Part of the enjoyment of trolling the flea markets is the possibility of finding a "sleeper" at an affordable price. The thrill increases when something catches your eye and your gut tells you to go for it. The excitement comes when you do research into the item and your eyes are opened to a part of history you knew little about.
Such was the case for me once again during a recent Sunday morning visit to a Manhattan flea market. I was prowling among the various tables when I noticed a silver-colored, circular object a little larger than a silver dollar resting on a dealer's table.
Examining it carefully with my jeweller's loupe, I realized it was an English medal having to do with a bishop. Dated 1688, it was right up my alley, so I was seriously interested in purchasing it. Questioning the dealer, I quickly discovered he knew nothing about the piece. The price was right, so I layed out the few dollars and walked away with the medal in my pocket.
The front of the medal (obverse) exhibited the profile of an English archibishop, while the back (reverse) displayed seven more bishops arrayed in a circular format. The piece was quite interesting, to say the least.
There was no question as to its authenticity, since it displayed all the right wear and imperfections that something of that age would demonstrate. In researching it, I soon learned that the man on the obverse side was an Anglican archibishop named William Sancroft. Upon the king's request, Sancroft was appointed archdeacon of Canterbury in 1668. He also crowned King James II in 1685.
Sancroft was born at Fressingfield, Suffolk, on Jan. 30, 1617, and died Nov. 24, 1693. He became Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London in 1664 and assisted in the rebuilding of the church and city after the Great Fire of London two years later. He also was present at the death bed of King Charles II in 1685.
In 1687, Sancroft wrote a petition in his own hand against the reading of the Declaration of Indulgence, which he signed together with his suffragans -- known as the Seven Bishops. For doing so, all were sent to the Tower of London, but soon were pardoned. The medal I'd just brought home was known as "The lives of the Seven Bishops commited to the Tower in 1688," and possibly wa created by the medalist George Bower, who plied his craft from 1650 to 1690.
The seven bishops sent to the Tower and depicted with Sancroft were: Henry Compton, Bishop of London (1632-1713); Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells (1637-1711); John Lake Bishop of Chichester (1624- 1689); William Lloyd Bishop of Worcester (1626-1717); Sir Jonathan Tretawny, Bishop of Winchester (1650-1721); Francis Turner, Bishop of Ely (1638-1700) and Thomas White, Bishop of Peterborough (1628-1698).
We must remember that during this period and, in particular, the 17th century, there were ongoing theological battles between the Roman Catholic Church and the new breakaway Anglican branch. Both were attempting to gain ascendancy in England. Ultimately, the Anglicans won out and the monarch became "Defender of the Faith" and Head of the Church of England. And so it remains to this day, with Queen Elizabeth II Defencer of the Faith.
The real purpose of the Sancroft medal was to let it be known that if you did not conform to the ideas and religious precepts of the Anglican Church, which had the upper hand when it came to religion, you would suffer severe consequences either by death or imprisonment. The medal, which at first glance seemed just to depict a group of Anglican bishops, carried a far more important message.
Finding items like the Sancroft medal makes one want to attend as many flea markets as possible in the hopes of once again bringing something home that spurs curiousity and study, enriches your collection and can be shared with those who can appreciate its historical and aesthetic value.