British Traditions??

spinaker2000

After seeing many different coins listed as "Traditional Coins", such as Wedding 3 pence, Pudding 6 pence, and Maundy, can someone give some insite on the different British events when coins were given as gifts.

spoon

Here's something I got from one of the random footnotes in the July 1958 (dad's bday) issue of The Numismatist:

Touching for the King's Evil. The once popular superstition that the touch of a king or reigning queen would cure disease known as the evil may be to a certain extent explained by the circumstance that from the time of Henry VIII it was usual to present to every person "touched" a piece of gold from the Royal Privy Purse. Barrington (Observations on the Statutes, P. 107) mentions the cure of an old man, whom he was examining as a witness, who stated that when Queen Anne was at Oxford she "touched" him for the evil. Barrington asked him if he was really cured, upon which the old man smilingly said that he did not believe he ever had the evil, but his parents were poor, and "had no objection to the bit of gold." (Eliezer Edwards: Words, Facts and Phrases)

trozau

Here's a link to a touchpiece currently listed on eBay.

laurentyvan

Here's a tradition concerning the British Christmas pudding:
NOTE: Traditionally in Britain, silver sixpences were added to the mix, and if you found one in your piece of pudding on Christmas Day it was supposed to give you luck. Nowadays my mother adds ten pence pieces (Americans could use quarters). If you do decide to follow this tradition, ensure you warn people what to expect as you wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally swallow a coin! In our family, my mother now puts the coins in the desert bowls before serving so everyone has a bit of luck, and so we can all see the coins so none of us swallow them.

I wonder if cooking the pudding with coins inside is an early example of AT.

wybrit

Have you ever eaten Christmas pud? It is the most ghastly substance known to man - worse than a twenty-year old rock hard fruitcake. After one bite of it while a young schoolboy, I knew it wasn't worth finding a tanner for.

wybrit

Not a gift, but Brit boy scouts used to get a "bob a job." This was supposed to raise money for their cause by doing a job like washing your car windows or something like that.

Lloyd

What about "Penny for the Guy".

November 5th = "Guy Fawkes night", for some reason remembering a fellah who nearly blew Parliament and James I to Pluto.

As kids we made a lifesize stuffed effigy of Guy Fawkes and hawked him round the streets shouting "Penny for the Guy". And people would give us Pennies!!! Later that night we would stick him ontop of a bonfire and - well - set fire to him....

L

wybrit

What about "Penny for the Guy".

Forgot about that one. His name was Guido (Guy) Fawkes.

Remember, remember
The fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, twas his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.

By God's mercy he was catched
With a dark lantern and lighted match.
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the King.

SYRACUSIAN

OT

I didn't know you were such an early bird Lloyd - reply posted at 5:16 am local

Wybrit,there must be some better Xmas pud than the one they serve to schools,right?

Lloyd

Dimitri
I figure if I get up early enough it means that it's bedtime for most of these. That means their judgements go and I flog 'em things they don't really want...

But don't mention it to any of them

L

wybrit

there must be some better Xmas pud than the one they serve to schools,right?

Good Christmas pud is an oxymoron.

newbiecollector

I have to agree wybrit......