List of hoards in Great Britain

(Redirected from List of hoards in Britain)

The list of hoards in Britain comprises significant archaeological hoards of coins, jewellery, precious and scrap metal objects and other valuable items discovered in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). It includes both hoards that were buried with the intention of retrieval at a later date (personal hoards, founder's hoards, merchant's hoards, and hoards of loot), and also hoards of votive offerings which were not intended to be recovered at a later date, but excludes grave goods and single items found in isolation. The list is subdivided into sections according to archaeological and historical periods.

Neolithic hoards

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Hoards dating to the Neolithic period, approximately 4000 to 2000 BC, comprise stone weapons and tools such as axeheads and arrowheads. Such hoards are very rare, and only a few are known from Britain.

HoardImageDatePlace of discoveryYear of discoveryCurrent LocationContents
Ayton East Field Hoard30th to 25th century BCEast Ayton
North Yorkshire
54°15′18″N 0°28′26″W / 54.255°N 0.474°W / 54.255; -0.474 (Ayton East Field Hoard)
1848British Museum, London3 flint axes
1 flint adze
5 arrowheads
1 polished flint knife
2 flint flakes
1 antler macehead
2 boar-tusk blades[1]
York Hoard30th century BCYork
North Yorkshire
53°57′29″N 1°04′48″W / 53.958°N 1.080°W / 53.958; -1.080 (York Hoard)
1868Yorkshire Museum~70 flint tools and weapons[2]

Bronze Age hoards

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A large number of hoards associated with the British Bronze Age, approximately 2700 BC to 8th century BC, have been found in Great Britain. Most of these hoards comprise bronze tools and weapons such as axeheads, chisels, spearheads and knives, and in many cases may be founder's hoards buried with the intention of recovery at a later date for use in casting new bronze items. A smaller number of hoards include gold torcs and other items of jewellery. As coinage was not in use during the Bronze Age in Great Britain, there are no hoards of coins from this period.

Iron Age hoards

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A large number of hoards associated with the British Iron Age, approximately 8th century BC to the 1st century AD, have been found in Britain. Most of the hoards comprise silver or gold Celtic coins known as staters, usually numbered in the tens or hundreds of coins, although the Hallaton Treasure contained over 5,000 silver and gold coins. In addition to hoards of coins, a number of hoards of gold torcs and other items of jewellery have been found, including the Snettisham Hoard, the Ipswich Hoard and the Stirling Hoard.

In September 2020, 1,300 Celtic gold coins were discovered at a location in eastern England, dated back between 40 and 50 A.D.[3]

Romano-British hoards

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Hoards associated with the period of Romano-British culture when part of Great Britain was under the control of the Roman Empire, from AD 43 until about 410, as well as the subsequent Sub-Roman period up to the establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms are the most numerous type of hoard found in Great Britain, and Roman coin hoards are particularly well represented, with over 1,200 known examples. In addition to hoards composed largely or entirely of coins, a smaller number of hoards, such as the Mildenhall Treasure and the Hoxne Hoard, include items of silver or gold tableware such as dishes, bowls, jugs and spoons, or items of silver or gold jewellery.

Anglo-Saxon hoards

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Appledore Hoard
Bamburgh Hoard
Brantham
Canterbury
Crondall Hoard
Harkirke Hoard
Hexham Hoard
Ipswich
Lenborough Hoard
Pentney Treasure
St Leonard's Place Hoard
Staffordshire Hoard
Trewhiddle Hoard
West Yorkshire Hoard
Anglo-Saxon hoards

Hoards associated with the Anglo-Saxon culture, from the 6th century to 1066, are relatively uncommon. Those that have been found include both hoards of coins and hoards of jewellery and metalwork such as sword hilts and crosses. The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest Anglo-Saxon hoard to have been found, comprising over 1,500 items of gold and silver. More Anglo-Saxon artefacts have been found in the context of grave burials than hoards in England. These include major finds from Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, Taplow in Buckinghamshire, Prittlewell, Mucking and Broomfield in Essex, and Crundale and Sarre in Kent.

