt,
1665, he was again off Gravesend making merry and looking unsuccessfully
'for a. new comet which is said to have lafoly shone.' On
" Samud Pepy8'• Diary
" R. Pocock, 92 and 116.
159
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
the next day when Pepys went down to Sheerness, we read, 'To Sheerness,
where we walked up and down, laying out the ground to be taken
in for a yard to lay provisions for cleaning and repairing of ships, and
a most proper place it is for the purpose. Late in the dark to Gravesend,
where great is the plague, and I troubled to stay there so long for
the tide.'
This was a time of much anxiety, stress and work for Pepys; it
represents a vital period in the great part he played in expanding and
reorganizing the Navy, whose state was deplorable. Pepys, therefore,
found it necessary to engage in much journeying down the Thames.
On Sunday, 17th September, after church, he set out once more
for Gravesend on his way to visit the Fleet. Again, on the following
Sunday, he writes, 'Waked, and up, and drank; and then, being about
Grayes, and a very calm, curious morning, we took our wherry, and to
the fishermen, and- bought a good deal of fine fish, and to Gravesend to
Whites', and had part of it dressed, and, in the mean time, we to walk
about a mile from the town, and so back again.' This entry is illuminating
for its reference to 'Whites' which could only be an inn.
In 1662, we came across references by Pepys to the Swan Inn at
Gravesend, and as he seems to favour the Swan on his visits, the mention
of 'Whites' in the record of 24th September might well mean another
visit to the Swan. There is an undated Milton token of Arthur White
(M427) issued at the Angel and bearing the initials 'AM W'. The token
from the Swan Inn also has the initials 'AM W'. Here we have
numismatic proof that Arthur White was innholder of both the Swan
and the Angel, although probably not at the same time. It is possible
to go further. The Victualler's Recognizances for 1662 lists Arthur White
as holder of the Swan in Milton, although the Angel is not mentioned. 45
In the Gravesend Central Library there is a deed of sale dated 31st
March, 1684, which deals with, amongst other property, the sale of the
Swan. .' .. and also all thatM essuage Tenement or Inn comonlie called
or knowne by the name or signe of the Swanne with the appurtenances
and all the outhouses stables haylofts edifices buildings gardens ground
yards and backsides with their appurtenances to the said Messuage
Tenements or Inn belonging . .. situate lying and being in the Towne
and Parish of Milton next Gravesend in the said county of Kent and
late in the tenure or occupation of Arthur White or his undertenant ...'
Arthur White came to the Council in 1645, was appointed Chamberlain
in 1652, a Jura.t in 1657, and Mayor in 1658. He is last mentioned
in the list of Jurats in 1671 which accords with the Milton burial
register where he is recorded as being buried on 22nd March, 1671,
followed in November by his wife Mary. In the year 1666, he was again
asked to take the office of Mayor but he refused. Three other Jurats
4G K.A.0. Viet. Recog., Q/RLV 1/10.
160
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
were also asked but they all declined and were find the usual £20 for
refusing.46
Immediately after the Restoration, numerous loyal subjects petitioned
the King for the official positions previously held by the
'Oliveria.ns'. Many were the begging letters to the King, each outdoing
the other in stories of hardship suffered under Cromwell, and full of
assurances of faithful loyalty to the absent Crown during the troubled
times. Several went from the people of Gravesend, Arthur White being
one of the early ones. He wrote requesting that he be allowed to
continue as Postmaster of Gravesend and Milton, declaring that he had
been dismissed from service in the Navy for loyalty, was obliged to keep
an inn at Milton and had obtained the office of Postmaster in 1645, but
had lost much in the Kentish rising of 1648. His petition was probably
successful for it is endorsed, 'Mr . .Alcock's recommendation' .47
The name of Arthur White as a Jurat appears in the lease of April,
1663, when the bowling-green land at the west end of the town was
leased by John May (G297) to the Gravesend Corporation.48 When
peace was proclaimed between England and Holland in 1667, at a
small celebration Mr. White supplied the wine at a, cost of 19s. 6d.49
The Swan would appear to be one of the most importmt hostelries
in the town at this time as several accounts of expenses for official
meetings held there are in existence. The inn stood on the east side of
the High-street ·where the modern Kent public-house now stands. Until
quite recently Swan-yard was a turning out of Queen-street, and this
may indicate.where the inn-yard stood. The first mention of the Swan
so far found is in the will of Richard Asheley, dated 1510, and the last
1828 when the site became the Kent.00
Arthur White, whom we have decided was the landlord at one
period, was a Milton man; the inn was in Milton, the question therefore
arises, why does the inscription on the token read, 'AT THE SWANE
IN GRAVESEND', and not 'IN MILTON'i
The Angel, which receives far fewer mentions in the town's muniments,
also stood in the High-street in Milton. Its position was where
no. 3 now stands .near the town quay. The inn and its stables were
almost totally destroyed during the disastrous fire of 1727 when nearly
half the to·wn was burnt down.
