Angel

This Tudor gold coin was found by archaeologists on the site of the hospital of St Mary Spital in Spitalfields. It is called an ‘angel’ coin because the archangel St Michael is shown on one side. The King gave out gold coins like this during a special ceremony where he touched people who were suffering from scrofula. Scrofula is a disease which causes swellings and sores on people’s necks. People believed the king’s touch and the coins were a cure for the disease. Scrofula was also called ‘the King’s Evil’. The coin probably belonged to a patient at the hospital.

Obverse: St Michael trampling on the devil in the form of a dragon. Legend: 'HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGLZ Z FRANC' (Henry by the Grace of God King of England and France). Reverse: Ship with the royal arms. Legend: 'PER CRVCE TVA SALVA NOS XPA REDEMPTOR' (By Thy cross, save us, O Christ, our Redeemer').