HoardImageDatePlace of discoveryYear of discoveryCurrent locationContents
Appledore HoardMid 11th centuryAppledore
Kent
51°01′52″N 0°47′24″E / 51.031°N 0.790°E / 51.031; 0.790 (Appledore Hoard)
1997British Museum, London490 pennies (1997)
12 silver pennies of Edward the Confessor (1998)[4]
Bamburgh HoardMid 9th centuryBamburgh
Northumberland
55°36′14″N 1°43′19″W / 55.604°N 1.722°W / 55.604; -1.722 (Bamburgh Hoard)
1999 and 2004Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle384 base metal stycas
Copper alloy fragments
Bronze folding balance[5][6]
Beeston Tor Hoard 9th centuryBeeston Tor
Staffordshire
53°04′59″N 1°50′41″W / 53.08312°N 1.84470°W / 53.08312; -1.84470 (Beeston Tor Hoard)
1926British Museum, London49 pennies, two silver brooches, three finger rings and assorted fragments[7]
Brantham Hoard 10th centuryBrantham
Suffolk
51°58′08″N 1°03′47″E / 51.969°N 1.063°E / 51.969; 1.063 (Brantham Hoard)
2003Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge90 silver pennies[8]
Bucklesham Hoard11th centuryBucklesham
Suffolk
2017The hoard fetched £90,000 at auctionA hoard of 99 silver pennies, dated back to the reign of Aethelred II (978–1016), was discovered under the remains of a Saxon church demolished shortly after the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.[9]
Canterbury-St Martin's hoard Late 6th or early 7th centuryCanterbury
Kent
51°16′41″N 1°05′38″E / 51.278°N 1.094°E / 51.278; 1.094 (Canterbury-St Martin's hoard)
1840sWorld Museum, Liverpool8 items, including 3 gold coins, and two pieces of jewellery[10]
Crondall HoardMid 7th centuryCrondall
Hampshire
51°13′48″N 0°51′43″W / 51.230°N 0.862°W / 51.230; -0.862 (Crondall Hoard)
1828Ashmolean Museum, Oxford100 small gold coins and 2 cloisonné pins[11]
Harkirke (or Harkirk) HoardEarly 10th centuryCrosby
Merseyside
53°30′07″N 3°01′12″W / 53.502°N 3.020°W / 53.502; -3.020 (Harkirk(e) Hoard)
1611unknown[note 1]~300 Viking and Kufic coins[12]
Hexham Hoard Ninth century1832The hoard was uncovered by the sexton and a grave-digger.Approximately 8000 stycas in a bronze bucket.
Ipswich Hoard (1863)10th centuryIpswich
Suffolk
52°03′32″N 1°09′22″E / 52.059°N 1.156°E / 52.059; 1.156 (Ipswich Hoard (1863))
1863150 coins (75 now known)[13]
West Norfolk Hoardearly 7th centuryWest Norfolk1991131 coins and four pieces of gold.[14] Ten coins were found by a serving police officer who tried to sell them and was jailed for 16 months.[15]
Kirkoswald HoardMid 9th centuryKirkoswald, Cumbria1808542 Northumbrian stycas and one silver trefoil ornament
Lenborough HoardMid 11th centuryLenborough, near Padbury
Buckinghamshire
51°58′37″N 0°58′52″W / 51.977°N 0.981°W / 51.977; -0.981 (Lenborough Hoard)
20145,251½ coins in a lead bucket, including coins of Ethelred the Unready and Canute[16]
Pentney Hoard Early 9th centuryPentney
Norfolk
52°41′42″N 0°32′42″E / 52.695°N 0.545°E / 52.695; 0.545 (Pentney Treasure)
1978British Museum, London6 silver disc brooches[17]
St Leonard's Place HoardMid 9th centuryYork
York
53°57′43″N 1°05′10″W / 53.962°N 1.086°W / 53.962; -1.086 (St Leonard's Place Hoard)
1842Yorkshire Museumc.10,000 Northumbrian stycas
Staffordshire Hoard 7th or 8th centuryHammerwich
Staffordshire
52°39′18″N 1°54′25″W / 52.655°N 1.907°W / 52.655; -1.907 (Staffordshire Hoard)
2009Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
More than 1,500 items (about 5 kg (11 lb) of gold and 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) of silver), mostly sword fittings and decorative parts of weaponry, but also two gold crosses and an inscribed gold strip[18]
Trewhiddle Hoard Late 9th centuryTrewhiddle
Cornwall
50°19′44″N 4°48′14″W / 50.329°N 4.804°W / 50.329; -4.804 (Trewhiddle Hoard)
1774British Museum, London114 Anglo-Saxon coins, and various items of silverware, including a scourge, a chalice and a Celtic penannular brooch[19]
West Yorkshire Hoard 11th centuryLeeds
West Yorkshire
53°48′N 1°33′W / 53.8°N 1.55°W / 53.8; -1.55 (West Yorkshire Hoard)
2008–2009Leeds City Museum5 items of 7th to 11th century gold jewellery (a cabochon ring, a filigree ring, a niello finger ring, a filigree and granular ring, and a piece of a cloisonné bracelet), an ingot of gold, and a lead spindle whorl.[20]

Pictish hoards

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Broch of Burgar Hoard
Gaulcross Hoard
Norrie's Law Hoard
St Ninian's Isle Treasure
Pictish hoards

Hoards associated with Pictish culture, dating from the end of Roman occupation in the 5th century until about the 10th century, have been found in eastern and northern Scotland. These hoards often contain silver brooches and other items of jewellery.

