Maundy Money is a special British coinage given to deserving poor people in a religious ceremony performed by Anglicans on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... In the Christian calendar, Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. ... Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 27-33 (see Good Friday). ...

History of the Maundy ceremony

The present-day Maundy ceremony has evolved over the centuries and bears little relationship to the original rites to which it owes its origins. A fundamental aspect of the original Maundy service was the washing of the feet of the poor, which has its origins in Jesus' washing of the feet of the Disciples at the Last Supper. In early ceremonies, senior clergymen would wash the feet of lower clergy, while in other ceremonies, the washing would be done by someone higher up the hierarchical order. Jesus (Hebrew Yēshûa‘ יֵשׁוּעַ, Greek Iēsoũs Ιησούς) (8-2 BC/BCE – 29-36 AD/CE) also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ, where Christ (Greek Khristós Χριστός) is a title...

King Edward II (1307–1327) seems to be the first English monarch to have been recorded actively taking part in the ceremony, although King John (1199–1216) is said to have taken part in a ceremony in about 1210, donating small silver coins to the poor. King Edward III (1327–1377) washed feet and gave gifts including money to the poor; the practice continued regularly, with the participation of the monarch, until 1698. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... John (French: Jean) (December 24, c. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Tsuchimikado, emperor of Japan Emperor Juntoku ascends to the throne of Japan Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor excommunicated by Pope Innocent III for invading southern Italy in 1210 Gottfried von Strassburg writes his epic poem Tristan about 1210 Beginning of Delhi Sultanate Births... Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377) was one of the most successful English kings of medieval times. ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ...

Although the monarch did not participate personally, later ceremonies continued in which a selection of people were given Maundy money consisting of silver pennies totalling, in pence, the current age of the monarch. The washing of feet ended after the 1736 ceremony, until it was re-instated in the 2003 ceremony, when it was performed by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. Events January 26 - Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Dr Rowan Williams Lord Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Rowan Douglas Williams, FBA (born 14 June 1950) is the Archbishop of Canterbury, a theologian, poet, and lecturer. ...

In 1932, King George V agreed to take part personally in the distribution of the Maundy money, while the 1936 set was distributed by King Edward VIII, although the coins bore George V's effigy. By 1953 it had become normal practice for the monarch to distribute the Maundy money, a practice which continues to this day. 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) (3 June 1865–20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House of Windsor in 1917. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Windsor), later The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), was the second British monarch of the House of Windsor. ...

Maundy coinage

Until 1820 ordinary silver coinage was used for the Maundy money, but from 1822 special coins were minted in values of 1, 2, 3, and 4 pence. Each set of Maundy money therefore contains 10 pence, and recipients would be given an appropriate number of complete sets, plus a part-set when appropriate. 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The dimensions and reverse designs of the coins have not changed since 1822, although their composition has changed over the years (not necessarily in ways which would be expected): Image File history File links Maundy money File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

1 penny : weight 0.5 grams, diameter 11 millimetres.

2 pence : weight 0.9 grams, diameter 13 millimetres.

3 pence : weight 1.4 grams, diameter 16 millimetres.

4 pence : weight 1.9 grams, diameter 18 millimetres.

The original composition of the coins was Sterling (0.925) silver. In common with all circulating British silver coins, the fineness was reduced to 0.500 in 1921. In 1947, silver was removed from all circulating British coins in favour of cupronickel, but it was felt to be inappropriate to strike Maundy money in such debased metal, so unusually the fineness was restored to 0.925, where it remains to the present day. Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Cupronickel is an alloy of copper, nickel and stengthening impurities, such as iron and manganese. ...

