Charles I Medallion LEIC-78E0B3
This object contains a finely carved bust of the King. Found with a silver link still attached, it probably hung from a silver chain. These medallions were issued to friends and partisans of the monarch and would have been proudly worn by his supporters. It is also believed that some were given out as ‘proto medals’ for services rendered during the English civil war. It is possible that this was actually given out by the King himself.
The events of 1645 may reveal how it was lost….
The Royalists retook Leicester, a Parliamentarian stronghold, on 30th may 1645. The troops looted and destroyed much of the city, killing many civilians. This was considered an atrocity and at the kings trial events in Leicester were used to illustrate his cruelty.
The pendant was found in Fleckney, on the way to Market Harborough, where the Royalists went after the siege to recruit more troops. In the meantime Parliaments ‘New Model Army’ was amassing at a small village called Naseby. . . After that resounding defeat (700 Royalists died) Charles and Prince Rupert retreated to Wistow Hall, north of Fleckney, then rode through Leicester back to their stronghold at Ashby Castle. Their troops followed but Parliament caught up with them, killing at least 400 between Harborough and Leicester.
Did the owner sack Leicester, losing his medal on the way to Harborough? Did he survive Naseby to ride north with the king? Was he hacked down during the retreat back to the safety of Leicester? Oh if only objects could talk! We will never know for sure, but it seems likely that the pendant may have been lost during one of the bloody events in Leicestershire during the English Civil War.
Found in 2010, the pendant can be seen at Harborough Museum