HoardImageDatePlace of discoveryYear of discoveryCurrent LocationContents
Aberdeenshire hoard4th to 6th centuryUndisclosed location
Aberdeenshire
2014100 pieces of hacksilver, comprising late Roman coins and pieces of Roman and Pictish silver vessels, bracelets and brooches.[21]
Broch of Burgar Hoardlate 8th centuryBroch of Burgar, near Evie
Orkney
59°07′52″N 3°08′02″W / 59.131°N 3.134°W / 59.131; -3.134 (Broch of Burgar Hoard)
1840unknown8 silver vessels
several silver combs
5 or 6 silver hair pins
2 or 3 silver brooches
several fragments of silver chains
a large number of amber beads[22]
Gaulcross Hoard6th or early 7th centuryGaulcross, near Fordyce
Aberdeenshire
57°39′47″N 2°46′44″W / 57.663°N 2.779°W / 57.663; -2.779 (Gaulcross Hoard)
late 1830sMuseum of Scotland, EdinburghSeveral silver hand pins (only one extant)
1 silver bracelet
1 silver chain
several silver brooches (all lost)[23]
Norrie's Law hoard late 7th centuryNorrie's Law, Largo
Fife
56°15′18″N 2°57′11″W / 56.255°N 2.953°W / 56.255; -2.953 (Norrie's Law Hoard)
1819Museum of Scotland, EdinburghNearly 12.5 kg of silver objects, of which all but 750 g were melted down. The 170 surviving objects[24] include:
2 penannular brooches
2 oval plaques
3 or 4 hand-pins
2 spiral finger-rings
1 small vessel lid
fragment of a 4th-century Roman spoon
knife-handle mounts
fragments of arm-bands
various rod and chain fragments[25]
St Ninian's Isle Treasure late 8th or early 9th centurySt Ninian's Isle
Shetland
59°58′16″N 1°20′31″W / 59.971°N 1.342°W / 59.971; -1.342 (St Ninian's Isle Treasure)
1958Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh8 silver bowls
12 silver penannular brooches
2 silver chapes (part of scabbard that protects the point)
1 silver communion spoon
1 silver knife
1 silver pommel
3 silver cones[26]

Viking hoards

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Hoards associated with the Viking culture in Great Britain, dating from the 9th to 11th centuries, are mostly found in northern England and Orkney, and frequently comprise a mixture of silver coins, silver jewellery and hacksilver that has been taken in loot, some coins originating from as far away as the Middle East.

