King George

12/30/2021                                                                                    link back up to main Chapter 262 Coins

England, Ireland, Colonial NY

 King George of England seemed to be a pretty despicable person. He was a native German (and Holy Roman Emperor of Hanover, Germany) and married his 16 year old first cousin there by an arranged marriage to get her money. She had proclaimed she would not marry that pig snout. Nevertheless, they had a couple kids but he had several mistresses. When he found out she was also unfaithful, he had her lover killed and dumped into the river. He then divorced her and imprisoned her for the rest of her life not allowing her children to see her. And you thought your marriage was rocky.

Due to his Queen Anne blood line and being protestant he inherited the throne of England although he could not speak English.

This Painted Hall by Thornhill is in the Old Royal Naval  College. Wish I could have gotten there but can't do it all.

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 1723 Woods Hibernia halfpenny in nice condition - not mine.  Minted to Ireland since King George ruled there as well and had a mistress there also. The Irish didn't favor the coin much and many went with emmigrants to America and the New York Colony. There was a 1720 potato famine there before the larger one of mid 1800's.

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 Can you grasp it. I did. Come on, almost 300 years old and I got it for 25 cents at the coin show. Just now deciphered it. Was probably dug up locally thus the poor condition. Would be nice to have all versions of mint condition coins but that would cost thousands - not my thing. One of the reasons I got into coins was Dad gave me a bunch of the British large copper pennies (above) he brought back from the war. I was young but showed an interest.

Would also love to have the 1723 South Sea Shilling, representing the financial interest in slave trading and manipulation of stock prices - bubble and collapse also under King George.

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 Local artist Len Tantillo produces amazing paintings of local history. Here is a ferry boat crossing the Hudson into Albany. Just like my Vischer Ferry home. Maybe the ferryman is bringing in Robert Mc Clallan born in Londonderry, northern Ireland who ran a merchant shop in Albany in the 1700's  who dropped my half penny .

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 I've mentioned before our 1978 trip to England. Here visiting the Hampton Court Palace and gardens where King George spent time. I believe he had his cooks prepare his German sausages there. Cute simulation re-enactment.

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