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1 Farthing - Anonymous John of Courcy, Lord of Ulster
| Issuer | John de Courcy, Lord of Ulster |
|---|---|
| Year | 1195-1205 |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ☩ C A { } |
| Reverse description | The reverse of this hammered silver farthing presents an equally worn and fragmentary design on an irregular, clipped planchet. A crude cross pattée or short cross design is partially visible at the centre of the field, consistent with the cross-type reverses common to Anglo-Norman Irish coinage of the period. The quarters formed by the cross arms appear largely plain or carry indistinct pellets or annulets, though surface corrosion renders these details uncertain. The surrounding area shows traces of a beaded or rope border, heavily degraded. The piece is typical of the extremely rare and crudely executed farthings attributed to the lordship of Ulster under John de Courcy. |
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| Additional information |
John de Courcy was a Norman adventurer who conquered Ulster in 1177 largely on his own initiative, without explicit royal authorization from Henry II. He ruled it as a quasi-independent lordship for nearly three decades, striking his own coinage — an assertion of authority that his contemporaries would have read clearly. His coins are among the earliest struck in Ireland by a private lord rather than the crown.
De Courcy was eventually stripped of Ulster in 1204 by King John, who granted the lordship to Hugh de Lacy.