HoardImageDatePlace of discoveryYear of discoveryCurrent LocationContents
Ainsbrook Hoard[note 2]late 10th centuryThirsk
North Yorkshire
54°13′59″N 1°20′35″W / 54.233°N 1.343°W / 54.233; -1.343 (Ainsbrook Hoard)
2003British Museum, London~130 objects of gold, silver (including 10 Anglo-Saxon coins), copper alloy, lead, iron, and stone[27][28]
Ashdon HoardLate 9th centuryAshdon1984Fitzwilliam Museum71 silver pennies of Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scandinavian and Carolingian origins[29]
Bedale Hoard early 10th centuryBedale
North Yorkshire
54°17′N 1°35′W / 54.29°N 1.59°W / 54.29; -1.59 (Bedale Hoard)
2012Yorkshire Museum, York1 iron sword pommel with gold foil plaques, 4 gold hoops a sword hilt, 6 small gold rivets, 4 silver collars and neck-rings, 1 silver arm-ring, 1 fragment of a silver Permian ring, 1 silver penannular brooch, and 29 silver ingots.[30]
Bossall-Flaxton Hoardearly 10th centurybetween Bossall and Flaxton
North Yorkshire
54°03′00″N 0°56′42″W / 54.050°N 0.945°W / 54.050; -0.945 (Bossall-Flaxton Hoard)
1807Coins, bullion, arm-ring in a leaden box[31]
Bryn Maelgwyn Hoardearly 11th centurynear Deganwy Castle, Llandudno
Conwy
53°18′18″N 3°48′54″W / 53.305°N 3.815°W / 53.305; -3.815 (Bryn Maelgwyn Hoard)
1979National Museum Cardiff204 silver pennies of Cnut the Great[32]
Cuerdale Hoard early 10th centuryCuerdale, near Preston
Lancashire
53°45′18″N 2°38′24″W / 53.755°N 2.640°W / 53.755; -2.640 (Cuerdale Hoard)
1840British Museum, London, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford8,600 items including silver coins and bullion[33]
Eye Hoardlate 9th centuryEye
Herefordshire
52°16′14″N 2°44′27″W / 52.2705°N 2.7408°W / 52.2705; -2.7408 (Eye Hoard)
2015Dispersed[note 3]About 300 Anglo-Saxon silver and gold coins, some issued by Ceolwulf II of Mercia and some issued by Alfred of Wessex, together with one or more silver ingots, and some items of jewellery, including a late 6th-century crystal pendant, a gold arm-band and a gold finger ring[34][35]
Furness Hoard10th centuryFurness
Cumbria
54°12′N 3°09′W / 54.20°N 3.15°W / 54.20; -3.15 (Furness Hoard)
2011Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness92 silver coins, including two Arabic dirhams, several silver ingots, and one silver bracelet.[36]
Galloway Hoardearly 10th centuryKirkcudbrightshire2014Museum of Scotland, Edinburghover 100 gold and silver items, including armbands, a Christian cross, brooches, ingots and an exceptionally large Carolingian pot[37][38]
Goldsborough Hoardearly 10th centuryGoldsborough
North Yorkshire
54°00′00″N 1°24′54″W / 54.000°N 1.415°W / 54.000; -1.415 (Goldsborough Hoard)
1859British Museum, LondonFragments of Viking brooches and arm-rings, together with thirty-nine coins[39]
Huxley Hoard late 9th to 10th centuryHuxley, Cheshire
Cheshire
53°08′49″N 2°43′59″W / 53.147°N 2.733°W / 53.147; -2.733 (Huxley Hoard)
2004World Museum, Liverpool22 silver pieces (including 20 flattened bracelets)[40]
Leominster hoardlate 9th to 10th centuryEye, nearLeominster
Herefordshire
2015Over 300 coins, silver ingot, gold jewellery. The hoard was initially split and sold. Only 31 coins remain.[41]
Penrith Hoard early 10th centuryNewbiggin Moor, near Penrith
Cumbria
54°39′00″N 2°34′41″W / 54.650°N 2.578°W / 54.650; -2.578 (Penrith Hoard)
1785–1989British Museum, LondonA number of silver penannular brooches[42]
Silverdale Hoard early 10th centurySilverdale
Lancashire
54°10′N 2°50′W / 54.17°N 2.83°W / 54.17; -2.83 (Silverdale Hoard)
2011Museum of Lancashire, Preston, Lancaster City Museum201 silver objects inside a box made from a sheet of lead; comprising 27 coins (Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Viking, Frankish and Islamic), 10 arm rings, 2 finger rings, 14 ingots, 6 brooch fragments, 1 wire braid, and 141 pieces of hacksilver.[43]
Skaill Hoardmid 10th centuryBay of Skaill
Orkney
59°03′00″N 3°20′13″W / 59.050°N 3.337°W / 59.050; -3.337 (Skaill Hoard)
1858National Museum of Scotland, EdinburghOver 100 items, including bracelets, brooches, hacksilver, and ingots[44]
Storr Rock Hoard10th centuryIsle of Skye1891National Museum of Scotland, EdinburghA collection of silver coins dating from the 10th century[45]
Talnotrie Hoard
Lead weight, Talnotrie hoard
late 9th centurynear Talntrie1912National Museums ScotlandJewellery, metal-working material and coins
Vale of York Hoard
(Harrogate Hoard)
early 10th centurynear Harrogate
North Yorkshire
53°59′N 1°32′W / 53.99°N 1.54°W / 53.99; -1.54 (Vale of York Hoard)
2007British Museum, London
Yorkshire Museum, York
More than 617 silver coins, and 65 other items, including silver and gold armrings, neckrings and brooch fragments, as well as hacksilver, all placed inside a 9th-century gilt-silver vessel[46]
Warton Hoardearly 10th centuryWarton, near Carnforth
Lancashire
54°08′49″N 2°45′58″W / 54.147°N 2.766°W / 54.147; -2.766 (Warton Hoard)
1997Lancaster City Museum, Lancaster3 silver dirhems of the Samanid dynasty
6 pieces of cut silver weighing 116.49 g (4.109 oz)[47]
Watlington Hoardlate 9th centuryWatlington
Oxfordshire
51°38′42″N 1°00′00″W / 51.645°N 1.000°W / 51.645; -1.000 (Watlington Hoard)
2015Ashmolean Museum, OxfordAbout 210 silver coins from the reigns of Alfred the Great of Wessex and Ceolwulf II of Mercia, together with 15 silver ingots, 6 silver arm rings, 2 neck ring fragments, and one small piece of hack gold[48]

