A British shilling lies at the base of the candleabrum but is not part of that ornament. It is from the reign of George II and bears the date of 1745 and thus might have been like the coin that was handed to Cluny by Hector Munro.The obverse side of this coin is shown at the left of the photograph but it is so severely worn that its features are difficult to discern. A middle photo is of another coin that is fully discernable. The reverse of our coin is shown at the right of the photo. It too is severly worn but the date is barely visible.
Note the word "LIMA" impressed on the coin in the middle. The 1745 shillings as a group have a fascinating history which, although not connected with the clan in any way, is worth telling.
In 1744, Admiral Anson came back to Britain after his great voyage of circumnavigation, which had taken him three years to complete. He brought with him an enormous amount of bullion, which was valued, in the currency of the period, at £500,000. Most of this was captured from the Spanish treasure-ship Nuestra Senora de Covadonga, which he had seized some while before, when he had attacked Paita, the port of Lima in Peru.
There was a considerable amount of gold amongst the treasure that Anson brought home, but the bulk of it was Spanish-American silver coin and this was sent to the Mint to be converted into British coin. It was then decided that the name 'Lima' should be placed beneath the King's image as a 'provenance-mark' and to commemorate Anson's exploits.
Donated by William A. Macpherson, Mitcham, Surrey