Somersetshire Bath D&H 41 - Obv: Bust to left, with bow and quiver, BLADUD FOUNDER OF BATH, SUCCESS TO THE BATH WATERS around. Rev: View of public building, NORTH FRONT OF PUMP ROOM above, HEATH IRONMONGER & C. with 1796 between below. Edge: Milled.
Good Extremely Fine. Tiny obverse spots. Rare.
Bladud is known as the founder of Bath, but in Bell’s book on Specious Tokens, he notes that Bladud was also a well-known necromancer and learned man whose bizarre experiments included a pair of wings he made for himself. He proceeded to hurl himself off of a temple in London and, of course, killed himself on the rocks below! Crazy, right!!!?? His son Leir II succeeded him in rule, who is also known as the mad King Lear by William Shakespeare. It is entirely possible that this was another of Francis Heath’s trade tokens, along with the D&H 39 and 40. Heath was an ironmonger, brazier, and cutler in Bath.