Later Medieval hoards

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Hoards dating to the later medieval period, from 1066 to about 1500, mostly comprise silver pennies, in some cases amounting to many thousands of coins, although the Fishpool Hoard contains over a thousand gold coins.

HoardImageDatePlace of discoveryYear of discoveryCurrent LocationContents
Abergavenny Hoard late 11th centuryAbergavenny
Monmouthshire
51°49′26″N 3°01′01″W / 51.824°N 3.017°W / 51.824; -3.017 (Abergavenny Hoard)
2002National Museum Cardiff199 silver pennies of Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror[49]
Baschurch Hoardmid 13th centuryBaschurch
Shropshire
52°47′31″N 2°51′14″W / 52.792°N 2.854°W / 52.792; -2.854 (Baschurch Hoard)
2007–2008Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery191 long cross pennies of Henry III of England, 1 penny of Alexander III of Scotland, and some coin fragments[50]
Beverley Hoardmid 13th centuryBeverley
East Yorkshire
53°50′42″N 0°25′37″W / 53.845°N 0.427°W / 53.845; -0.427 (Beverley Hoard (Med))
2000British Museum, London448 short cross pennies
27 cut half pennies[51]
Bootham Hoard15th centuryYork
North Yorkshire
53°58′01″N 1°05′42″W / 53.967°N 1.095°W / 53.967; -1.095 (Beverley Hoard (Med))
1953Yorkshire Museum, York908 silver coins of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.[52]
Chesterton Lane Hoard mid 14th centuryChesterton Lane, Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
52°12′40″N 0°06′54″E / 52.211°N 0.115°E / 52.211; 0.115 (Chesterton Lane Hoard)
2000Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge9 gold coins
1806 silver coins[53][54]
Chew Valley Hoardmid 11th centuryChew Valley
Somerset
51°21′00″N 2°36′00″W / 51.350°N 2.600°W / 51.350; -2.600 (Chew Valley Hoard)
20192,528 silver coins, including 1,236 coins of Harold II and 1,310 coins of William I[55]
Colchester Hoard (1902)mid 13th centuryHigh Street, Colchester
Essex
51°53′24″N 0°54′11″E / 51.890°N 0.903°E / 51.890; 0.903 (Colchester Hoard)
1902British Museum, London11,000 – 12,000 silver pennies in a lead canister[56]
Colchester Hoard (1969) late 13th centuryHigh Street, Colchester
Essex
51°53′24″N 0°54′11″E / 51.890°N 0.903°E / 51.890; 0.903 (Colchester Hoard)
1969British Museum, Londonover 14,000 silver pennies of Henry III in a lead canister[56]
Cwm Nant Col Hoardearly 16th centurynear Llanbedr
Gwynedd
52°49′12″N 4°06′04″W / 52.820°N 4.101°W / 52.820; -4.101 (Cwm Nant Col Hoard)
1918National Museum Cardiff1 late 13th or early 14th century copper alloy aquamanile in the shape of a stag, 1 5th century copper alloy ewer, 1 copper alloy tray, 1 bronze cauldron, 2 bronze skillets, 1 woodman's iron axe, and iron firedog fragments[57]
Fauld Hoardearly 15th centuryFauld, Tutbury
Staffordshire
52°50′N 1°44′W / 52.84°N 1.73°W / 52.84; -1.73 (Fauld Hoard)
2000Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent114 silver groats[58]
Fishpool Hoard mid 15th centuryRavenshead
Nottinghamshire
53°05′N 1°10′W / 53.08°N 1.17°W / 53.08; -1.17 (Fishpool Hoard)
1966British Museum, London1,237 gold coins
8 pieces of jewellery
2 lengths of gold chain[59]
Fillongley Hoardearly 13th centuryFillongley
Warwickshire
52°28′55″N 1°35′17″W / 52.482°N 1.588°W / 52.482; -1.588 (Fillongley Hoard)
1997Warwickshire Museum, Warwick2 silver brooches
silver finger ring
127 short-cross pennies[60]
