British Coins and Tokens

LONDON, Leicester Square, The Oratory, John Henley, copper, 1726, facing half-length figure indicating text in a book, inveniam viam avt faciam around, i[ohn] h[enley] in exergue, rev. the oratory and date to left, sta sol to right, Joshua commanding a rayed sun to stand still, for in exergue, 32mm, 13.91g (W 2454, this piece illustrated; D & W 79/240; MI II, 465/79; Young, Entertainments, p.26, this piece). Extremely fine and patinated, extremely rare £150-£200

Tim Millett FPL 2005 (56); D. Young Collection

John Henley (1692-1756, b. Melton Mowbray) - known contemporaneously as ‘Orator Henley’ - moved to London in 1721. After a quarrel with the Bishop of London he gave up his assistant preachership, and on 3 July 1726 opened his Oratory at Newport Market, situated near Leicester Square and one of the main meat markets in the city at the time. He moved to an old theatre at Clare Market, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, in 1729. Said to be a rude and vain man who upset many people, he died in poverty.