Open 12 Dec 2026 – 5 Dec 2027
Gallery 7
Admission is FREE
This temporary display in the Money Gallery 7 will tell the story of King Charles I's stay in Oxford during the years of 1642–1646, and give us a glimpse of his entire life as seen through coins and medals. Oxford was the seat of the king, and by extension home to the king's court, through this time.
The Heberden Coin Room of the Ashmolean has a world-class collection of coins and medals relating to Charles I, especially those made in Oxford.
These include the largest denomination ever struck in the 17th century (the triple unite or triple pound), a gold coronation medal commemorating his coronation as King of Scotland (1633), and a remarkable collection of so-called siege pieces, ie money made while royalist strongholds (such as Newark) were under siege.
As well as considering the handsome portraiture of Charles I on coins and medals, the display also contextualises phenomena such as hoarding and defacement.
There will also be objects showcased from two recent and significant acquisitions from the 1640s, namely the Bull collection of Oxford half-crowns, and a recent piece of Scottish religious silver made during the English Civil War. Seen together, these objects offer a view on Oxford’s place in one of the most turbulent periods of British history, as seen through coins, medals, as well as silver more generally.