Gayton Hoardlate 12th centuryGayton
Northamptonshire
52°10′12″N 0°59′35″W / 52.170°N 0.993°W / 52.170; -0.993 (Gayton Hoard)
1998–1999Ashmolean Museum, Oxford308 silver pennies
7 fragments[61]
Glenluce Hoardlate 15th centuryGlenluce sand-dunes
Wigtownshire
54°51′00″N 4°52′59″W / 54.850°N 4.883°W / 54.850; -4.883 (Glenluce Hoard)
19562 English silver coins
10 Scottish silver coins
99 Scottish billon coins
1 Scottish copper farthing[62]
Gorefield Hoardearly 14th centuryGorefield
Cambridgeshire
52°40′59″N 0°05′31″E / 52.683°N 0.092°E / 52.683; 0.092 (Gorefield Hoard)
1998British Museum, London
Wisbech & Fenland Museum,
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
1,084 silver pennies, halfpennies and farthings[63]
Llanddona Hoardearly 14th centuryLlanddona
Anglesey
53°17′38″N 4°08′20″W / 53.294°N 4.139°W / 53.294; -4.139 (Llanddona Hoard)
1999, 2005–2006returned to finder970 silver pennies[64][65]
Piddletrenthide Hoard (2008) 1400–1412Piddletrenthide,
Dorset
50°48′00″N 2°25′30″W / 50.800°N 2.425°W / 50.800; -2.425 (Piddletrenthide Hoard (2008))
2008293 Medieval silver coins, comprising 272 complete pennies, 2 broken pennies, 14 half groats, and 4 groats, found in a fragmentary pottery vessel.[66][67]
Reigate Hoardmid 15th centuryReigate
Surrey
51°13′48″N 0°11′17″W / 51.230°N 0.188°W / 51.230; -0.188 (Reigate Hoard)
1990dispersed135 gold nobles, half nobles and quarters
6,566 silver groats[68]
Rhoneston Hoardlate 15th centuryRhoneston, near Dumfries
Dumfriesshire
55°09′14″N 3°42′29″W / 55.154°N 3.708°W / 55.154; -3.708 (Rhoneston Hoard)
19617 English silver coins
6 Scottish silver coins
70 Scottish billon coins[69]
Roslin Hoardearly 14th centuryRoslin
Midlothian
2019National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh[citation needed]
Rumney Castle Hoardlate 13th centuryRumney Castle
Cardiff
51°30′12″N 3°08′23″W / 51.50342°N 3.13970°W / 51.50342; -3.13970 (Rumney Castle Hoard)
198163 silver pennies from the reign of Edward I[70]
Ryther Hoardlate 15th centuryRyther
North Yorkshire
53°50′42″N 1°10′05″W / 53.845°N 1.168°W / 53.845; -1.168 (Ryther Hoard)
1992Yorkshire Museum, York812 silver coins, mostly English groats, half-groats and pennies dating from the reigns of Edward I/II through Henry VII, in an unglazed drinking jug.[71]
Tealby Hoardlate 12th centuryTealby
Lincolnshire
53°24′00″N 0°15′54″W / 53.400°N 0.265°W / 53.400; -0.265 (Tealby Hoard)
18075,127 melted down at the Tower of London; rest dispersed.5,731 silver pennies of the reign of Henry II (dated 1158–1180), in a glazed earthenware pot.[72]
Tutbury Hoardearly 14th centuryTutbury
Staffordshire
52°51′N 1°41′W / 52.85°N 1.69°W / 52.85; -1.69 (Tutbury Hoard)
1831dispersed360,000 silver coins (the largest hoard of coins ever discovered in Britain)[73][74]
Twynholm Hoardearly 14th centuryTwynholm
Dumfries and Galloway
54°51′47″N 4°05′24″W / 54.863°N 4.090°W / 54.863; -4.090 (Twynholm Hoard)
2013322 silver coins dating from 1249 to 1325, including Scottish coins from the reigns of Alexander III and John Balliol, and English coins from the reigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III[75]
Wainfleet Hoard late 12th centuryWainfleet
Lincolnshire
53°06′29″N 0°14′13″E / 53.108°N 0.237°E / 53.108; 0.237 (Wainfleet Hoard)
1990British Museum, London380 silver pennies and 3 halfpennies in a green-glazed ceramic bottle[76]