The year 1666 provides us with three dated tokens, those of John
May (G297), Walter Ninn (M419) and William Reade (M422).
John May lived in quite a large house on the south side of West-
46 G.C.M.B., Gr/AC 2.
0 B.M. Cal. of State Papers (Dom).
48 R. Pocock, 20.
40 Chamberlain's Accounts, GrfFAC 2.
50 .Gravesend Muniment Room. Victualler's Recognizances, 1815-1856.
161
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
street. 51 His token shows a man with a staff carrying another on his
shoulders. Thls picture is connected with the legend of St. Christopher,
the patron saint of travellers. It is also associa.ted with the calling of
the apothecary, and as such John May is described in the case of the
bowling-green land in April, 1663.52 In the Apprenticeshlp Register for
the years 1654 and 1658, May's occupation is noted as being that of a
'chirurgeon'.58 He was made a freeman in 1651 and elected to the
Corporation shortly afterwards, remaining a Common Councillor until
1659 when he was appointed Chamberlain. He is recorded as being a
Ju.rat in 1661 and Mayor in 1662, becoming a Justice of the Peace in
the following year. He does not appear in the Minute Book after 1669,
having died in the late November of that year.
When the altered Cromwellian mace was paid for in 1653 John May,
as a Common Councillor, paid hls 10s. It is of interest to note that for a
few years John May a.nd George May, who was probably his brother,
were serving on the Corporation at the same time.
The Ninn family, whose occupation was that of bakers, came to
Gravesend in the early seventeenth century and disappeared from
view in 1776. There were six Walter Ninns (with various spellings of
the name) mentioned in the parish records, and they are noted as being
Mayors on five occasions between 1679 and 1762. This profusion of
Walter Ninns makes it e;x:tremely difficult to separate the token-issuer
from hls sons. The token appropriately bears the baker's arms, and it
is felt that the issuer was the Mayor who, on 23rd July, 1680, with 28
other members of the Corporation, signed the renunciation of the
Solemn League and Covenant. This renunciation by the Corporation so
long after the Restoration and not earlier, was probably a wise move on
their part in view of the continued suspicions on both aides, and the
precautions which those suspicions made necessary.
Several entries referring to money paid to a Mr. Ninn can be found
in the accounts, the earliest being 1640, but as these are coroner's fees
and legal expenses, they do not appear to relate to the Ninn in whom
we are interested.
Although it seems that Walter Ninn was active in the business of
the town from an early date, he does not appear to have joined the
Corporation until 1668. He was immediately appointed one of the
Collectors of the fair and market dues in partnership with George Oliver
(M420). He had married, in June, 1665, a, Milton lady by the name of
Susan Lee but, in November, 1666, she died, and this would probably
account for the lack of his wife's initial on his token. 1668 saw him
61 K.A.O. Hearth Tax Returns.
n R. Pocock, 20.
sa R. of A.I., Gr/AI.
162
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
married a.gain to a lady with a, very similar Christian name as his first
wife, Susana,54
In 1675 Walter Ninn (Nynn) was one of the principal witnesses in
an enquiry into the activities of Anne Neale, a reputed witch of the
area. In his evidence he informed the Justice, Mr. Dove, that about
four years previously his servant and apprentice, William Eason, whom
he had taken in 1667, was suddenly stricken with strange and violent
fits, crying out that Anne Neale had come several times to his bedside.
