While researching the commemorative coin presentation I was to make at the recent "A Weekend with Coins and Paper Money" program, I came across an interesting tidbit about the Roanoke Island, NC commemorative half dollar that I'd like to share with everyone one.

William Marks Simpson, the designer of the Roanoke commemorative, created his models for the commemorative half dollar with Sir Walter's surname spelled Ralegh instead of Raleigh. Simpson made his choice after extensively researching Sir Walter. He defended the decision to the Fine Arts Commission by offering the evidence that while Sir Walter did, in fact, use a variety of spellings for his surname (including Ralegh, Rauley, and Rawleyghe) he never himself spelled it with the " i" that had since become the standard. The Fine Arts Commission approved Simpson's designs, but only after ensuring that be would change the spelling to "Raleigh" - the accepted spelling and the one specified in the authorizing legislation.

When I told this story in Chapel Hill, a broad smile appeared on the face of Neil Fulghum, Keeper of the N.C. Collection Gallery. During the Q&A that followed my talk, Neil brought to light the fact that the Gallery had in its possession an indenture document dated 4 December 1583 between Sir Walter and Phillip Haywood and Johanne Haywood Somers. This document spells Sir Walter's surname with an "I" throughout it, right down to the steel-stamped signature. So, though it can be argued that Sir Walter never actually signed the document by his own hand, and therefore technically did not use the Raleigh spelling in the strictest sense, he did agree to the document with the Raleigh spelling and did not appear to have any objections to it. Thus, Raleigh appears to have been a perfectly acceptable spelling choice by the Commission, even though they did not seem to base their decision on the evidence available to them.

Neil gave me a copy of a story the Gallery had prepared about Sir Walter's surname before I left Chapel Hill. In it I read how it appeared in at least 70 different contemporary forms with a wide variety in spelling. The variety in spellings makes an interesting "What if?" to ponder. We might have had a commemorative half dollar with sir Walter's name spelled Rawleighe, or Raylygh, or even Wrawly!

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