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1 Shilling - Charles II Pontefract siege coinage
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1648 |
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| Currency | Pound sterling (1158-1970) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The central design depicts a stylised castle gateway with a flag or standard flying above, the letters P and C flanking the turrets to denote Pontefract Castle. A cannon is shown to the right of the gateway, symbolising the garrison's defiance. The inscription POST:MORTEM:PATRIS:PRO:FILIO surrounds the design, asserting loyalty to Charles II following the execution of his father Charles I. The entire composition is enclosed within a beaded border and is struck on a roughly octagonal flan, reflecting the improvised nature of this celebrated siege issue. |
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| Additional information |
Pontefract Castle held out as one of the last Royalist strongholds during the Second English Civil War, remaining under siege from Parliamentary forces through 1648 into 1649. With no access to the Royal Mint, the garrison produced its own emergency coinage from melted silver plate — a documented practice that gives these pieces their characteristic crude, lozenge or octagonal form. The dies were cut within the castle walls.
Charles I was executed in January 1649 while the siege was still ongoing. Subsequent Pontefract issues were struck in the name of Charles II — making this among the very first coins to acknowledge his kingship, weeks before most of England knew he would claim the throne.