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Penny - Civil War North-East and Scottish Border Variants
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1138-1153 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Crude hammered silver flan bearing a crowned and draped royal effigy facing right, with a lis-headed sceptre depicted in the field before the bust. The portrait is rendered in the rough, debased style characteristic of Civil War-period provincial issues, with the crown's pellets and the drapery folds visible despite considerable die wear. A partial legend surrounds the effigy within a beaded inner circle, much of which is illegible due to the irregular flan and die deterioration typical of northern and Scottish Border mint production. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | [ST]IEFNE R[...] (Translation: King Stephen) |
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| Additional information |
These pennies were struck during the Anarchy, the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda that effectively dissolved centralized English minting authority. With royal control fragmenting, barons and bishops across the North and Scottish Borderlands operated mints with little oversight — some barely sanctioned, others outright rogue. The coins are notoriously inconsistent in execution, reflecting ad hoc production conditions rather than any systematic regional policy.
David I of Scotland exploited the chaos most aggressively, controlling mints at Carlisle and elsewhere in the contested north during his occupation of much of northern England through the 1140s.