Edward III, Gold Noble, Kingdom of England

Historical Context

Prior to the mid-fourteenth century, domestic currency in the Kingdom of England operated on a silver standard anchored by the sterling penny. In January 1344, King Edward III attempted to introduce a regular domestic gold currency with the florin, or double leopard, valued at six shillings, alongside half- and quarter-florin denominations. Because the gold in these coins was overvalued against continental silver exchange rates, foreign merchants rejected them, prompting formal demonetization in August 1344.

In July 1344, Edward III initiated the striking of the gold noble as part of the Second Coinage. Tariffed at six shillings and eight pence (eighty pence, representing half a mark or one-third of a pound sterling), the noble quickly established itself as a stable store of wealth and an internationally accepted medium of trade across the North Sea and the Low Countries.

To preserve parity with silver bullion and continental gold exchange ratios, the noble underwent three successive weight standards during Edward III's reign:

• Second Coinage (1344–1346): Struck at 138 6/13 grains troy (approximately 8.97 g) of fine gold measuring 23 carats 3.5 grains (.9948 fine).
• Third Coinage (1346–1351): Reduced to 128 4/7 grains troy (approximately 8.33 g).
• Fourth Coinage (1351–1377): Standardized by the Mint Indenture of 1351 at 120 grains troy (approximately 7.78 g).

The expansive Fourth Coinage is classified into three principal chronological periods reflecting the military and diplomatic shifts of the Hundred Years' War:

• Pre-Treaty Period (1351–1361): Retained Edward's claim to the French crown, which had been declared at Ghent in 1340.
• Treaty Period (1361–1369): Followed the ratification of the Treaty of Brétigny in October 1360. In exchange for sovereign rule over Aquitaine, Ponthieu, and Calais, Edward dropped the title King of France from his currency, adopting the style Lord of Aquitaine.
• Post-Treaty Period (1369–1377): Prompted by King Charles V of France resuming open warfare, leading Edward III to reinstate the French royal title across royal coinage.

Obverse: Iconographic Composition

The obverse design displays a full-length, frontal representation of King Edward III standing in the waist of a contemporary medieval sailing vessel, usually interpreted as a cog or carvel-built ship. The king is crowned and clad in plate and chain armor beneath a jupon. In his right hand, he holds an upright broadsword, while his left arm supports a heater-shaped shield displaying the quartered royal arms: France Ancient (Azure, semé-de-lis Or) in the first and fourth quarters, and England (Gules, three lions passant guardant Or) in the second and third.

The vessel features raised, embattled fore- and sterncastles, exposed deck beams along the hull, standing rigging rising toward a central mast, and stylized undulating horizontal wave lines beneath the keel. An inner beaded circle encircles the maritime tableau, separating the design field from the peripheral circumscription.

Obverse: Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The obverse circumscription is rendered in Lombardic Latin majuscule script, running clockwise around the outer border beginning at the twelve o'clock position above the king's crown.

Chronological Formulas

• Pre-Treaty Period (1351–1361):
  • Diagnostic Formula: EDWARD • DEI • GRA • REX • ANGL • Z • FRANC • D • hyB (with punctuation varying among single annulets, pellets, and saltires, accompanied by unbarred or reversed Ns in early dies).
  • Transliteration: Edward Dei Gratia Rex Angliae et Franciae Dominus Hiberniae.
  • Translation: "Edward, by the grace of God, King of England and France, Lord of Ireland."
• Treaty Period (1361–1369):
  • Diagnostic Formula: EDWARD : DEI : GRA : REX : ANGL : DnS : hYB : Z : AQT (characteristically punctuated with double saltire stops, with the omission of the French royal title).
  • Transliteration: Edward Dei Gratia Rex Angliae Dominus Hiberniae et Aquitaniae.
  • Translation: "Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine."

