Note 39 — GUIDE TO ENGLISH MEDALS EXHIBITED. (continued 3)

The place occupied in medallic art in the 17th century by the Roettier family has been filled during the present century by the family of the Wyons. This family is of German origin, George Wyon, the first member who visited England, being a native of Cologne, and forming one of the suite of George I., to whose person he was attached as Chief Goldsmith. He is said to have died in the West Indies. His son George was apprenticed to Hemmings, the goldsmith of George II., and in 1772 executed for the City of London a silver cup which was presented to John Wilkes, the "Patriot." In 1775 he was engaged at the Soho mint near Birmingham, and died in 1796, leaving four sons, the two eldest being Thomas and Peter, who acted together as a firm of general die-engravers in Birmingham till 1800. In this year Thomas came to London, and was employed in the Dept. of the Engraver of His Majesty's Seals, and of which Dept. he became chief in 1816. He died in 1830, surviving by many years his son, Thomas Wyon, jun., who at the early age of 23 in 1815 was appointed Chief Engraver to the Mint, and who in that capacity executed, among numerous medals, that for the battle of Waterloo (No. 576) and also the great recoinage of 1816. T. Wyon, jun., died in 1817. His brother Benjamin was appointed Chief Engraver of His Majesty's Seals in 1831, and executed among other works the Crimea medal (No. 597). He died in 1858, and was succeeded in his appointment by his son, J. S. Wyon, who in conjunction with his brother, A. B. Wyon, engraved the New Zealand (No. 603) and Abyssinian (No. 605) medals. J. S. Wyon died in 1873, and the appointment which he held was given to his brother, A. B. Wyon. Peter Wyon, the second son of George Wyon, after the departure of his brother to London remained at Birmingham, where he displayed great taste in his designs and models for ornamental brass-work. Before his death he had the satisfaction of seeing his son William enjoying greater reputation than himself. William Wyon, the R.A., was born at Birmingham 1795, and in 1815 he came to London. In the following year he was appointed Assistant Engraver to the Mint, and in 1828 succeeded Pistrucci as Chief Engraver. In 1832 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, and in 1838 Academician, this being the first instance of a medallist receiving such distinction. Besides the numerous coinages which W. Wyon executed, he produced a large series of military, academical, and private medals. He died in 1851, and was succeeded in his post by his son, L. C. Wyon, the present Engraver to the Mint, who, besides engraving a large series of national, colonial, and foreign coinages, has executed the medals for the Second Burmese War (No. 595), for Campaigns in South Africa (No. 596), for Service in the Baltic (No. 598), for the Indian Mutiny (No. 601), for Arctic Discoveries (No. 602), for the Ashantee War (No. 606), &c.