On recovering he returned to work, but one day Anne went to Nynn's
bakehouse, whereupon William once again went into violent fits, raving
and shouting that she had bewitched him. These fits lasted for three
days until William finally died. Walter Nynn concluded his evidence
by saying that four months later his 2-year-old son, Thomas, was
taken strangely ill and died, 'bewitched to death by Anne Neale'.65
In 1686 a new charter was requested; Walter Ninn, then a Jurat,
was one of the committee set up to consider any alterations which might
be required in the constitution and to make an assessment on the
Freemen and inhabitants to get money for the cost of renewing the
charter. He himself is assessed at £3. In the accounts for 1686/7 there is
a record of expenses for celebrations at the time of the new charter and
this includes, 'Payd Mr. Walter Ninn for 1 Cqt of biskett and 6 Doz.
Rowles. £1 . 10. 0'.56
It is not known where in Milton the Ninn bakehouse stood, at least
the token states, 'IN MILTON', but a later bakehouse of the family
stood on the south side of West-street in Gravesend, next to the
Unicorn Inn. This house was damaged in the great fire of 1727 .57
Of William Reade (M:422/3), a Milton man, very little is known.
His tokens carry the arms of the Pewterers, and he is the only issuer of
the two parishes to issue both halfpennies and farthings. He paid his
£6 10s. fee to trade in 1660 and took his first apprentice in 1666, the
year of his token.
In the Minute Book of the Corporation is a most interesting entry
regarding William Reade. He does not appear to have been very active
in the service of the town, and in 1673 he asked to be discharged from
serving as a Common Councillor. His request was granted but he had
to pay to the Corporation the sum of £10 for the favour.
No further news of him can be found after 1678 when he was an
Overseer of the poor for Milton. His death is not recorded in the local
records, nor is that of his wife, whose initial 'M' on his tokens probably
stood for Mary, since he had two daughters of this name.
6' Milton church registel.'8, 0-F. transcripts. 66 B.M. 'Informations and Examinations', Harl. MSS. 6749. 66 Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr/FAc 2.
67 KA.O, U718 T86, Q/SB 1727.
163
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF ORA VESEND
A rare, heart-shaped, halfpenny token of William Baldwin (M414)
of Milton appears in 1667. The reverse of two :Beurs-de-lis does not
convey much to us; neither do the parish records, although the name
William Baldwin, in a variety of spellings, is frequently encountered in
the Milton registers for about this time. A William Baldwyne is named
in the Minute Book as a Common Councilman having been elected in
the year of his token. He was born in 1607, his father being a tailor,
and he died in 1673. In his will, he is recorded as a haberdasher, his
wife Marie being his sole beneficiary.
On 4th April, 1654, at the West Kent Quarter Sessions at Maidstone,
information was laid by John Watson (G308), mercer of Gravesend,
against William Baldwyn of Gravesend, tailor, to the effect that for the
space of six months Baldwyn had been exercising a craft or practioing a
trade without serving a seven-year apprenticeship. Common informers,
such as Watson, supplied the information in the hope of personal gain
in the form of a share of the fines imposed.58
Also in 1667, Robert Day (G295), a Gravesend tailor, issued his
halfpenny token with the appropriate obverse of a pair of scissors.
He purchased his freedom to trade in 1655 paying £4 in two instalments
. to do so, and lived in a small house on the' south side of West-street.
