Aethelred II Penny, Last small cross type, Cissbury, Godwine, ex Williams

Aethelred II (978-1016), silver Penny, last small cross type (c.1009-17), Cissbury Mint, moneyer Godwine, diademed and draped bust left within linear circle, Latin legend surrounding, +ÆÐELRÆD REX ANGL,rev. small cross pattée at centre, linear circle with legend surrounding, +GODPINE ON SIDMES, weight 1.04g (BMC I; SCBI Copenhagen 7:1103, Helsinki 25:457; N.777; S.1154).Toned with one peck mark in field of obverse, weakly struck in parts and on portrait with slight undulation, good fine with clear readings and an extremely rare mint, the first example we have handled for sale.

North lists 73 named mints in operation during the reign of Aethelred II with a further 14 unallocated. According to North Cissbury operates with two moneyers in the last small cross type only at the end of the reign, then with a new solo moneyer in the subsequent quatrefoil type for the start of the reign of King Canute. The Cissbury mint is short lived and extremely rare to find examples of for sale.

Though Aethelred enjoyed such a long reign he was known as "The Unready" literally meaning ill-counselled from a history of bad advice and decision making. Born circa 967 Aethelred was supported by his mother and partisans that were led by Earl Aelfhere of Mercia; ascending the throne at no more than 12 years of age after the murder of his Half-Brother Edward at Corfe. The influential Aelfhere having died in 983 meant Aethelred became more vulnerable, and the Vikings began to start their raids once again. Aethelred chose to pay off the raiders rather than resist, becoming known for giving such ransoms payments willingly. This meant many hundreds of thousands of coins ended up being taken to Scandanavia where they were hoarded and why much of the coinage that survives today often exhibits "peck marks" where the Viking bankers have inserted a knife point to make sure the metal quality was good. The harrying continued until Swein Forkebeard held a great swathe of England by 1013, and Aethelred was under threat in London retreating to the Isle of Wight. England submitted to Swein but he died suddenly on the 2ndFebruary 1014 at Gainsborough giving Aethelred the advantage and driving the Vikings out. Canute the second son of Swein, returned to attack in 1015 and by early 1016 was marching on Mercia, Aethelred however passed away on 23rd April 1016 in London at around the age of 52 just as his second son Edmund was moving south to link up with the army. Edmund was elected King, but the army was his priority, and after winning a few battles suffered a defeat at Ashingdon on 18thOctober 1016. He retreated possibly wounded to West Mercia and negotiated a treaty giving him rule of Wessex. However, Edmund died in Oxford on the 30thNovember 1016 giving control to Canute.

Cissbury or Sithmestbyrig as it would have been known at that time is a hilltop fort site in West Sussex three miles south-west of Steyning, dominating the Adur Valley the site is now owned by the National Trust and lays just a few miles north of the modern coastal resort of Worthing. This mint may have operated for a short time during Viking raids meaning that nearby Steyning was perhaps not operable for a time and it is known that dies from the Cissbury mint were removed and used in Scandinavia.

The legends translate as "Aethelred King of the English" on obverse and "Godwine of Cissbury" on the reverse.

Provenance:

Ex Dolphin Coins, May 1995

Ex Alan Williams Collection part II, Spink Coin Auction 3^rd July 2018, lot 159.

For further reading see the British Numismatic Journal 1955, volume 28, "The Mints at Gothabyrig and Aet Sith(M)estebyrig" by R H M Dolley, pages 270-282.