In 1971, British currency was decimalised, with 100 new pence instead of 20 shillings of 12 pence (240 pence) in a pound. The design of the Maundy money was not changed at all, so instead of being worth 1, 2, 3, or 4 old pence, the coins are now worth 1, 2, 3, or 4 new pence, each one being worth 2.4 times its former value. As there is no difference in the design or weight between pre- and post-1971 coins, it was uniquely decided to revalue all pre-decimal Maundy coins back to 1822 at the equivalent value in new pence, i.e. the face value of each coin was increased by a factor of 2.4 overnight. All Maundy coins, back to 1822, remain legal tender in Britain at their stated value in new pence. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Legal tender or forced tender is payment that cannot be refused in settlement of a debt denominated in the same currency by virtue of law. ...

Availability of the coins

Victorian Maundy coins are quite common, as anybody could order a set from a bank, however in 1908, King Edward VII ordered that they should only be supplied to their recipients and people connected with the service, so coins dated 1909 and later are considerably scarcer than those which preceded them—although of course the quantity increases as the reign gets longer. (In 2005 Queen Elizabeth II turned 79, and thus 79 men and 79 women each received 79 pence in Maundy Money on March 24.) 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms (and has previously been Queen of sixteen others). ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ...

Under a special privilege granted by Queen Elizabeth I, students in the youngest class of Westminster School also received Maundy coins, but this was discontinued in the 1970s. Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... Motto: Dat Deus Incrementum The Royal College of St. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

Coin obverses

1822–1830 — Left-facing head of King George IV. GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D (George IV by the Grace of God King of Britain, Defender of the Faith).

1831–1837 — Right-facing head of King William IV. GULIELMUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D (William IV by the Grace of God King of Britain, Defender of the Faith).

1838–1887 — Left-facing "young head" of Queen Victoria. VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D (Victoria by the Grace of God Queen of Britain, Defender of the Faith).

1888–1892 — Left-facing "Jubilee head" of Queen Victoria. VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D (Victoria by the Grace of God Queen of Britain, Defender of the Faith).

1893–1901 — Left-facing "old head" of Queen Victoria. VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP (Victoria by the Grace of God Queen of Britain, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India).

1902–1910 — Right-facing head of King Edward VII. EDWARDVS VII D G BRITT OMN REX F D IND IMP (Edward VII by the Grace of God King of All the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India).

1911–1936 — Left-facing head of King George V. GEORGIVS V D G BRITT OMN REX F D IND IMP (George V by the Grace of God King of All the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India).

1937–1948 — Left-facing head of King George VI. GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP (George VI by the Grace of God King of All the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India).

1949–1952 — Left-facing head of King George VI. GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX FIDEI DEF (George VI by the Grace of God King of All the Britains, Defender of the Faith).

1953 — Right-facing head of Queen Elizabeth II. ELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D (Elizabeth II by the Grace of God Queen of All the Britains, Defender of the Faith).

1954–current — Right-facing head of Queen Elizabeth II. ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D (Elizabeth II by the Grace of God Queen, Defender of the Faith).

Note that the "young head" of Queen Elizabeth (by Mary Gillick) has been used on all Maundy coins of her reign, despite it not having been used on regular circulation coins since 1970. George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820. ... William IV (William Henry) (21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January 1877, until her death. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January 1877, until her death. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January 1877, until her death. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward) (9 November 1841–6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of the Commonwealth Realms, and the Emperor of India. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) (3 June 1865–20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House of Windsor in 1917. ... George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor) (14 December 1895–6 February 1952) was the third British monarch of the House of Windsor, reigning from 11 December 1936 until his death. ... George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor) (14 December 1895–6 February 1952) was the third British monarch of the House of Windsor, reigning from 11 December 1936 until his death. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms (and has previously been Queen of sixteen others). ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms (and has previously been Queen of sixteen others). ... Mary Gillick (1881 - 27 January 1965) was a sculptor best known for her effigy of Elizabeth II used on coinage in the United Kingdom and elsewhere from 1953 to 1967. ...

Reference

• Coincraft's Standard Catalogue English & UK Coins 1066 to Date, Richard Lobel, Coincraft. ISBN 0952622882