This gentleman was a Quaker who, with.a relative, Thomas Day, was
imprisoned in Maidstone jail for his opinions. They were found guilty
on one of the earliest charges brought against Quakers, that of not
swearing, acting upon Matthew v. 34, they swore not at all.09
This year brought the Dutch War with its fights and skirmishes in
the Thames. Pepys's diary for this period gives us an insight into the
Jives of the inhabitants of the town, for on the 10th June we read,
'. . . Down to Gravesend, where I find the Duke of Albemarle just
come, with a great many lords and gentlemen, with their pistols and
fooleries; and the bulwark [that is, the blockhouse] not able to have
stood half an hour had they [the Dutch] come up; but the Dutch are
fallen down from the Hope and Shell-haven as low as Sheernesse, and
we do plainly at this time hear the guns play. Yet I do not :find the
Duke of Albemarle intends to go thither, but stays here tonight and
hath, though the Dutch are gone, ordered our frigates to be brought to
a line between the two blockhouses; which I took then to be a ridiculous
thing. I find the townsmen had removed most of their goods out of the
town, for fear of the Dutch coming up to them; and from Sir John
Griffen [an error for Sir John Griffith, captain of the fort at Gravesend]
that last night there was not twelve men to be got in the town to defend
it; which the master of the house tells me is not true, but that the men
sa K.A.O. Information Roll of Informations supplied by Common Informers
at West Kent Quarter Sessions, 1662-1654, Q/SRm I/3.
u KenllilJh Note Book, ii, 108.
164
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
of the town did intend to stay, though they did indeed, and so had he,
at the Ship, removed their goods .. .' In a letter to Sir William Coventry,
dated llth June, Pepys writes, '. · .. During my being at Gravesend I
heard distinctly great guns play below, and at my coming away Sir
William Jennings and the Commanders were going on board by the
Duke of Albemarle 's order to bring up their ships and place them in a
line thwart the River between the forts. I met several vessels in my
going down loaden with the goods of the people of Gravesend. Such was
their fright . . .' In several of the following entries he wris of his
journeys to Gravesend and of the complaints of the people about the
neglect of the King's officers in not being prepared. Then on 24th July
' ... About five o'clock down to Gravesend, .•. and as we come nearer
to Gravesend, we hear the Dutch fleet and ours a-firing their guns
most distinctly and loud. So I landed and discoursed with the landlord
of the Ship, who undeceives me in what I heard this morning about the
Dutch having lost two men-of-war, for it is not so, but several of their
fireships . . :ao The two references to the Ship Inn quoted above a.re
important, and we will return to them later.
1668 gives us two dated tokens. A scarce octagonal halfpenny of
Matthew Butler (G291), and a very rare heart-shaped halfpenny of
William Kemster (M418). Practically nothing is known about either
of them.
Butler, who was a Gravesend tailor, was sworn a freeman of the
Corporation in the year he issued his token, paying the full fee of
£5 0s.6 d. to the Chamberlain for the privilege.0 1 Apart from an entry
in the register of his marriage to Dorothy Stevenson, the 'D' on his
token, in 1665, nothing more is known of him.
William Kemster of Milton is known only by the fact that his name
occurs in an assessment upon the parishioners in the year 1687, and by
numerous entries in the parish registers, including his death in August,
1690. The device of bunches of grapes on bis token is a. puzzle as no
record of his occupation can be found.
On Sunday, 6th September, 1668, Pepys went with Henry Russell
by water to Gravesend, ' ... coming thither about one, where, at the
Ship, I dined; and thither came to me Mr. Hosier whom I went to
speak with ... ' .Again the reference to the Ship.
In 1669, George Head (M416) of Milton issued his halfpenny token
with the reverse of a ship in full sail. This could well be connected with
the inn mentioned by Pepys in his entries quoted above, for it was quite
an important place. History records that in 1614 the King of Denmark
came to England on his second visit, and on 1st August, His Majesty,
with King James and Prince Henry, on their way to Rochester, halted
00 Samuel, Pepyo's Diary.
61 Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr/FAo 2.
165
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
at Gravesend and dined at the Ship Inn. Much of the town's official
business was conducted there, and in the accounts for the period under
review several references are mde to the Ship. To quote a few, 'January
12. 1648, Item paide for a qua.rte of burnt Clarett and a. pinte of Porte
and fageets at the Shipp when Mr. Woodcott and Mr. Cleare were
auditing the acoumpts. Two Shillings and foure Peence.' 'March 13.
1649, Paid for a dinner at the Ship when Mr. Maior satt clarke of the
Markett as appears by bill, £01- 04 - 09.' Late on we find, 'July 11.
