How Many Farthings To Oxford?

May 1969: Children meet Bishop Carpenter at the annual gift service at Christ Church Cathedral.

How Many One Pound Coins To Oxford?

An odd question but one which recalls "Whitsun Farthings"; a children's fund raising scheme which which ran for several years.  For example, In 1955 1,798,384 farthings (over £30,000 today) were collected which, the organisers claimed, would have stretched from Christ Church Cathedral to beyond Burford, Eton or Olney... depending on which direction you happened to lay them! Or if you were inclined, you could stack them to a height of over 7,000 feet or stagger about under their 4½ tons weight.  The 1956 target was to be 2 million farthings. In 1958 £1,727 was raised and £1,461 the following year.

"We like to think and count in Farthings because God cares for the tiny wrens (like the one on the back of a farthing) and He loves little people and can do much more with 960 farthings collected by 30 of 40 children than with one person's £1 note."

The scheme appears to have run out of steam perhaps because the farthing was withdrawn from circulation or with decimalisation - perhaps the "Whitsun 10p" didn't have the same ring.  In 1969 when the picture was taken £416 was collected (roughly £4,000 today).

Did you collect your farthings as a child, or perhaps you recognise yourself in the picture above.  Do let us know.

Click next for these additional sections:

Whitsun Farthings 1955
Whitsun Farthings 1956
Children's Gift Service 1969