The King of Scots' Treasury

I was doing some research and I came across this really interesting inventory. King James III of Scotland was killed at the battle of Sauchieburn in 1488, against an army that was nominally headed by his son, the future James IV. This inventory was drawn up in the year of James III’s death. It lists the coins that were in his possession. I think the sheer range of different coin is fascinating. It’s also worth noting that James III spent much of his reign fighting internal wars, so presumably we are looking at a depleted treasury.

You can see a painting of James III and his son and heir, the future James IV, on the Trinity Altarpiece. It is the earliest painted portrait of a king of Scots to survive and the only Scottish altarpiece to survive the Reformation, albeit the central panel is missing: https://www.rct.uk/collection/403260/the-trinity-altarpiece-panels



The list is from John Lindsay’s A View of the Coinage of Scotland, 1845. I’ve roughly translated the first inventory. My 15th century Scots isn’t too good so take this with a grain of salt:

List delivered by dean Robert Hog, Canon of Holyroodhouse (referring to the abbey attached to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh) to the treasurer and passed onto the chancellor (possibly the same person?) of the contents of a tin money box.

285 Angels – English gold coin first struck by Edward IV: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces52755.html

188 Riders – Scottish gold coin struck by James III: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces89747.html

54 ‘Rialis of France’ – presumably a French silver coin

980 Unicorns – Scottish gold coin first struck by James III: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces53495.html Would make sense for him to have a lot of these as the Unicorn functioned as a kind of reward coinage. They circulated like normal coins, but they only entered circulation when the king spent or gifted them. So whenever you hold one you are holding a coin that begun its journey in the possession of the king.

420 demys and Scottish crowns – The Scottish crown was minted by Robert III and James II, it also sometimes referred to as a lion: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces89884.html Demy can either refer to the above crown’s half denomination: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces124763.html or the demy, a coin struck by James I and James II: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces89746.html Since they are listed together I'm more inclined to believe that crown’s half.

54 Rose Nobles – English coin first struck by Edward IV: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces52753.html

41 Harry Nobles and Saluts – I think the Harry Noble refers to the old, lighter noble first issued by Henry IV and last by Edward IV: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces53980.html The Salut probably refers to the Anglo-Gallic Salut of Henry V or VI: https://www.sovr.co.uk/anglo-gallic-henry-vi-salut-d-or-st-lo-bm01539.html Also possibly the Harry Nobles half, which is roughly equal in weight to the Anglo-Gallic Salut.

15 Flemish Riders – Gold Rider struck in the Low Countries, inspired the design of James III’s own Rider coinage

12 Louis – presumably a French coin?

63 French Crowns – Gold French ecu: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces126254.html also inspired the design of the Scottish crown.

30 pounds of uncoined gold – not sure if this means £30 Scots worth of gold or 30 pounds weight of gold.

There is an article that sets out the contemporary names of all these coins. It is M.M. Archibald, 'Coinage in Andrew Halyburton's Ledger,' in, Studies in Numismatic Method Presented to Philip Grierson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983). I don’t have access to a copy and have lost the notes I took from it, so I am working from memory and unable to confirm for certain. If anyone has a copy then feel free to update us.

thank you very interesting read.