1649, Itm paide for wine for the Judge being att the Shipp and his
folowers unto Mr. Peny the summ of seven shillings. And for cakes to
shillings six p. And for 12 lb of cherryes four shillings, and for a sugar
loofe unto Mr. Hall the shop-keeper att 2 pounds 14 ozs. the summ of
seven shillings 4p.'62
By about 1780 the Ship had been divided into two tenements and
had ceased to be an inn. J. R. S. Clifford in his little guide-book,
Gravesend and its Neighbourhood (1886), writes that the inn formerly
stood where now the northern corner of Bank-street meets the Highstreet.
This old wooden structure was burnt down in the fire of August,
1850, which cleared most of the Milton side of the street. Several of
George Head's family are mentioned in the registers. He himself died
in 1681 and his wife, Mary, in 1702, both being buried at Gravesend.
John Biddle (G288) who issued the only dated token of 1670, had
received his freedom to trade in 1667 paying only 3s. 10d. for the
privilege as he was 'ma.de free by his father's copy'.63 He was elected
to the Corporation in 1673 and was immediately appointed one of the
Collectors of the fair and market dues. In 1678, he was made Chamberlain
and was one of the signatories of the renunciation of the Solemn
League and Covenant of 23rd July, 1680. When the new charter was
requested in 1686, John Biddle is noted a-s a, Common Councillor and
as such is assessed at £1 l0s. In 1690, he is recorded as having died,
'Mort est', while still a Common Councillor. This agrees with the
Gravesend burial register where his death is entered on 1st February,
1689/90, followed on the 10th by his wife, .Alice.
His halfpenny token has on the obverse a pope's head and was
undoubtedly issued from the inn bearing that sign, for we know that
the Pope's Head was an inn on the north side of West-street until early
in the twentieth century. The Victualler's Recognizances for 1662 lists
a William Beedle of Gravesend as holder of the Pope's Head.64 As this
gentleman was the father of the token-issuer, it would appear that John
took over the inn after his father's death in 1667. In the County Archives
Gil Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr/FAc I.
da Gravesend Muniment Room. Admjssions of Freemen, 1659-1736.
Gr[R of I. Chamberlain's Accounts, Gr/FAc 2.
" K.A.O. Viet. Recog., Q/RLV 1/10.
166
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
Office at Maidstone there is preserved a, probate inventory for John
Biddle dated 14th February; 1689/90, where he is recorded as being an
innholder, the cash value of his goods amounting to over £170. The
house was a, large one, having about 14 rooms, including a s11n1mer-house
and several stables.65
1671 gives us the latest dated token of either Gravesend or Milton.
It was issued by Thomas Warren (G307) of the former parish and bore
his initials coupled with that of his wife, J oa.n, whom he had married in
1668. The obverse design of three rabbits relates to the fact that he
kept the Three Conies Alehouse in Gravesend. Some 10 years later he is
listed as holding the White Ha.rt. 66 He had been sworn a freeman of the
Corporation in January, 1667, and is first mentioned as a Comm.on
Councillor in 1679, which position he held until he was appointed
Chamberlain in 1695. When he died two years later the parish registers
listed him simply as a 'householder'.
A local by-law makes it an offence, punishable by a fine of 3s. 4d.,
for appearing in Court on Court days in indecent apparel. In 1696, at a
Court Burmote held in the Town House, it was ordered that, 'William
Symonds, Gent, Mayor, do forthwith yssue out his warrants agt the
goods of James Goldsmith and Thomas Warren, for the payment of
the fines Iayd upon them by the Court for their not having Oloakes
according to the Constitutions. '67
In 1675 Thomas Warren was the chief witness at the examination of
Anne Neale, the Gravesend witch. William Charles, a vintner of
Gravesend, employed Anne as a pot-carrier, and it was part of her
duties to carry wine and ale to and from the Three Conies Alehouse.