Documented Comparison Specimens

The museum catalogue records the following legends for its identified specimens. Catalogue readings are not independent transcriptions of every visible letter or stop in the gallery photographs:

• Comparison Specimen CMA 1969.160 (Pre-Treaty Period, c. 1351): Features the obverse reading EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGLE Z FRANC D HYB, with single annulet stops, unbarred Lombardic Ns, an upright sword, and three ropes visible on the left and two ropes on the right.
• Comparison Specimen CMA 1969.161 (Treaty Period, c. 1363–1369): Features the obverse reading EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL DNS HYB Z AQT, displaying double saltire stops, the Aquitaine title in place of France, and an initial cross mark.

Reverse: Iconographic Composition

The reverse features a balanced, symmetrical floriated cross set within a double tressure of eight curved arches. The terminal limbs of the cross end in elaborate fleur-de-lis flanked by foliate ornaments. In the center of the cross sits an ornamental compartment containing an initial Gothic majuscule letter.

In each of the four cantons between the arms of the cross stands a crowned English lion passant guardant. In the spandrels between the outer curves of the tressure and the peripheral beaded circle are small stylized trefoils, producing an intricate Gothic architectural frame.

Reverse: Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The reverse circumscription is drawn from the Latin Vulgate text of the Gospel of Luke 4:30. Rendered in Gothic Latin majuscule, the text begins at the twelve o'clock position following an initial cross pattée or crown mark.

Epigraphic Variants

• Pre-Treaty Period Formula:
  • Recorded Inscription: + IhES • AVTEM • TRANSIENS • PER • MEDIV • ILLORV • IBAT (with die variants showing TRANCIENS or expanded ILLORVM).
  • Transliteration: Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat.
  • Translation: "But Jesus, passing through the midst of them, went his way."
• Treaty Period Formula:
  • Recorded Inscription: + IhC : AVTEM : TRANSIENS : PER : MEDIV : ILLORVM : IBAT (regularly utilizing the contracted Christogram IhC and double saltire stops).

Central Compartment Device

• London Mint (Pre-Treaty and Treaty Periods): Features a central Gothic majuscule E, denoting King Edward (Edwardus).
• Calais Mint (Treaty Period): Features a majuscule C, reflecting the continental mint establishment, though rare muled reverse dies with E are recorded.

Documented Comparison Specimens

• Comparison Specimen CMA 1969.160 (Pre-Treaty, museum date 1351): Reads IHES AVTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIV. ILLORV IBAT with a central Gothic letter E and single annulet punctuation.
• Comparison Specimen CMA 1969.161 (Treaty Period, London): Reads IHC. AVTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIV. ILLORVM IBAT with a central Gothic letter E and double saltire punctuation.

Typology and Documented Variants

Classification of the Fourth Coinage noble follows the sequence established by L. A. Lawrence and standardized in modern references by J. J. North and Spink:

• Pre-Treaty Series B (1351): Features FRANC in the obverse inscription, unbarred or reversed Ns, annulet stops, and rigging rope arrangements of 3/2 or 3/3. The reverse displays initial cross 1, MEDIV • ILLORV, single annulets, and a central E (North 1138; Spink 1484).
• Pre-Treaty Series C–F (1351–1356): Retains FRANC with wedge-tailed letter Rs and varying rigging rope configurations (3/1, 3/2, or 3/3). The reverse transitions toward the spelling ILLORVM with evolving letter punches (North 1144, 1156, 1160, 1163; Spink 1486–1489).
• Pre-Treaty Series G (1356–1361): Retains FRANC, introduces annulet or saltire stops, and employs initial cross or crown marks alongside subtle changes in the shield lis count (North 1179–1182; Spink 1490).
• Treaty Period, London (1361/63–1369): Drops the French claim in favor of REX ANGL DNS HYB Z AQT, features double saltire stops, lacks a stern flag, and displays a neat reverse with an initial cross pattée and central E (North 1231, 1232; Spink 1503).
• Treaty Period, Calais (1363–1369): Omits the French title, includes Aquitaine, frequently features a flag flying from the sterncastle, and displays a central letter C within the reverse quatrefoil (North 1234, 1235; Spink 1504, 1505).
• Post-Treaty Period (1369–1377): Restores the claim to France (REX ANGL Z FRANC D hYB ET AQT) in a later, heavier style, with a central E containing a central pellet on the reverse (North 1277–1281; Spink 1518–1521).