Post-Medieval hoards

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Most hoards from the post-medieval period, later than 1500, date to the period of the English Civil War (1642–1651), from which time over 200 hoards are known.[77]

HoardImageDatePlace of discoveryYear of discoveryCurrent LocationContents
Abbotsham Hoardmid 17th centuryAbbotsham
Devon
51°00′58″N 4°15′00″W / 51.016°N 4.250°W / 51.016; -4.250 (Abbotsham Hoard)
2001Bideford Museum9 gold coins
425 silver coins[78]
Ackworth Hoardmid 17th centuryHigh Ackworth
West Yorkshire
53°39′18″N 1°20′06″W / 53.655°N 1.335°W / 53.655; -1.335 (Ackworth Hoard)
2011Pontefract Museum52 gold coins, 539 silver coins, and a gold ring inscribed "When this you see, remember me", in a clay Wrenthorpe ware pot.[79]
Alderwasley Hoard mid 17th centuryAlderwasley
Derbyshire
53°04′23″N 1°31′26″W / 53.073°N 1.524°W / 53.073; -1.524 (Alderwasley Hoard)
1971Derby Museum and Art Gallery907g of silver clippings from coins issued by Philip and Mary (1553–1558), Elizabeth I (1558–1603), James I (1603–1625), and Charles I (1625–1649), stored in an earthenware jar.[80][note 4]
Asthall Hoard early 16th centuryAsthall
Oxfordshire
51°48′N 1°35′W / 51.80°N 1.58°W / 51.80; -1.58 (Asthall Hoard)
2007Ashmolean Museum, Oxford210 English gold angels and half-angel coins dating to the period 1470–1526[81]
Bishops Waltham Hoard early 18th centuryBishops Waltham
Hampshire
50°57′14″N 1°12′47″W / 50.954°N 1.213°W / 50.954; -1.213 (Bishops Waltham Hoard)
?7,083 forged French 30-denier coins dated 1711[82]
Bitterley Hoard mid 17th centuryBitterley
Shropshire
52°23′42″N 2°38′42″W / 52.395°N 2.645°W / 52.395; -2.645 (Bitterley Hoard)
20111 gold coin and 137 silver coins (half crowns and shillings) with a leather purse in a tyg[83]
Breckenbrough Hoard mid 17th centuryBreckenbrough
North Yorkshire
54°14′47″N 1°25′38″W / 54.246480°N 1.4271327°W / 54.246480; -1.4271327 (Breckenbrough Hoard)
June 1985Yorkshire Museum30 gold and 1552 silver coins, within a ceramic Ryedale ware vessel, and two receipts for cheese.[84]
Cheapside Hoardlate 16th to early 17th centuryCheapside, London1912Museum of London, British Museum, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonOver 400 pieces of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery[85]
Deal Hoardmid 16th centuryDeal
Kent
51°13′23″N 1°24′04″E / 51.223°N 1.401°E / 51.223; 1.401 (Deal Hoard)
2000British Museum, London191 base silver coins within a linen bag inside a pot[86]
Ellerby Area Hoard 18th centuryEllerby
East Riding of Yorkshire
53°49′N 0°13′W / 53.82°N 0.22°W / 53.82; -0.22 (Ellerby Area Hoard)5
2020Dispersed into private collections266 gold coins within a stoneware vessel.
Hackney Hoard mid 20th century (1940)Hackney
London
51°34′16″N 0°04′52″W / 51.571°N 0.081°W / 51.571; -0.081 (Hackney Hoard)
2007British Museum, London80 American Double eagle gold coins minted between 1854 and 1913[87][88]
Haddiscoe Hoardmid 17th centuryHaddiscoe
Norfolk
52°31′30″N 1°37′12″E / 52.525°N 1.620°E / 52.525; 1.620 (Haddiscoe Hoard)
2003Elizabethan House Museum, Great Yarmouth316 silver coins[89][90]
Ham Green Hoardmid 17th centuryHam Green
Worcestershire
52°31′30″N 1°37′12″E / 52.525°N 1.620°E / 52.525; 1.620 (Haddiscoe Hoard)
1981Museums Worcestershire86 silver coins (mostly shillings and sixpences) in a salt glazed stoneware bottle which was buried beneath the floor of the pantry in a cottage, the coins mostly dating to the Civil War period, but the latest coins minted 1661/1662.[91]
Hartford Hoard early 16th centuryHartford
Cambridgeshire
52°20′13″N 0°09′32″W / 52.337°N 0.159°W / 52.337; -0.159 (Hartford Hoard)
