My 'New' Brooch from 1697

And why English coins display the French fleur-de-lis

A half crown from 1697 (photos: Annette Rubery).

I am a very lucky woman. For Valentine’s Day yesterday I was given an unusual brooch by my husband (for those that don’t know: I’m a brooch enthusiast and collector). I was amazed to see that it’s actually a half crown from 1697; the front has been enamelled and the back shows a bust of William III.

What happened in 1697? Crucially, it was the year in which England made a series of peace treaties with France. Since 1688, we had been fighting Louis XIV in tandem with the Grand Alliance (which included the Spanish, the Hapsburgs and the Dutch). The Peace of Ryswick (as it was known) not only put an end to an expensive conflict - driven by complex politcal and religious goals - it also marked an important political triumph for the Williamite supporters. This is because Louis finally agreed to recognise William III’s claim to the English throne, instead of that of the Stuart monarch James II (who was living in exile in France).

William had been quite unpopular following the death of his wife, Mary, in 1694, but by the time this coin was struck, he was being hailed as a hero.

One thing you might notice from the top picture is that my brooch displays a shield with the French fleur-de-lis. This is because, since the Middle Ages, English monarchs claimed the title King (or Queen) of France. The fleur-de-lis, along with the words REG MAG BRI FRA ET HIB (‘King/Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland’) can also be seen on Queen Anne coins, and in fact went on until 1801, when George III finally agreed to stop trolling the French in this fashion (thanks to the Revolution, they no longer had a throne anyway).

This brooch has a double signficance this year because I can wear it during the Vanbrugh300 celebrations. Of course, 1697 was the year of Vanbrugh’s comedy The Provok’d Wife: a play that grapples with tricky questions about liberty and individual rights. I will write something about that soon, but in the meantime, I will be wearing my new brooch and wondering who owned this coin before me. Who knows - maybe it passed through Vanbrugh’s own hands?