York Halfpenny D&H63

The front side depicts York Minster.
The reverse side depicts a fortress on a mound, guarded by armed men. Four warriors armed with pikes are walking along the drawbridge.

The customer for the production of the token is not exactly known, but in 1796 Harrison and Cattle issued a 2 ¾ inch diameter medal of a similar design and may also have been responsible for this issue.

In 625, Archbishop Paulinus erected a small wooden chapel in York in honor of St. Peter. On April 12, 627, the baptism of King Edwin (c. 585 - 633) with his family and retinue took place in this chapel. The construction of the current cruciform building of the cathedral on the site of the old chapel lasted about 250 years and was completed in 1472. It is 524 feet long and 250 feet wide. The west front is flanked by two towers 196 feet high, while the central or lantern tower rises to 235 feet.
The cathedral is famous for having the largest stained-glass windows of medieval Europe and contests the title of the largest medieval temple in the north of Europe from Cologne Cathedral.

Clifford Tower is located on an artificial mound, which, according to archaeological evidence, was built in Roman times.
In 1068, William the Conqueror went to the north of the country to crush the uprising. He built a number of wooden fortresses, including where Clifford's tower now stands.
During the 12th century, tensions between Christians and Jews escalated throughout England, partly because many were indebted to Jewish usurers, partly due to Christian propaganda. Following the coronation of Richard I in 1189, anti-Jewish riots took place in several cities. According to accounts, about 150 people from the Jewish community of York took refuge in the fortress. The troops trying to recapture the captured fortress were joined by a large crowd of people, incited by anti-Jewish preachers and local nobles seeking to avoid paying debts. On March 16, the Saturday before Passover, the captives inside the tower realized that they could not get out safely and the rabbi called for mass suicide. The heads of households killed their families before killing themselves, and the wooden fortress itself was set on fire.

Reconstruction of the events of 1190, when the Jewish community of York was besieged and attacked by an angry mob. Historic England (illustrated by Peter Dunn)

The fortress burnt down in 1190 was soon restored. In 1245, King Henry III decided to build a new round tower on the mound. The order to Master Henry the Mason and Master Simon the Carpenter spoke of the need to strengthen the defenses and build a stone tower and castle, which continued until the 1290s.
During the 15th-16th centuries, some buildings of the castle were destroyed, while others were used as a prison. For the first time, the name Clifford's Tower is found in 1596 in documents about the accusation of the jailer Robert the Red in an attempt to sell the stone of abandoned buildings. According to one version, this name could come from the statements of the Clifford family that the position of constable was hereditary. According to another version, the name may refer to the rebel Roger de Clifford, who was hanged in the tower after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322.
In 1643, during the Civil War, to protect the city, the tower was equipped with two half-culverins and a sacker and attached the royal garrison Threescore foot. The turret building was extensively refurbished, with an ammunition depot and a platform with guns on the roof built. In 1665, on the way to Scarborough Castle, the Quaker George Fox was imprisoned in the tower for two nights.

Engraving of Clifford's tower in 1680 before it exploded in 1684
Francis Place. Art Gallery of York

The dissolute behavior of the garrison angered the people of York, who called for the demolition of the tower, nicknamed The Minced Pie (stuffed pie). On the night of April 23, 1684, the inside of the tower was partially destroyed by the explosion of a gunpowder store that occurred after the fireworks in honor of St. George's Day. In the 18th century, the tower was located on the territory of a private garden and could be used as a cattle shed, while the former castle building was used as a prison.
In the 20th century, detailed archaeological research and strengthening of the mound were carried out, the outer walls were restored, a staircase was built and a museum is currently open in the tower.

Edge inscription: YORK BUILT AM1223. CATHEDRAL REBUILT AD 1075 + Engraver Dixon, made by Lutwyche.
Issued 5 cwts (1 cwts = 100 lb = 45.359237 kg).