Overseers of the Poor

[RichardB]

"And whereas certain tokens made of copper or of a mixed metal composed partly of copper, and bearing the superscription "Sheffield Penny Token" were issued from time to time during the years 1812, 1813, 1814 and 1815, by the overseers of the poor of the township of Sheffield, in the county of York; and whereas the immediate suppression of the aforesaid tokens would be attended with great loss to the said township of Sheffield and to the holders thereof, who are for the most part labourers and mechanics, as well as with great inconvenience to the inhabitants of the town of Sheffield and the neighbourhood thereof; be it further enacted that nothing in this act contained shall be construed to prevent such tokens as aforesaid from being passed and circulated at any time previous to the 25th day of March which will be in the year of our Lord 1823; provided always, that from and after the said 25th day of March, 1823, all and every the provisions of this act shall be construed to prevent such tokens as aforesaid from being passed and circulated"

[Well that's clear then ...]

[Ponytail]

Penny Token of the Overseers of the Poor, 1812. 

s09460

Obverse shows West View of the Workhouse, Reverse shows Justice, standing with scales, on a pedestal. The Workhouse shown on these tokens was on West Bar. It was opened in 1733 enlarged in 1759, and demolished in 1829.

 

Plan of a proposed Workhouse for Sheffield, between Broad Lane and Trippett Lane, c. 1791. 

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;arc01855&pos=21&action=zoom&id=71280

Shows work rooms, store room, dining room, laundry, brew house, kitchen, boiling house, bakehouse, oven, pantry, bread room, matrons room, store room, governors room, overseer room, doctors rooms, taylors room, poor attending on overseers [room], sick poor [rooms], bath, cells, etc.

Original in Sheffield City Archives: WC/2075M.

 

Notice of a Meeting at the Workhouse on Pitsmoor, in order to make an assessment for the relief of the Poor. 15th November 1794. arc01184

John Walker, Chapelwarden; William Vickers and Henry Clarke, Overseers of the Poor.

Printed by Northall, Sheffield.

Original at Sheffield Archives (JC/29/42).

 

Notice of a Meeting called to consider the grievances of those people affected by a new Regulation of the Assessments for the Township of Brightside Bierlow. 27th April 1795.arc01185

John Walker, Churchwarden; William Vickers and Henry Clarke, Overseers of the Poor.

Printed by Northall, Sheffield.

Original at Sheffield Archives (JC/29/43).

 

[Archaeo]

Does anyone have an idea where these tokens may have been produced?

[Edmund]

The shilling and copper tokens issued by the Overseers of the Poor were made by Younge and Deakin, Union street. They also made tokens for other towns such as Bradford and Doncaster, and were the largest coiners of tokens in the north of England. No gold or silver Sheffield tokens were issued after 1812 and those that had been issued previously were withdrawn, as that year passed on June 29th, was the "Act to Prevent the Issuing and Circulating of Pieces of Gold and Silver, or Other Metal, Usually called Tokens, except such as are issued by the Banks of England and Ireland respectively". On 27th June 1817 a further Act was passed to prohibit copper tokens and that they should be withdrawn before 1818. However there was a special privilege granted for Sheffield, allowing its Overseers of the Poor to extend the redemption of their copper penny tokens until 25th March 1823.

John Younge and John Deakin were in partnership from 1811 to 1817. The partnership was probably dissolved in 1818 - John Younge left Sheffield and went to Peru, attracted by their silver mines, and worked as a physician near Lima. He returned to Sheffield, possibly with his native wife, in the early 1850's and lived in Hanover street until 1859. The other partner, John Deakin was by 1819 well established on his own account at Union street as a gilt plated and metal button manufacturer.