Description
Bilston, Fereday, Priest Field Furnaces, 1811
Date & Place:
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1811, Bilston, Staffordshire (England), an industrial town in the Black Country.
Issuer / Manufacturer:
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Fereday — a local ironmaster or industrialist.
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Priest Field Furnaces — ironworks producing pig iron and wrought iron; these tokens were likely issued to pay workers or for local trade.
Metal / Size:
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Copper, ~33 mm diameter (standard penny size).
Design
Obverse:
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Inscription: usually “BILSTON / FEREDAY / 1811” or similar around the rim.
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Central motif: furnace or industrial imagery, representing Priest Field Furnaces.
Reverse:
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Large central “ONE PENNY TOKEN”, often encircled by a wreath or beaded border.
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Some varieties include “PAYABLE AT …”, specifying local redemption points (usually Bilston merchants).
Edge:
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Plain or lightly engraved, occasionally with lettering like “PAYABLE AT BILSTON”.
References:
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Catalogued in Dalton & Hamer and Davis’ 19th Century Token Coinage, under Staffordshire Industrial Tokens, 1811.
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Bilston ironworks tokens are particularly collectible among industrial token collectors because of their connection to local ironmaking history.
Historical Background
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During the early 19th century, the copper coin shortage led local industrialists to issue tokens to pay workers and conduct business locally.
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Bilston was an important centre for ironmaking and metalworking, and Fereday’s tokens circulated in the community as small-change substitutes.
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Tokens like this are part of the provincial British token series (1797–1817) and reflect early industrial enterprise.
