[Silver coin from Scotland]

Artist(s): Thomas Dineley (Draughtsman)

Pen and ink sketch of Scottish silver coin found buried in Ireland, possibly near Killaloe. It carries on the obverse a crowned head facing left, with a sceptre and the legend ‘ROBERTUS DEI GRA REX SCOTTORUM’. The reverse face is quartered by a cross, and has a mullet or five-pointed star in each of the quadrants of the central circle, with the legend in two outer rings; the inner one reads ‘VILLA DE PERTH’, the outer ‘DNS PTECTOR MS LIBATOR MS’. Given these inscriptions, this coin appears to be a groat of the reign of Robert II (1371-1390) and not of Robert the Bruce, as Dineley supposes. This misattribution of groats inscribed ‘Robertus’ was common until about the mid-nineteenth century. Sources: W.A. Seaby and B.H.I.H. Stewart, ‘Fourteenth-century hoard of Scottish groats from Balleny townland, Co. Down’, British Numismatic Journal, vol. 33 (1964), 94-106, see pp. 99-100. Thomas Snelling, A view of the silver coin and coinage of England (London: T. Snelling, 1762), p. 7 Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands (London: Spink & Son Ltd., 2003).

Inscribed in Image

Text within boundaries of image – ROBERTUS DEI GRA REX SCOTTORUM VILLA DE PERTH DNS PTECTOR MS LIBATOR MS

Image Details

Genre	Scientific or Technical illustration
Technique	Pen and ink drawings
Subject(s)	Antiquities and archaeological sites
Keyword(s)	Antiquities, Coins, Crosses, Inscriptions, Men, People, Silver
Colour	Monochrome
Dimensions	7.7 cm x 6 cm
Published / created	1681

Bibliographical Details

Travel Account	Observations in a Voyage through the Kingdom of Ireland
Contributor(s)	Thomas Dineley — Role: Author of travel text
Print or manuscript	Manuscript
Location of image in copy	p. 249
Source copy	National Library of Ireland MS 392
Permalink	https://ttce.universityofgalway.ie/irelandillustrated/view/image/ii_image_1375371011
Rights	Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Related text from travel account

THE DIVISION of IRELAND THE Kingdom of IRELAND in Latin Hibernia, Greek [Greek characters] is a large Island second to none in the World but ENGLAND, nearest neighbour to SCOTLAND and was once called SCOTIA. Some will have its Etimology from IBERSU a Spanish north West, Some from the HEBRIDES Scottish Islands fronting it: Very probable it is that the Scots made an inrode into this country; and that considerable, as appeares by silver Coynes with the Impress of Robert de BRUCE found dugg up in severall places of the South of this Kingdome, particularly one, which I saw in the hands of Mr John Paterson, Chaplain to the Earle of Thomond & Minister of six mile bridge Town in the County of Thomond, who received it from ye Reverend Dr Jaspar Pheasant Dean of Killaloo. [image: Silver coin from Scotland] And which I borrow’d and touch’d off as followes. [p. 249]