William Wood's halfpence

E682397

William Wood's halfpence were a controversial early 18th-century copper coinage for Ireland that sparked widespread public outrage and political opposition, famously condemned by Jonathan Swift in the Drapier's Letters.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf copper coinage
early 18th-century coinage
token coinage
associatedWork Drapier's Letters NERFINISHED
authorizedBy King George I of Great Britain NERFINISHED
category British colonial coinage
Irish numismatics
compensationAmount £3,000 per year for eight years
controversial true
country Kingdom of Great Britain
criticizedBy Jonathan Swift NERFINISHED
denomination farthing
halfpenny
economicImpact feared inflation of Irish small change
endDate 1724
faceValueCurrency pound sterling
famouslyCondemnedIn Drapier's Letters NERFINISHED
geographicScope Kingdom of Ireland NERFINISHED
grantedBy royal patent
grantee William Wood NERFINISHED
historicalSignificance important episode in Irish political history
symbol of Irish resistance to English economic control
intendedForUseIn Ireland NERFINISHED
issuer William Wood NERFINISHED
legalStatus royal patent coinage
material copper
maximumAuthorizedMintage £108,000 face value
mintingLocation England NERFINISHED
monarchDuringIssue George I of Great Britain NERFINISHED
notableFor major public agitation in Ireland
sparking the Drapier's Letters controversy
opposedBy Irish Parliament NERFINISHED
Irish landowners
Irish merchants
opposedIn Ireland NERFINISHED
perceivedQuality inferior
period Georgian era
politicalContext Anglo-Irish constitutional tensions
publicReaction widespread public outrage in Ireland
reasonForOpposition alleged debasement of Irish currency
fear of economic exploitation of Ireland
lack of consent from Irish Parliament
region British Isles NERFINISHED
relatedTo Anglo-Irish relations NERFINISHED
Drapier's Letters controversy NERFINISHED
Irish coinage
resultedIn compensation to William Wood
partial withdrawal of the patent
startDate 1722

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Drapier's Letters mainSubject William Wood's halfpence