from the Parish of Weem, Perthshire
This beggar's badge is from the parish of Weem in Perthshire. It is made of lead and dates from the mid 18th century.
The obverse of the pentagonal badge has the letters 'WM' for Weem in a monogram within a rectangular border. The reverse has a number '5'. There is a single perforation near the top.
In medieval and early modern times, beggars were generally valued and respected for the news they carried and for their craftsmanship or their medical or musical skills. This only changed with industrialisation, when the numbers begging rapidly increased
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