Obverse - Facing crowned and diademed bust with two fillets to edge of coin, legend and beaded circles surrounding both sides, +PILLELMV REXI

Reverse - Pellet in annulet at centre of voided cross, terminals of pellet with crescent each sides, pellet topped piles in angle, legend and beaded border surrounding, , +ÆGELRIC ON LVN

Weight 1.30g

Well centred strike, good very fine condition and rare.

The legends translate as "William King" on obverse and "Aegelric of London" on the reverse.

Born around 1028, the first Norman King of England, William the Conqueror, was the son of Robert I of Normandy and Herleya. A descendant of Rollo, William became Duke of Normandy in 1035 and he subsequently married Matilda of Flanders in the 1050s, ensuring a powerful ally in that neighbouring region. After a protracted struggle and quashing rebellions, his hold over Normandy was eventually secure by 1060 and, with the appointment of supporting abbots and bishops in the Norman church, he subsequently secured the region of Maine in 1062. William's first cousin once removed was the childless Edward the Confessor of England and, from this family connection, and the fact that Edward had previously told him he would succeed, he assumed a claim to the throne of England over Harold Godwinson, who Edward had named as his successor on his deathbed in January 1066. William also claimed that Harold previously had promised the throne to him in the event of succession, Harold having sworn over holy relics in William's presence as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. William therefore built up a powerful invasion force to cross the channel and fight for the right to rule England. He landed at Pevensey Bay and, after setting up camp with a basic fort at Hastings, he marched north to meet Harold at Senlac Hill at Battle, East Sussex on 14th October. A battle raged for most of the day, with at one point a rumour spreading that William was slain, resulting in him having to remove his helmet and reveal he was alive and fighting, boosting the morale of the Normans for the final onslaught in which Harold perished, either from an arrow in the eye or cut down by a horseman. William then went on a military tour to put down local uprisings, leading to his crowning in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. He made arrangements in London for governance whenever he would be in Normandy and, by 1075, his hold on England was almost complete, with many forts and castles constructed. His later years involved quelling other uprisings in Europe and difficulty with his eldest son, Robert Curthose, but his most famous achievement in England was the preparation of Domesday Book in 1086 - a survey of the land and the land-owners and nobles within it, listing pre-conquest and current holders at that time. William died in September 1087 leading a campaign in northern France and was buried at Caen. Normandy was given to his eldest son, Robert, with England given to his next surviving son, William Rufus.