Charles I, Gold Triple Unite, Kingdom of England

Historical Context

Following the outbreak of the First English Civil War in August 1642 and the departure of the royal court from London, the administration of Charles I lost access to the Tower Mint and the established mercantile credit systems of the capital. In order to supply high-value specie for the Royalist army and administrative payrolls, provincial minting operations were rapidly improvised. Initial coinages were organized under Thomas Bushell at Shrewsbury in late 1642, drawing on bullion from local silver mines and donated plate. Following the indecisive Battle of Edgehill and the establishment of the Royalist wartime capital at Oxford, operations were consolidated at New Inn Hall under Sir William Parkhurst and Thomas Bushell, beginning systematic production in January 1642/3.

The principal source of precious metal at Oxford was silverware and domestic plate requisitioned from or voluntarily surrendered by Oxford colleges and Royalist nobility. To fulfill high-value military obligations while asserting royal sovereignty, the king authorized the triple unite, tariffed at sixty shillings (£3 sterling, equivalent to three standard twenty-shilling unites). Struck from 22-carat crown gold (0.9166 fine) at a statutory weight standard of approximately 421 troy grains (ca. 27.28 g), it represents the largest circulating hammered gold denomination ever issued in England. Regular striking continued across the calendar years 1642, 1643, and 1644, concluding near the time of the great fire of Oxford on 6 October 1644.

Obverse Iconographic Composition

The obverse composition presents an armored, crowned half-length portrait of Charles I facing left, set within an inner beaded circle. The king grasps an upright sword in his right hand—signifying martial command and defense of the royal prerogative—while holding an olive branch in his left hand across his breast, symbolizing his declared pursuit of peace. Behind the monarch's head or neck in the right field stands the Prince of Wales's ostrich plumes badge, an insignia retained from Thomas Bushell's earlier operations at Aberystwyth and continued at Shrewsbury and Oxford.

The stylistic rendering of the monarch's bust underwent documented typological shifts between 1642 and 1644. The initial 1642 issues display a tall, comparatively crude bust assembled from composite puncheons. Early 1643 issues introduced a refined portrait wearing a decorative scarf fluttering behind the neck. By later 1643, a distinguished, taller bust without a shoulder scarf became dominant, before being succeeded in 1644 by a smaller, more compact portrait module.

Obverse Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The obverse legend is rendered in monumental Roman capital lettering enclosed between an inner beaded circle and an outer denticulated rim. The inscription commences at twelve o'clock, preceded by an Oxford plume initial mark often flanked by pellet or colon stops.

• Attested Inscription (1643 Obverse VI): ·:· CAROLVS · D : G : MAGN : BRIT : FRAN : ET : HIB : REX · : ·
• Expanded Latin Form: Carolus Dei Gratia Magnae Britanniae Franciae et Hiberniae Rex
• English Translation: "Charles, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland"

Lettering forms vary according to specific die states and punches, with punctuation marks alternating between single pellets, colons, and clusters across distinct obverse dies.

Reverse Iconographic Composition

Departing from traditional Tudor and Stuart heraldic shield designs, the reverse of the triple unite functions as an explicit medium of wartime political communication. The central field displays Charles I's "Declaration," either framed between horizontal rules (1642) or enclosed within an undulating continuous or segmented ribbon scroll (1643–1644). Above the Declaration, three Oxford ostrich plumes surmount the Roman numeral of value · III ·, indicating the three-pound tariff. The year of striking in Christian calendar numerals appears in the lower field.

In his structural classification of the dies, R. D. Beresford-Jones identified two distinct design arrangements for the reverse:

1. The Shrewsbury Tradition (S series): The peripheral Exurgat circumscription forms a distinct circular band, separated from the inner Declaration scroll by blank fields or pellet punctuation.
2. The London Tradition (L series): The peripheral Exurgat circumscription runs continuously into the upper edge of the ribbon scroll containing the Declaration text.

Reverse Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The reverse incorporates two complementary Latin textual programs, combining scriptural invocation with royal political propaganda:

1. Peripheral Circumscription:

   • Legend: EXVRGAT : DEVS : DISSIPENTVR : INIMICI
   • Scriptural Source: Psalm 68:1 (Vulgate Psalm 67:2: Exsurgat Deus et dissipentur inimici eius).
   • English Translation: "Let God arise and His enemies be scattered."

