← Explore on the interactive map

English Groat

Type Object Region England Time 1351–1361

The groat was one of the most important silver coin denominations in late medieval England;…

Timeline

  1. 1351Tower Mint · LondonEdward III ordered the minting of fourpenny groat silver coins, with the king's crowned portrait on the obverse and a long cross on the reverse, aiming to standardize the denomination, suppress private minting, and raise funds for the Hundred Years' War.
  2. 1361England · EnglandThe groat became the principal silver coin unit for everyday commerce and royal taxation in England; the London and York mints continued to strike it, and it replaced some of the small-denomination penny's settlement functions in urban and rural markets and port trade.

Sources