Cromwell and the Battle of Preston
Avril Vaughan (1937-2006)
Category
Coins and medals
Date
1993
Materials
Silver
Measurements
517 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
United Kingdom
Order this imageCollection
Osterley Park and House, London
NT 773257
Summary
Silver, Cromwell and the Battle of Preston, medal designed by Avril Vaughan (1937-2006) and Michael Harvey (1931-2013), struck Royal Mint, Llantrisant, 1993. A silver medal commemorating Cromwell and the Battle of Preston, which took place on 17 August 1648. The tenth medal in a set of twelve issued by the Royal Mint in 1992 and 1993, to mark the 350th Anniversary of the English Civil War. The obverse depicts a portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) with battle scenes in the background. Artist’s monogram 'AL' at lower edge. The reverse legend, designed by Michael Harvey, reads 'CROMWELL AND THE BATTLE OF PRESTON. / 17 AUGUST 1648. / Our chief of men'; the latter phrase is taken from a poem by John Milton in praise of Cromwell.
Full description
The Civil War was fought, mainly in England, between 1642 and 1649, the result of a long struggle for power between King Charles I (1600-49) and Parliament. The Battle of Preston was the main battle in the so-called Second English Civil War, which ran from 1648-49. It came about as a result of the power vacuum following the royalist defeat in 1646, and increasing tensions between the three main factions, the Royalists, the Scottish and English Parliamentary Presbyterians and the New Model Army. A series of uprisings that began in February 1648 soon became a general Royalist revolt. These were rapidly put down, but matters reached a head when a Scottish royalist army under the command of the Duke of Hamilton marched south in support of the Royalist cause. The Scottish forces, mostly comprised of raw recruits, were comprehensively defeated by Oliver Cromwell’s forces at the Battle of Preston, over the days of 17-19 August 1646. The Royalist defeat presaged the end of the Second Civil War. This was the tenth in a series of twelve medals issued by the Royal Mint at monthly intervals from June 1992, to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the outbreak of the English Civil War. The twelve medals illustrate the significant points in the conflict, from the raising of Charles I’s standard at Nottingham on 22 August 1642, to his execution on 30 January 1649. The designs of the obverses of the medals were commissioned from three leading contemporary artists, John Lobban, Michael Rizzello and Avril Vaughan, whilst the reverses, each of which contains a quotation relating to the subject of the medal, were designed by the distinguished lettering artist Michael Harvey, best-known for the names of celebrated Renaissance artists carved into the stonework of the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery. Michael Harvey’s original artwork for the series is in the Library of the University of Reading (URL MS 5115, file 392). The selection of the twelve episodes and the accompanying legend was devised by the historian of Tudor coinage Dr Christopher Challis. The medals were issued in silver and in bronze, in editions of 2,500 and 5,000, retailing at £84.50 or £49.50 per medal respectively. It was possible to buy the medals singly or as a set of twelve, the latter housed in an African walnut case. The whole series is in the collection at Osterley, but without the wooden case (NT 773248-773258, NT 773623). Jeremy Warren 2019
Provenance
Given to the National Trust in 1993 by George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910-1998).
Marks and inscriptions
Obverse, at lower edge, right of centre, below tip of Cromwell’s left collar: AV (Avril Vaughan monogram) Reverse, legend: CROMWELL AND THE BATTLE OF PRESTON. / 17 AUGUST 1648. / Our chief of men
Makers and roles
Avril Vaughan (1937-2006), designer Michael Harvey (1931-2013), designer The Royal Mint, manufacturer