2. The Declaration Inscription:

   • Typical Three-Line Layout:
     • Line 1: RELIG · PROT :
     • Line 2: LEG : ANG (or LEGI : ANGL)
     • Line 3: LIBER : PAR
   • Expanded Latin Form: Religio Protestantium, Leges Angliae, Libertas Parliamenti
   • English Translation: "The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England, the liberty of Parliament."

This declaration summarizes the pledge Charles I delivered to his army between Stafford and Wellington on 19 September 1642, intended to reassure the public that his campaign was undertaken to preserve the Protestant faith, established statute, and parliamentary privilege.

Typology and Documented Variants

The classification of triple unites rests primarily upon the comprehensive die study published by R. D. Beresford-Jones. Documented emissions reflect progressive adjustments in puncheon styles, die pairings, and administrative mint markings:

Comparison specimens in public institutions illustrate these structural lineages. For example, the specimen held in the Cleveland Museum of Art (accession no. 1969.195, measuring 46 mm in diameter) exemplifies the 1643 Obverse VI portrait type paired with a scroll reverse.

Scholarly Debates and Attribution Limitations

The attribution of triple unite dies has been subject to sustained scholarly discussion:

• Engraver Attribution: Philip Nelson posited that the sudden leap in artistic quality between the crude 1642 issues and the sophisticated portraits of 1643 was attributable to the direct hand of Nicholas Briot, the former French engraver and Royal Mint mechanizer. Conversely, Beresford-Jones demonstrated through documentary records that Briot's presence at Oxford was transitory and discontinuous. Beresford-Jones concluded that the dies were prepared either by Tower Mint engravers who transferred their allegiance to Oxford in early 1643, or by local craftsmen working from punches supplied by London engravers. The exact individual diesinker responsible for the refined master portraits remains unconfirmed.
• Calendar Reckoning: In accordance with the Julian (Old Style) civil calendar in use in seventeenth-century England, the official legal year commenced on 25 March (Lady Day). Consequently, dies carrying the date 1642 encompass strikes executed through 24 March 1642/3.
• Cataloguing Uninspected Specimens: Secure classification of individual specimens requires physical examination of punch characteristics, die flaws, punctuation marks, and the precise junction between the peripheral legend and reverse scroll. Comparative institutional records—such as CMA 1969.195, whose curatorial accession record omits a specific weight measurement—provide reference typologies but cannot substitute for direct physical metrology.

References

1. The Oxford Mint and the Triple Unites of Charles I. Beresford-Jones, R. D. (1954). British Numismatic Journal, vol. 27, pt. 3, pp. 334–344, pls. I–II.
2. The Oxford Mint, 1642–6: Unites and Half-Unites. Beresford-Jones, R. D. (1955–1957). British Numismatic Journal, vol. 28, pt. 3, pp. 604–619.
3. Triple Unite or Three Pound Piece: Charles I (obverse); Declaration on Scroll (reverse). Cleveland Museum of Art. Accession No. 1969.195. Comparative museum record.
4. The Coins of the Shrewsbury Mint, 1642. Morrieson, H. W. (1916). British Numismatic Journal, vol. 12, pp. 195–211.
5. The Gold Coins Issued from the Mint at Oxford, 1642–1646, in the Reign of Charles I. Nelson, Philip. (1915). British Numismatic Journal, vol. 11, pp. 183–206.
6. The J. G. Brooker Collection: Coins of Charles I (1625–1649). North, J. J. (1984). SCBI 33. London: Spink & Son Ltd. Further reading.
7. English Hammered Coinage, Volume II: Edward I to Charles II, 1272–1662. North, J. J. (1991). 3rd ed. London: Spink & Son Ltd. Further reading.
8. The Schneider Collection of English Gold Coins, Part I / Part II. Schneider, H. (1996). SCBI 47 & 53. London: Spink & Son Ltd. Further reading.
9. Coins of England and the United Kingdom: Standard Catalogue of British Coins. Spink & Son Ltd. (2023). 59th ed. London: Spink & Son Ltd. Further reading.