I had plenty of time to peruse the July issue of British Heritage whilst soaring across the American southeast and midwest skies. I thought the following items were of particular interest:
Britannia Banned at the Mint (p. 9): “The Royal Mint has announced they are removing Britannia from the 50p coin…the trident-wielding lady should be retained according to 90 percent of the people responding to a poll by the Daily Mail. Britannia first appeared on a farthing minted in 1672, and her image has appeared on British coinage continuously ever since…[t]he old girl will be sadly missed.”
Step into the life of Georgian England at Colonial Williamsburg (p. 17): “For Anglophiles and fans of British history it is not even necessary to cross the Atlantic puddle to experience historic Britain. In fact, perhaps nowhere in Britain can you step so completely into the life of Georgian England as at Colonial Williamsburg. After all, the largest living history museum in the United States is devoted to portraying life in an 18th-century British colony.”
Our Sceptered Isle: The Continuing Search for Britain (p. 12): “Until recently, being British never needed defining. It was just there. After all, being British was something that evolved over the centuries, unlike in the States where our national identity was purpose-built. Great Britain’s defining institutions and traditions, from a cup of tea to the Church of England, a pint in the pub and the Royal Family, Guy Fawkes Night and a flutter on the Derby, simply existed as part of the fabric of everyone’s lives. To be sure, all these things were hard fought and hard won over the centuries. But they created a sense of common identity, and provided a sense of belonging that didn’t have to be thought much about….[but] as the 21st century unfolds before us, Britain is engaged in its most serious identity crisis the Act of Union brought the kingdoms together.”
British Heritage is a decent magazine, and I think worth the US $5.99 cover price. Check it out!
To slightly counterbalance the views of the Daily Mail, a right wing paper that is always angry about something, usually asylum seekers…
The Royal Mint believe there are 806 million 50 pence coins with Britannia on and these will remain legal tender. As someone from the Royal mint said, they will see us all out!!
The new coins feature a different section of the royal coat of arms, with the £1 coin featuring all of the coat of arms. So we are hardly abandoning our Britishness. The design came from a member of the public – what a prize!
I don’t have a problem with coinage being altered as such, as long as it is easy to use. We need a £5 coin though now!
By the way, the History Channel are showing Simon Schama’s “The History of Britain” – up to number 5 now i think….have a few in the bank to watch!
Thanks for that input, Wayne. I know little to nothing about the where along a political spectrum British papers fall (American ones are hard enough to keep track of), so it’s good to get some background on the Daily Mail. I’m sure the new coin will be fascinating.
The use of a female personification of a nation is something that’s always interested me – Britannia, Liberty, Brunhilda (I’m sure that spelling is horrid), etc.
Thanks for the assurance that the sense of Britishness won’t be lost!