91Èȱ¬

Medals like this were first produced in the 1680's and continued intermittently until the middle 19th Century. It is deliberately about the same size as the old penny for familiarity, also just large enough to fit on the required information. These were sold as useful items, or given away as a promotion. The main table shows the date of any Sunday in the year and by counting forward/back, any other day can be worked out. It is no suprise that it gives dates in the church calendar, but a use for the dates of new and full moons on the other side is less obvious. However, in a time when there was no street lighting, many activities were organised for when there was most moonlight to travel by. These calendars are capable of being reused in certain other years and this one will next work in 2014. The holes made in it suggest that it was once hung on a watch chain for a long time, possibly as a momento. 1794 is associated with the Reign of Terror, a phase of the French Revolution that had an impact on Britain socially and politically. Is it possible that the first owner of this medal was an eye-witness to the events and kept it as a reminder of escaping an extremely dangerous time?