This James II gun money half crown was discovered in the Surrey Hills by Michael H and dates to the turbulent years of 1689–1690. It was issued during the reign of James II of England after he was deposed during the Glorious Revolution and fled to Ireland, where he attempted to regain his throne. During the ensuing Williamite War in Ireland, his Jacobite forces faced a severe shortage of silver coinage needed to pay their army. To overcome this, a temporary currency was created using base metals such as copper and brass, often made from melted-down cannon and gun barrels, which gave rise to the name “gun money.”
Unlike most coins of the period, these pieces were cast and marked with the month and year they were issued, with the promise they would later be exchanged for proper silver once James regained the throne. However, after Williamite victories such as the Battle of the Boyne, the system collapsed and the coins quickly lost their value.
Although produced in Ireland, examples like this occasionally appear in England, possibly brought back by soldiers returning from the campaigns or carried by travellers moving between Ireland and London. Finding one in the Surrey Hills is a fascinating reminder of the far-reaching impact of this conflict and how objects connected to major historical events could end up lost in the countryside hundreds of miles from where they were made.
Not far from where this piece was recovered, we also found a silver shilling of William III of England. It just goes to show how mixed up the world was in the late seventeenth century, two coins linked to opposing claims to the English throne lying only paces apart in a field in Surrey. Discoveries like this bring the history of the Williamite War in Ireland into sharp focus, reminding us that the political struggles of the time reached far beyond the battlefields and into the everyday lives and pockets of people across Britain and Ireland.
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