Date: 1679

1679 Thomas Linch (Limerick) halfpenny trade token

Description:

Thomas Linch’s trade halfpenny

• Weight 3.61g
• Williamson 574
• Very rare

Obverse:

• Centre design:
  • A winged bull (Crest of the Limerick Butchers’ Company)
• Outer legend:
  • “THO . LINCH . OF . LIMRICK.”

Reverse:

• Centre design:
  • Harp
•  Legend:
  • HIS . HALF . PENY . TOKEN . 1679.

Further Reading:

Like Dublin, Limerick had its own set of medieval guilds and Thomas Linch belonged to one of them – the Limerick Guild of Butchers. They also had a coat of arms different to that of the Dublin guild. See links below for additional information on the medieval guilds of Limerick City.

• The trade guilds of Limerick by Robert Herbert, North Munster Antiquarian Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Spring 1941)
• Lists of members of various craft guilds and trades
• Loyal National Repeal Association of Ireland, Freeman’s Journal 21/10/1840
• The goldsmiths of Limerick by M. S. D. Westropp, North Munster Antiquarian Journal, Vol. 1, No. 4 (September 1939)
• Limerick trades featured in Out of the Past column by Robert Herbert, Limerick Leader 10/10/1955, p3
• Limerick’s stonemasons are proud of their craft, Limerick Leader 9/3/1963, p22
• Limerick Stone and Stonemasons by Jim Kemmy, Old Limerick Journal vol. 31, Winter 1994
• Limerick craftmen celebrate 150 years’ organised endeavour,  Limerick Leader 29/11/1969
• Swan-song of the Limerick coopers, Limerick Leader 10/5/1986, p10
• The coopers of Limerick: a craft of the past by Morgan McCloskey, Old Limerick Journal vol. 36, Winter 1999