[MR] BBC & History Blog: Boy Bishop Token Found in Norfolk

[Lorelei Elkins]

Very cool!  I did not know about the Boy Bishop tokens.  Again, I learn
something new from your history posts, thank you!

Lorelei Greenleafe

On Wed, Dec 20, 2023 at 8:17 AM Garth Groff and Sally Sanford via Atlantia <
atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org> wrote:

> Noble Friends,
>
> How appropriate that during the Christmas season a medieval yuletide
> artifact has just been found in Norfolk.
>
> The item is a "Boy Bishop" token. Until stopped first by Henry VIII, and
> again by Elizabeth after Bloody Mary's brief Catholic revival, the
> tradition of nominating a choir boy to be a "stand-in" for a bishop during
> the Christmas season was common in England. These boys led processions
> where lead tokens resembling real money were distributed to the poor. The
> tokens could be redeemed for food during the Boy Bishop's "reign".
>
> This particular token was found near Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, and is
> thought to have been issued by the powerful Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds, some
> 30 miles from the find site.
>
> Take your pick. The story can be found on the History Blog at
> https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/69071 and on the BBC at
> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-67750116 .
>
> More about the Boy Bishop tradition is at
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_bishop .
>
> Yours Aye,
>
>
> Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
> Continuing a quest to keep Merry Rose relevant and in business.
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