Recently, I came across this token for sale on eBay. I was intrigued by the reference to Kirkby Folly. So, I decided to buy it even though I did not know precisely what it was!
Kirkby Folly
I already knew that Kirkby Folly was the original name for the East Kirkby part of Kirkby. This is well-explained in the 1950 Kirkby official guide.
Ardill Leeds
Below, the symbol of the £1 is some writing which I could only make out with magnification. To me, it looked like ARDILLLEEDS. But, I could not see how there could be three “L“s consecutively! It was only then that I realised it was two words, Ardill Leeds. Apparently, Ardill of Leeds was founded by John Ardill. They became prolific token makers, particularly between 1870 and the early 1900s. They continued trading until 1989. The tulip motif around the token I have is typical of their work.
G Briggs
I was not aware of a grocer by the name of G Briggs prior to this. I knew of a pawnbrokers called Brigg’s and Hague’s on Low Moor Road. They are mentioned by Edith Searson in her book(let) “I Also Remember“. So, I wondered if they related to G Briggs, in general, and the token, in particular.
Finding G Briggs
The token had been sold on eBay as dating from 1890. That would fit with the heyday of Ardill tokens. So, I looked in my copy of Kelly’s Directory for 1898 but there is no-one by the name of Briggs there.
Searching the Census
So, I searched censuses online looking for Briggs in Kirkby who were listed as a grocer. I came up with one in the 1881 census. George Briggs was living at 57 New Street, Kirkby with his wife Betsey A and their six children. They also had a servant and a boarder. He had been born in 1838 in Sutton. He was listed as a grocer and postmaster. His house is said to be situated within the parish of Kirkby in Ashfield and in the village of Folly.
Armed with this information, I found him in both the 1871 and 1891 censuses. In 1871, his address is given as Kirkby Folley. In the original, I think his occupation is given as grocer. But, it is faint and has not been transcribed. In 1891, he was living in the Post Office in Low Moor Road and he was described as a draper. Again, in the 1891 census, the village is listed as Kirkby Folly.
Tracking Back
Working backwards, I found that he married Betsey Ann Hardstaff in 1862. Before that, he appears in the 1841 to 1861 censuses in Sutton and is listed as a framework knitter.
Retired
Initially, I could find no record of him after 1891 and wondered if he had died or moved. It turns out it was the latter. He retired. In the 1901 census, he is living in Gedling and, in 1911, in Nottingham. In the 1921 census, he appears to be visiting Normanton on Soar and is listed as a gentleman. He appears to have died in 1929.
Consistent with 1890
So, it seems that this token could be from 1890 or perhaps slightly earlier. But, this raises the question of its value of £1 as this would have been a lot of money in 1890, equivalent to more than £150 today. However, I have come across some tokens of that date of that value, for example, as issued by the Co-op.
In a discussion about this on Kirkby Living Memory Facebook Group, it was suggested that independent grocers sometimes had their own bonus schemes with tokens that were superficially similar to those issued by the Co-op. Apparently, the value on the coin might have represented the amount spent rather than the value of the coin, particularly where this value was in excess of one shilling.
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