Scholarly Debates and Attribution Limitations

Symbolic Meaning of the Ship Motif

Early antiquarians, including William Camden, maintained that the ship design was chosen to commemorate Edward III's victory over the French navy at the Battle of Sluys on June 24, 1340. Popular accounts frequently cite the couplet:

"Four things our noble sheweth unto me, / King, ship, and sword, and power of the sea"

However, this verse is not a contemporary fourteenth-century ballad; it originated in The Libelle of Englyshe Polycye, an anonymous political tract composed around 1436 during the reign of Henry VI. Twentieth-century numismatists have argued that the ship represents a broader assertion of royal sovereignty over the English Channel and the defense of maritime trade rather than a single event. Its continuation without fundamental redesign across more than a century and five subsequent reigns underscores its role as an enduring institutional emblem of naval authority.

Function of the Luke 4:30 Scriptural Legend

A post-medieval legend recorded by Camden attributed the inscription to Raymond Lull, claiming the alchemist created the gold inside the Tower of London through transmutation. In contrast, modern historical scholarship demonstrates that Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat was one of the most widely used textual amulets in fourteenth-century Europe. Documented on physical charms, personal rolls, and armor, the passage was believed to grant safe passage and protection from sudden ambush. On circulating gold coinage, it served both as an apotropaic blessing over travelers carrying large sums of specie and as a religious admonition against theft and clipping.

Trial of the Pyx Marks Versus Die Punch Wear

Museum interpretive records occasionally propose that specific punctuation combinations, reversed letters, and split annulets served as coordinated quarterly secret marks for the Trial of the Pyx. However, die studies by L. A. Lawrence and W. J. W. Potter indicate that while mint indentures required quarterly testing, minor letterform variations in the Pre-Treaty series primarily reflect punch turnover, tool wear, and engraver batch variation rather than a rigid quarterly calendar system.

Mint Attribution and Muling

Although the stern flag and reverse letter C typically identify issues of the Calais mint, die sharing and muling between London and Calais occurred during the Treaty Period. Precise classification requires an analysis of both obverse and reverse die characteristics rather than reliance on the reverse initial alone. Furthermore, physical dimensions recorded on institutional comparison pieces cannot be assumed for unexamined specimens; for example, while comparison specimen CMA 1969.160 has a recorded mass of 7.733 g, the current museum record gives 7.684 g for CMA 1969.161. These measurements apply only to their identified museum specimens, not to other coins in the series.

References

1. English Hammered Coinage, Volume 2: Edward I to Charles II, 1272–1662. 3rd edition, Spink & Son, London, 1991, pp. 38–54 (Nos. 1138–1281)
2. Coins of England and the United Kingdom: Standard Catalogue of British Coins. 56th edition, Spink & Son, London, 2020, pp. 150–155 (Nos. 1484–1521)
3. Noble (English coin). Denomination history and weight standards (Second, Third, and Fourth Coinages)
4. The Oldest Coins Struck by The Royal Mint. Historical introduction of the noble and indenture standards
5. Cleveland Museum of Art: Edward III Gold Noble (Pre-Treaty, c. 1351). Accession 1969.160, Norweb Collection (diameter 3.4 cm, weight 7.733 g)
6. Cleveland Museum of Art: Edward III Gold Noble (Treaty Period, c. 1363–1369). Accession 1969.161, Norweb Collection (diameter 3.4 cm, recorded weight 7.684 g)
7. Biblia Sacra Vulgata. Evangelium Secundum Lucam 4:30
8. Remains Concerning Britain. William Camden, London, 1605 (reprint 1870), chapter on Money
9. The Libelle of Englyshe Polycye: A Poem on the Use of Sea-Power, 1436. Edited by Sir George Warner, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1926
10. Binding Words: Textual Amulets in the Middle Ages. Don C. Skemer, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2006, pp. 84–88
11. The Coinage of Edward III from 1351. L. A. Lawrence, Numismatic Chronicle (1926, 1929, 1932, 1933; reprinted Oxford, 1937)
12. The Gold Coinages of Edward III. W. J. W. Potter, Numismatic Chronicle (1963, pp. 107–123; 1964)