Boulton & Watt Sirra Leon Abolition Soho Mint

[coinsarefun]

Boulton & Watt Sirra Leon Abolition Soho Mint

Designed by John Phillip, engraved by GF Pidgeon, made by the Soho Mint,
Birmingham, about 1814
Bronze


These tokens are dated 1807, the date of abolition of the slave trade in Britain and its colonies. However, they were actually made about 1814 and again in about 1830-50 for use as coinage in the Sierra Leone colony of Freetown.

They were commissioned by Zachary Macaulay, a former Governor of Freetown and member of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Freetown was founded in 1787, as a philanthropic venture by the Sierra Leone Company. It was intended to provide an African homeland for formerly enslaved Africans, many of whom had fought for the British in the American War of Independence. After the company was dissolved in 1808, Macaulay took up the company on his own and traded with other parts of west Africa. He was later joined by his nephew, Kenneth Macaulay, son of Leicester MP Thomas Babbington, a founder member of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

The text on the reverse of the token is in Arabic, and translates as 'Sale of slaves prohibited in 1807, Christian era, in the reign of George III: verily, we are all brothers'. The Arabic text was possibly included as the Arab slave trade continued long after British abolition. This token may have been seen as a way of spreading the abolitionist message.


information was provided by curators from the People's History Museum
http://www.revealinghistories.org.uk/partners/people-s-history-museum.html

[walmann]

It should be noted that many of these freed slaves were those that had supported the crown in the colonies during the American Revolution, others were from England and Jamaica. Most of these freed slaves spent a number of years in Nova Scotia, till Freetown was established, becoming a British Protectorate in Sierra Leone.

These freed slaves became the dominant political and economic class for many generations, known as Creoles. The Krio lingua they came to speak is a mixture of English, french and Portuguese, as well as being influenced by Yoruba and Twi (two tribal languages that are not native to Sierra Leone).

[regandon]

 Very interesting history that goes with piece.

[BCNumismatics]

Stefanie,
  Some of these were actually issued as 1 Penny currency tokens in 1814.

They are listed in the 19th. Century Krause catalogue.

Aidan.

[walmann]

One more side note, the reasoning behind the name Sierra Leone was not that there were lions in the mountains, but that the frequent thunder, during the rainy season, was felt to have lion like reverberations off the mountains.

[Larry]

"The design of the coin shows on one side a lion in front of a mountain, to illustrate the colony’s name which means Mountain of Lions."

What?  I see no lion.  Perhaps reference is to another coin?

[coinsarefun]

"The design of the coin shows on one side a lion in front of a mountain, to illustrate the colony’s name which means Mountain of Lions."

What?  I see no lion.  Perhaps reference is to another coin?

You are 100% right Larry!
I copied and pasted the wrong info page and now its corrected
Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[BCNumismatics]

Larry & Stefanie,
  The Sierra Leone Company's coins were struck between 1791 & 1805,which is why they aren't illustrated here.I've found them elusive to find so far.

The name 'Sierra Leone' is actually derived from Spanish.It literally means 'Mountain Lion'.

Sierra Leone's banknotes & coins have always been of interest to me.

British Postal Orders used to be issued from the post offices in Sierra Leone,but they elude me so far.

Aidan.