Toil and Trade: Samuel Stannard, Grocer of Ipswich

A copper alloy trade token was recently recovered at Sizewell, Suffolk, during metal detecting of the topsoil as part of the archaeology stage of the planned Sizewell C development. This discovery was made while excavating an area designated for the creation of a wetland habitat. The inscriptions upon it tell us that it was issued in 1651 by an Ipswich grocer called Samuel Stannard. This surname is common in East Anglia, and indeed a number of ‘Stannards’ were long connected with Ipswich, as well as elsewhere in Suffolk. One Henry Stannard of Ipswich was a bailiff in 1522, rising to be a Justice of the Peace by 1528.

But how do we know all this? What are trade tokens? Who was Samuel Stannard — and why is he the subject of this particular website post? Read on to find out…

Monetary concepts new and old

In the modern world, purchasing items and withdrawing money has never been easier. In 2024, you can use your phone, a debit card or even hard cash — with contactless card readers and ATM’s galore. However, in the past it was very different. For much of the last two millennia, the economy of Britain has largely centred around coined money. An issue which played through much of our monetary history from the 15^th century onwards was a lack of small change, afflicting the country as recently as the early 19^th century. Shortages of farthings and halfpence, relied upon for small scale, everyday transactions could have a real impact on daily life.

One response to this shortage of small change was that people issued their own ‘token’ coinages, because central government and local authorities largely failed to address the issue adequately. Although in a few scattered occurrences town administrations did mint official tokens for use, these were usually localised and temporary fixes to an endemic problem. Small denominations of foreign coins were also widely circulated.

Image: square token issued in the late 16^th century by the city administration of Bristol. The obverse depicts the arms of Bristol and the reverse the letters CB (CIVITAS BRISTOL). Image courtesy Rare Coins and Tokens

The 17^th century token revolution

The most widespread and longstanding occurrence of token-issuing took place between 1648 and 1672. The execution of Charles I and temporary abolition of the monarchy had removed the so-called ‘Royal Prerogative’ by which monarchs retained the sole right to mint coinage. In response to this, from 1648 onwards individual tradesfolk — both men and women, began to issue tokens from their home villages, towns and cities.

It is estimated that around 20—30,000 individual issuers may have struck tokens in a period of just over twenty years. Parliamentary records show that although the matter was hotly debated, no action was taken against those issuing tokens. This was partly because there were more pressing matters of government to attend to, but also because the uptake was so rapid and widespread.

While the first pieces to be issued were worth a farthing, from 1656 halfpenny tokens began to appear. Overall production peaked between c. 1664 and 1667, with many town corporations adopting the concept by striking ‘town pieces’ intended for distribution as poor relief. Although most earlier tokens are circular, over time other shapes began to be used: square, octagonal and heart-shaped examples are known.

However, the token revolution was not to last forever. With the issuing of new, official copper farthings from c. 1672 onwards, following the restitution of the monarchy, Charles II banned token minting — calling in many pieces and the dies utilised to strike them for destruction.

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker

Trade tokens contain a wealth of information about the individuals who issued them. Most give names and the first initial of the issuer’s spouse, if they were married, as well as referencing what their trade was. Locational information is also present, usually naming the village, town or city where the individual was based — taverns being frequently used as reference points. In larger towns and cities, like London, the names of streets also appear.

With so much information available, in most cases these objects are well suited for research at the individual level. From a local or social history route, it is possible to look into the lives of the people who issued them, examining not only their businesses and where they worked, but when and where they were born, who they married, if they occupied any positions in local government, and even if they had been implicated in legal proceedings.

Our man, Stannard

Following our own research, we were able to find a few, tentative historical ‘snapshots’ into the life of Samuel Stannard. However, it is worth saying that although the chronology works out we cannot be 100% certain if in every instance this is indeed the same individual.

Our story starts in the Suffolk town of Southwold on the 10^th June 1613, when Samuel Stannard, son of Richard Stannard (a cooper), is recorded as having been baptised. Twenty-five years later on May 16^th 1638 documentary records show that ‘Samuel Stannard of Ipswich, single, and Alice Shirbole — a widow of the same’ were afforded a marriage licence. Nothing could be found of Alice Shirbole prior to this point, but she is significant because we know from Samuel’s tokens that the first initial of his wife’s name was ‘A’. Out of the three ‘snapshots’ we have, this marriage to Alice is the most closely linkable evidence suggesting this individual is the same man as our Ipswich token issuer.  

Assuming Alice took Samuel’s surname, she can perhaps be identified as the ‘Alice Stannard’ who was buried at St Matthews church, Ipswich, on the 28^th November 1665.

Image: St Matthews, Ipswich. The church has existed on the site since at least the 12^th century, though the present building is mostly 14^th–15^th century with some more modern additions. Image courtesy A Bliss.

Through 1665 and much of 1666, East Anglia (and indeed most of England) was in the grip of the plague, which killed 100,000 in London alone, and was certainly rife in the East Anglian port towns. It is entirely possible that Alice was a victim of this epidemic, though we cannot be certain. Burial at St Matthews may hint at the location of Samuel’s premises — suggesting he and Alice may have resided in the parish that was at that time Ipswich’s West Ward.

Our final ‘snapshot’ occurs in 1691. In that year, a Samuel Stannard is registered as marrying a woman called Rose Browning at St Margaret’s church, Ipswich. If we are correct in thinking that our Samuel was born in 1613, he would have been old at this time — perhaps 77 or 78. However, his potential remarriage would not have been unprecedented for the time and may have been one of convenience. It is possible that this individual is the same ‘Samuel Stannard’ who is recorded as dying a year later in 1692 — being duly buried at Grundisburgh, a small village some eight miles north-east of Ipswich. Burial records show a ‘Rose Stannard’ buried at St Mary’s Coddenham on the 6^th June 1701, who may have been his widow. If so, she evidently never remarried.

Conclusions

Although the above narrative is frustratingly incomplete, and is in part based on circumstantial evidence, it still serves to illustrate some plausible elements from Mr Stannard’s life. Trade tokens were issued by ordinary people, for ordinary people. As such, they are ideal objects in enabling us to undertake one of the central tenets of archaeology — combining information from sites, finds and the written historical record to investigate the lives of people much like ourselves. With over 20,000 individual token issuers nationally and a plethora of genealogical resources available at the click of a button, perhaps consider delving into token issuers from your local area — who knows what stories you may uncover?