Following the landing of 1,400 Frenchmen near Fishguard on the 22nd of February 1797, Jemeima Niclas, an ordinary town shoemaker, achieved fame. The French were not in good order. There was no real battle, but several were killed and the rest were soon imprisoned. The French Landing tapestry tells the story brilliantly.

Download this digital book by Bill Fowler to learn more about the invasion.

This event had several long-term consequences, one of which was the printing of the first pound and two-pound paper by the Bank of England, on the 26th of February, 1797. This was to protect the Bank of England from failure.

The development of money and banks in Wales has an interesting history in recent centuries, but much older coins have been found in the soil. An important hoard of coins was discovered near Fishguard in 1996. They were buried around 1650, in the Civil War period. Roman money is also found all over Wales which tells an important story about our connection with the world, two thousand years ago.

Where are our coins, and the rest of Britain, minted today? What can we learn about how the money system developed around the world? What was the important event in 1971 that changed the 'crown' and 'shilling' forever?