Maundy Money

Maundy money refers to the coins given to elderly people by the monarch in a ceremony that drew inspiration from Jesus Christ and the commandment he gave after washing the disciples' feet. This commandment, or ‘mandatum’, ‘that ye love one another’ (John XIII 34) meant that by the fourth century monarchs would wash the feet of the poor and hand out gifts of food and clothing. The Maundy ceremony as we know it today first took place in the reign of Charles II, when the king gave people undated hammered coins in 1662. The specially struck coins were a four penny, three penny, two penny and one penny piece. They were dated from 1670 and all four coins have changed very little since. Today’s Royal Maundy ceremony takes place every Maundy Thursday and there are as many recipients as there are years in the sovereign’s age.