Silver penny of David I of Scotland
Scotland, AD 1124-53
The first Scottish coinage
Ironically, the earliest Scottish coins were struck in England.
When Henry I of England died in 1135, the throne of England was
contested between Henry's daughter Matilda, and his nephew Stephen.
David I of Scotland was Matilda's uncle on her mother's side, and
in 1136 David moved south into England to support his niece's
claim. Among other places in the north of England, he took control
of the town of Carlisle. Coins had been struck in Carlisle in the
last years of Henry's reign, using local silver, and once David
took over the town, he began issuing his own coins.
David's first coins, like the one shown here, imitate the late
coins of Henry I. He also seems to have issued coins from Carlisle
in the name of Stephen. The son of David I, Henry of
Northumberland, also issued his own coins there.
Although David's coinage began in Carlisle, it quickly spread to
towns within Scotland itself. These included Aberdeen, Berwick,
Edinburgh, Perth, Roxburgh and St Andrews. The Scottish coinage
developed under David's sons Malcolm I (1153-65) and William I
(1165-1214) and a separate Scottish coinage continued until the Act
of Union with England in 1707.
I.H. Stewart, The Scottish coinage (London, Spink, 1955)
J.D. Bateson, Coinage in Scotland (London, Spink, 1997)