The following paper is believed to be from the Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Jan 1903 by Lionel L. Fletcher

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THE BELFAST TICKET OF 1734.

The Belfast Ticket of 1734.

BY LIONEL L. FLETCHER.

THE famous Belfast Ticket, an illustration of which appears herewith, was first described and figured in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology for January 1854 (old series, vol. ii, pages 29-31), in an interesting article contributed by the late George Benn, who again described it in his History of the Town of Belfast (1877, pages 462-3). The engraving of the token, which appears in the latter work, and which is reproduced in the Town Book of Belfast (1892, page 326), while more accurate in its details than that in the Ulster Journal is alike incorrect in representing the reverse legend as reading "I will pay,"

whereas it should read "I'l pay." This error, however, does not occur in the engraving and description of the token in the late Dr. Aquilla Smith's well-known paper "On the Copper Tokens issued in Ireland from 1728 to 1761," which was first published in the Journal of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society for 1868-9 (third series, vol. i, pages 417-34), and was afterwards reprinted and issued as a separate work.

The specimen described in the above-mentioned works, which was formerly in the possession of the late Edward Benn, is now in the Benn collection, Belfast Museum, and has hitherto been considered unique. The present writer, however, has recently acquired a specimen of this token, as shown herewith, which is of additional interest as being in better preservation than the former one, thus enabling the doubts as to the exact date and legend to be finally cleared up.

The token has hitherto been described as undated, but the present specimen shows the date 1734 on the obverse, below the words "Belfast Ticket." The date, now first ascertained, very closely confirms the views expressed by George Benn, who, in his article in the Ulster Journal speaks of the token as having been issued about the year 1730, while in his History of the Town of Be/fast he gives the probable date as 1735.

39

THE BELFAST TICKET OF 1734.

The reverse legend has also hitherto been incorrectly described. The word "for" being illegible on the former specimen, George Benn rendered the legend as ending "½ per pd this co^t" (cost), but the last letter, which he read as a "t," is the symbol for "per," which already occurs just before, the last word thus being a contraction for "copper." The legend is thus intended to read as follows: ' I'l pay the bearer one half penny, W. Johnston, 1s. 2d. per pound for this co(p)per." The issuer thus states, as an assurance of the intrinsic value of the token, the price of the metal in which it is struck. This is a distinctive feature of the Belfast ticket, and does not occur on any other copper token known. It is apparently a promise to pay the price mentioned, but may, perhaps, be intended rather as a notification of what it has cost.

The present specimen is struck on a larger and thicker flan than the former one, and weighs 152 grains, while the weight of the "Benn" specimen, as recorded by Dr. Aquilla Smith, is only 106 grains. If the weight of the present specimen be taken as a standard, it would admit of forty-six tokens being struck from one pound of copper. After taking into account the cost of striking, this would allow the issuer very little profit, and would probably account for the token being subsequently reduced in weight, as in the case of the "Benn" specimen. That the latter is struck on a smaller flan than was originally intended is clearly apparent, as it admits of only half the corded border, which encircles the token, being shown.

The issue of the Belfast ticket was probably suggested by the well-known halfpenny tokens struck by James Maculla of Dublin, in the years 1728 and 1729, which bear a somewhat similar legend. It was probably the earliest of the interesting series of copper tokens which were issued in Ulster during the years 1734-6. This series, which includes nine other Belfast tokens, comprises, in addition to the Belfast ticket, one penny token, three threepenny tokens, and about forty twopenny tokens. Although the Belfast ticket is thus of a smaller promissory value than any other of this series, the weight of the present specimen is only exceeded by the threepenny token issued in 1736 by James Greer of Lurgan, which weighs 175 grains. The want of small change, which these tokens, in common with those issued by James Maculla, were intended to supply, was greatly felt in Ireland at this period in consequence of the failure of Wood's coinage, but was further met by a large issue of halfpence in the year 1736, the circulation of tokens being then prohibited.

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THE BELFAST TICKET OF 1734.

The most interesting feature of this token is, of course, the representation of Belfast which appears on the obverse. It shows a part of High Street, and the end of one of the bridges which crossed the then open river. The building whose lofty steeple figures most prominently in the view was considered by George Benn to be intended for the old market-house, which formerly stood at the corner of Corn Market. This building, as the centre of the town's trade, would certainly figure very appropriately on the token of one of its traders and it is worthy of note that the Stewartstown token of 1736 (the only other Ulster token of this period which bears a representation of any building) has a view of its market-house. It is, however, a matter of considerable doubt whether, in the present instance, George Benn's theory is the correct one. In the writer's opinion the building here shown more probably represents the old parish church, also in High Street, which was taken down in the year 1774, and which stood on the site now occupied by St. George's Church. This church, as represented in Phillips's plan of Belfast (1685), had a pointed tower closely resembling that depicted on the Belfast ticket, while the tower of the market-house is there shown to have been surmounted by a cupola, which also appears in the view of High Street in 1786, which is reproduced in the Town Book of Belfast (page 100). The figure of a bird which is represented on the token as adorning the tower, is not shown in any other view of the buildings in question, or it might otherwise have afforded conclusive evidence on the point.

With regard to the issuer of the Belfast ticket, no information has hitherto been forthcoming. There were, however, two persons of the name, who are mentioned at this period in the local records, and it was doubtless one of these who issued the token. The more prominent of these was the "William Johnston, of Newforge, near Belfast," who is mentioned in the History of the Town of Belfast (page 487) as having, in the year 1733, been granted a lease giving him the privilege of supplying the town with water, and whose name was long remembered in the locality under the sobriquet of "Pipe-water Johnston." The other person of this name, who was more probably, perhaps, the issuer of the token, was the "William Johnston, Baker," who, as recorded in the Town Book of Belfast (page 291), was admitted, in September 1729, to the freedom of the town, but of whom nothing further can at present be ascertained. Possibly, however, a search through the earlier numbers of the Belfast News-Letter might be the means of adding to our present information regarding this interesting token and its issuer.

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