Crowned shields with the arms of England, Scotland, France and Ireland form a cross. This Queen Anne coin was minted prior to the union with Scotland.

Chasing the family history I find: "Baptised at Bamborough on the 39th March, 1683, Thomas Forster, jun., was trained with a view to parliamentary honours. When he was twenty-five years old, his father retired from the representation of the county in his favour. He was returned to the third Parliament of Queen Anne, on the 37th May, 1708, as "Thomas Forster, jun., Esq., of Etherstone," and seeking re-election in the two following Parliaments of that Queen, and in the first summoned by George I, he was successful in retaining his seat." This Forster was later on the losing side in the first Jacobite rebellion, narrowly avoiding execution and escaping to France where he died 22 years later. I'm not sure how he connects with George Forster, my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. This Thomas would have inherited the main wealth of the Forster family, but it had been squandered by Sir William Forster and his sons William and Ferdinando "by reckless extravagance" and the estates surrendered to cover debts.

"Westgarth Forster, author of "A Section of the Strata from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Cross Fell," was the eldest son of Westgarth and Lucy Forster, of Ivy House, Garrigill, Alston, and grandson of George Forster, of Jeffry's Rake, Hunstanworth, who married a daughter of the ancient family of Westgarth, owners for many generations of the estate of Unthank, in Weardale."

This Forster clan seems to have been well known in the North of England for many many centuries. "They are said to have held a family seat in Northumberland since before the Norman conquest. Early records include John Forester, listed in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey of 1183, Warin le Forstere in London in 1199 and Richard le Forester listed in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1240. There was one line of Forsters who held Bamborough Castle, Northumberland, beginning with Sir John Forster, said to have fought with King Richard I in the Crusades of the 12th Century, governing the castle until the mid 18th Century [see http://www.sallysfamilyplace.com/Wheeler/bamburgh_castle.htm]."

In the 17th Century: "Sir John Forster, had settled upon him, in 1602, the manor and capital messuage of Hexham, with lands and tenements there, Anick Grange, Dotland Park, Hexham Mills, the tithes of Hexham, Acomb, Anick, Sandhoe, Wall, and Fallowfield, and he purchased, on his own account, in 1618, Rothley, and in 1632 the regality of Hexham, with its long train of manors, villas, lands, and appurtenances. With the lordly estate acquired from his father and grandfather he was in a position to render the State some service. He had been High Sheriff of the county in 1620, and in 1624, upon the elevation to the peerage of Sir William Grey, one of the members for Northumberland, he was sent to the House of Commons."

There's a famous naturalist George (Georg) Forster who sailed with Captain Cook on his second voyage: "FORSTER, JOHANN GEORG ADAM (1754–1794), commonly known as George, naturalist, descended from a Yorkshire family which left England on the death of Charles I and settled in Polish Prussia"