1794 Lady Godiva Condor Token Coventry Cross Warwickshire Half Penny / A614

Description

1794 AE Halfpenny Token. Coventry, Warwickshire.
Obverse
: PRO BONO PUBLICO. Lady Godiva riding side-saddle on horse to left; in exergue, 1794.
Reverse
: COVENTRY HALFPENNY. Representation of Coventry's old town cross with COV CROSS in small letters at base.
Edge
: PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF ROBERT REYNOLDS & CO.
Diameter 29.5mm | Axis 12
Dalton & Hamer: 249
RARE
This token was manufactured by William Lutwyche and the dies were engraved by William Mainwaring.
It was issued by Robert Reynolds & Co., who were ribbon weavers with a business in Coventry.
The original Coventry Cross stood at the place where Broadgate met Cross Cheaping, near Spicer Stoke, a very short row which led through from Broadgate to Butcher Row and Trinity church. Though it is likely that a cross had been standing in this place since the 13th century, the first actual record for the building of a cross was on 1st July 1423 when the Mayor, Henry Peyto, officially sanctioned that a new cross should be built. Although it was quite a substantial structure, within a century it was rather the worse for wear, and by 1506 discussions had begun about replacing it.
In 1541, the former mayor of London, Sir William Hollis, left £200 in his will toward the building of a new cross, and by 1544 the 57 foot high cross was completed. As well as being brightly painted, the cross was also covered with much gold and it was renowned for its fame and beauty. It was built in four sections, with statues in the top three storeys: the lower of these holding statues of Henry VI, King John, Edward I, Henry II, Richard I and Henry. Above these were Edward III, Henry II, Richard III, St Michael and St George. The top storey held statues of St Peter, St James, St Christopher and two monks, with representations of Liberty and Justice at the highest point. In 1608 repairs were carried out to the cross during which the figure of Christ was replaced with one of Lady Godiva. Possibly the obverse of this token is based on this statue since there is no record of there being any other Lady Godiva memorial statues before 1949.
After standing gloriously for two centuries, decay once more set into the cross and, in 1753 and 1755, the top two stages were removed to avoid the danger of collapse. By 1771 the cross was declared to be in too ruinous a state to retain, and it's demolition was authorised. The remains stood for a short while longer though, at least until after 1778 when a visitor to Coventry wrote that the decayed cross "...has no longer anything to please".
This token is dated 1794, but must depict the cross as it was in it's heyday before it was totally demolished and it's parts reused. Two of the statues from the cross now reside at St. Mary's Guildhall.
A modern replica of the cross was unveiled in 1976, it is situated about 100 metres away from the site of the original one.
Features
Issuer
United Kingdom
(United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies)
Type
Token
Years
1792-1795
Value
½ Penny (1⁄480)
Currency
Conder tokens (
1787-1797
)
Composition
Copper
Diameter
29 mm (~1 1/8")
Shape
Round
Orientation
Coin alignment ↑↓
Edge Reads
Payable at the Warehouse of Robert Reynolds
The story of the lady’s naked ride was first recorded in Roger of Wendover’s 13th century book Flores Historiarum. The fable has been embellished over the centuries by such figures as the chroniclers in the Benedictine abbey of St. Albans, Daniel Defoe, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson,[2] but its plot is simple: Earl Leofric, who was the Lord of Coventry, England, was subjecting the town to high taxes at great cost to its citizens. His wife importuned him to lower taxes to relieve his citizens. Not wanting to reduce his income, he refused her appeals over and over, until one day he gave in, saying he’ll cut taxes if she rides naked on her white horse through the town at midday. Lady Godiva took him up on the challenge and (somewhat covered by her long hair) rode through the town while the citizens of Coventry all, by agreement, stayed indoors and averted their eyes. According to the legend, all but one did -- Tom the tailor, who was then struck blind, becoming infamous as "Peeping Tom."[4] Lady Godiva appears on privately minted halfpenny tokens issued 1792-1794 during Great Britain's Conder token craze. At the time, small change was in short supply and private mints struck hundreds of trade tokens, often with imaginative designs, to meet the need. The legend PRO BONO PUBLICO appears on many Conder tokens, meaning that they were struck for the public good. (Cited from:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/lady-godiva-conder-token.364587/
)