Extremely decorative and well made
Victorian copper medal for the Walgherton
Female Friendly Dividend Society in Cheshire.
Circa 1840 (dated 1833). The medal has a
contemporary piercing at the top so that it
can be worn on a ribbon. Obverse: Stamped
around the rim JOHN TWEMLOW ESQ. OF HATHERTON
PATRON. In the centre, stamped in high relief
the Armorial Bearings of John Twemlow of
Hatherton (coat of arms): Quarterly 1st &
4th Argent a chevron Or between three
squirrels sejant Gules (Ancient Arms), 2nd
& 3rd Azure two bars engrailed Or charged
with three boars heads two and one erect
couped Sable (Modern Arms) charged with a
crescent for difference (second son). Crest: A
perroquet standing on the stump of a tree a
branch sprouting therefrom proper. The family
motto is on a ribbon below - TENEO TENVERE
MAJORES (I hold what my ancestors have held).
Reverse: Stamped around the edge - WALGHERTON
FEMALE FRIENDLY DIVIDEND SOCIETY. Stamped in
the centre - INSTITUTED/ JULY 23rd/ 1833.
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Condition :-Extremely Fine. The
Patron's coat of arms and crest are stamped in
high relief and are very crisp indeed. Pierced
Circa :- 1840 (dated 1833)
Size :- 1.7 inches (43.2 mm) long x
1.4 inches (35.6 mm) wide
This medal is steeped in social history. The
Twemlow family took their responsibilities to
the community seriously and there were a
number of Magistrates among them as well as a
Deputy-Lieutenant for the county of Stafford.
Friendly Societies were established to provide
insurance against sickness, old age and
funeral expenses. They were started in the
17th century and in the 18th century they
became a conventional alternative to parish
relief and charitable assistance. These
Societies spread quickly with the onset of the
Industrial Revolution and by the Victorian era
they had become the most important form of
working-class insurance.