Silver touchpiece, given at the ceremony of healing by touch, inscribed IA CIII, issued by James III, the Old Pretender, probably made by Ottone Hameroni, Italy, 1719-1766
A touchpiece is a medal or token believed to be imbued with the power to heal because it had been touched by a monarch. From the Middle Ages, it was believed that monarchs had the power to heal through touch and that this power was given to them by God. The tradition of the 'royal touch' began with Edward the Confessor (1003-1066) and continued until the end of Queen Anne's reign in 1714.
This touchpiece was issued by James Francis Edward Stuart (known by the nickname 'the Old Pretender'), who was a claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland. James was the son of King James II but was excluded from the line of succession by the Act of Settlement 1701 because he was a Catholic. This touchpiece was issued because James would have considered himself the rightful King. He would have believed that he possessed the power to heal by touch. This touchpiece would likely have been carried by one of his supporters, who were known as Jacobites.
Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A40463
- Materials:
- silver
- Measurements:
-
overall: 1 mm 21 mm, .002 kg
- type:
- touchpieces
- credit:
- Wilson
