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1/2 Penny Middlesex - Newgate / LCS
| Issuer | London Corresponding Society |
|---|---|
| Year | 1794 |
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| Shape | Round |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents three draped allegorical figures standing in the central field, rendered in neoclassical style with flowing robes; the figures appear to represent fraternity or civic virtue, their poses suggesting mutual engagement or deliberation. A broken chain or similar symbolic device is visible at the base of the composition. The peripheral legend LONDON CORRESPONDING SOCIETY. encircles the design in raised Latin lettering, referencing the radical political reform society founded in 1792. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The London Corresponding Society, founded by shoemaker Thomas Hardy in 1792, was among the most radical working-class political organizations in British history — pushing for universal male suffrage and annual parliaments at a moment when the government considered such demands seditious. By 1794, Hardy himself had been arrested and charged with high treason, tried at the Old Bailey, and ultimately acquitted to enormous public celebration. The society issued these tokens partly as a fundraising instrument during precisely that period of state repression.
Newgate Prison, referenced on this piece, was where Hardy and his co-defendants were held awaiting trial.