Hazells Histories – Boy Bishop Token
BOY BISHOP TOKENS
It was customary in the Middle Ages for younger members of the Abbey Church congregation to elect one of their number to act out the role of Boy Bishop. This would take place on December 6th, St Nicholas Day and would last until December 28th, Holy Innocents Day.
The chosen boy was dressed in full bishop’s robes with mitre and crozier and attended by his companions, dressed as monks or priests. On the feast of Holy Innocents, the chosen boy would go in solemn procession accompanied by taperers, to the high altar and perform the service of Holy Innocents.
It is recorded, “that no one under penalty of excommunication, dared to interrupt or press upon him.” A further procession also went through the town, blessing the people and handing out these lead tokens to the poor, though of no real monetary value they could be exchanged for food. The chosen boy and his colleagues would typically take possession of the Abbey Church and would have performed all the ceremonies and offices, except Mass. There are instances of this tradition being observed in Norwich, Salisbury, London, York and Westminster most probably at the cathedrals there. As we did not have a cathedral, our Abbey Church was more than equal to a cathedral. The tokens were meant to mimic the coinage available in the medieval period, a penny, half groat value two pennies or a groat, four pennies. The obverse depicts a bishop’s mitre and most often inscribed SANCTVS NICHOLAVS, for St. Nicholas, (the origin of Father Christmas); this the cult of St Nicholas. On the reverse , AVE REX GENTIS, “hail the king of the nation”.
Henry VIII abolished the custom of boy bishops in 1542 some eight years after his break with Rome and three years after the dissolution of the monasteries. The tradition was briefly restored in 1554, finally to be abolished by his daughter Elizabeth, some time after her ascending the throne in 1558.
Ever since metal detecting became popular in this country, parts of East Anglia, especially Bury St Edmunds, have seen these boy bishop tokens regularly found but rarely in good condition, as being made of lead they are often damaged.
Examples are to be found in Moyses Hall Museum.