She was known loca.Uy as a,n 'ill-tongued woman' and rumour had it
that she was a. witch, ha,ving done harm to several neighbours, their
cattle and goods. Wa,rren accordingly took precautions and forbade her
to come any more to his house at which she became exceedingly angry,
bitterly cursing him and reviling him. Shortly afterwards trouble began
to pile up for Warren. Some of his horses, which before his disagreement
with Anne Neale, had been fit and well, became sick and died. One even
hanged itself, and two mares died in the 'strangest manner that had
ever been seen'. ·warren's 2-year-old son, Walter, who had been
handled by the old woman several times, became sick and was stricken
with 'strange and awfull fitts a,nd strugglings'. For 19 weeks the boy
languished, pined, wasted a.way and finaHy died. Warren concluded his
evidence by telling the enquiry that he believed these calamities were
ea.used by witchcraft, enchantments and sorcery and that Anne Neale
was to blame. os
aa K.A.O., Pi 25/1.
eo K.A.O., U47/13 TIO, Ul45 T59/2,
67 G.O.M.B., Gr/AO 2.
68 B.M., 'Informations and Examinations', Ha.rl. MSS. 6749.
167
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
A royal proclamation of August, 1672, announced new copper
currency and ordered the withdrawal of token money. This meant that
Warren's tokens had a very short life indeed, and only a few were
issued, making them some of the rarest of the series.
We are now faced with the problem of the remaining undated tokens,
and an endeavour must be made to put them into some sort of chronological
order. The evidence is unfortunately very scanty and so every
reference in the records must be taken into account.
Let us start with that of Marek Medhoust (G298), if only for the
reason that he is a very elusive person. Nothing is to be found in any of
the numerous muniments so far searched of a trader of this name, or,
allowing for the varied spelling of the time, any name like it. His halfpenny
token indicates that he was a Gravesend mercer and with that
crumb of information we must, for the present, be satisfied. In the early
years of the following century the family of Medhurst is well documented,
being tallow-chandlers, whilst two members became Mayors.
We are placed in a similar position by the lack of knowledge of
another Gravesend trader, William Oliver (G299). The only possible
applicable entries are in the Milton register ·of burials where a gentleman
of this name is recorded as being buried on 12th April, 1666, and the
Hearth Tax Returns for Milton in 1664 which charges William Oliver for
six hearths. The obverse design of a cannon on his token may be a
clue to his possible occupation of an innkeeper for we know that in the
seventeenth century there was an inn called by the Elign of the Gun. Its
exact location is not known but the indications are that it was in Milton,
'1606, Rioharde Tompson of ye Gunne' buried, and in 1609 Richard
Cockett, the land.lord of the Gun was one of the 'four and twenty capital
inhabitants'. These entries, amongst others, are in the Milton registers,
whilst the Gravesend ones do not mention an inn of this name at all.
The legend on the token, however, if we accept the cannon as the sign
of the Gun, contradicts the documentary evidence and gives us,
WILLIAM OLIVER AT (the Gun) IN GRAVESEND'. In the
Victualler's Recognizances for 1662 the Gun is listed, as is also the
Lower Gun, neither of them at that time being held by Oliver. In
the late eighteenth century the Lower Gun was in Bast-street in Milton
parish, so perhaps the Gun was at the upper end of the town and the
Lower Gun at the other.
Thomas Boone or Bone (G290) was most probably a tobacconist,
the only evidence for which is the obverse design on his token of a roll
of tobacco. He came from an influential family, his father having been
Mayor in 1645. He himself joined the Corporation in 1656 and was made
a Jurat in 1664. Less than a year later he was dead. His wife Martha,
whose initial 'M' is on the reverse of his token had died three months
before bim in June, 16?5. In his will, he asked that 'twenty shillings be
168
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TOKEN ISSUERS OF GRAVESEND
laid out in bread to be given to the poor of Gravesend on ye day of
my burial'.69 The Victualler's Recognizances (1662) records a, Thomas
Bone of Gravesend as holding the Golden Anchor, while the Hearth
Tax Returns for 1664: charges him for 11 hearths; quite a, sizeable
dwelling.
Thomas Clarke (G293), who issued a token from the Boar's Head in
Gravesend, is another about whom very little is known. He did not
serve on the Corporation and consequently is not recorded in the
minute books or accounts of the town except for an entry when he
· received his freedom in July, 1660. The 'M' in the initials undoubtedly
stands for Mary, his wife, whose death in the plague year of 1666 is
entered a fortnight after the death of his