1964British Museum, London1,108 silver groats from the reigns of Edward IV, Henry VI, Richard III and Henry VII, and double patards of Charles the Bold[92]
Lincoln Spanish-American gold hoards early 19th centuryNorth Kesteven
Lincolnshire
53°11′06″N 0°35′24″W / 53.185°N 0.59°W / 53.185; -0.59 (Lincoln Spanish-American gold hoard)
1928
2010
24 Spanish-American gold 8-escudo coins minted between 1790 and 1801 (18 discovered in 1928, and 6 discovered in 2010)[93]
Lindsey Hoard15th to 17th centuryLindsey
Suffolk
20201,061 silver coins were found on land belonging to the Lindsey Rose pub, dating back between the 15th to 17th centuries.[94]
Mason Hoard[note 5] mid 16th centuryLindisfarne
Northumberland
55°40′16″N 1°48′04″W / 55.671°N 1.801°W / 55.671; -1.801 (Mason Hoard)
2003Great North Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne10 gold and 7 silver coins, including 11 English coins dating from the reigns of Henry VI through Elizabeth I and 6 coins from France, Saxony, the Netherlands and the Papal States, in a mid-16th century German jug.[95]
Middleham Hoard mid 17th centuryMiddleham
North Yorkshire
54°16′47″N 1°50′24″W / 54.2797°N 1.8399°W / 54.2797; -1.8399 (Middleham Hoard)
1993Dispersed amongst various museums and private collections, including Yorkshire Museum, York5,099 silver coins, comprising 4,772 English coins of Edward VI through Charles I, 31 Scottish coins, 10 Irish coins, 245 coins from the Spanish Netherlands, and 2 coins from the Spanish New World. The coins were found in three pots from two different pits, and were probably deposited at slightly different dates.[96]
Mitton Hoard 15th centuryGreat Mitton
Lancashire
53°50′46″N 2°26′31″W / 53.846°N 2.442°W / 53.846; -2.442 (Mitton Hoard)
2009Clitheroe Castle Museum, Lancashire11 silver coins or fragments, including one or two from France.[97]
Nether Stowey Hoard mid 17th centuryNether Stowey
Somerset
51°09′07″N 3°09′11″W / 51.152°N 3.153°W / 51.152; -3.153 (Nether Stowey Hoard)
2008Somerset County Museum, TauntonSilverware, including four spoons, a goblet and a bell salt, in an incomplete earthenware vessel[98]
Short Hoard[note 6]mid 16th centuryLindisfarne
Northumberland
55°40′16″N 1°48′04″W / 55.671°N 1.801°W / 55.671; -1.801 (Mason Hoard)
196250 English silver sixpences and groats, the latest dating to 1562 during the reign of Elizabeth II, in a mid-16th century German jug.[95]
Tidenham Hoardmid 17th centuryTidenham
Gloucestershire
51°40′N 2°38′W / 51.66°N 2.64°W / 51.66; -2.64 (Tidenham Hoard)
1999Chepstow Museum1 gold coin
117 silver coins[99]
Totnes Hoardmid 17th centuryTotnes
Devon
50°25′55″N 3°41′02″W / 50.432°N 3.684°W / 50.432; -3.684 (Totnes Hoard)
1930sTotnes Museum176 silver coins of England, Scotland, Ireland and Spanish Netherlands[100]
Tregwynt Hoardmid 17th centuryTregwynt
Pembrokeshire
51°58′12″N 5°04′23″W / 51.970°N 5.073°W / 51.970; -5.073 (Tregwynt Hoard)
1996National Museum Wales, Cardiff33 gold coins
467 silver coins
a gold ring[77]
Warkworth Hoardearly 16th centuryWarkworth
Northumberland
55°20′24″N 1°36′43″W / 55.340°N 1.6120°W / 55.340; -1.6120 (Warkworth Hoard)
2017Private ownership128 coins, comprising groat and half-groat coins from the reigns of Edward IV (r. 1461–1470 and 1471–1483) and Henry VII (r. 1485–1509), as well as nine coins issued by Charles the Bold when he was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477.[101]
Warmsworth Hoardearly 17th centuryWarmsworth
South Yorkshire
53°29′53″N 1°10′55″W / 53.498°N 1.182°W / 53.498; -1.182 (Warmsworth Hoard)
1999Doncaster Museum122 silver coins
pottery fragments
bronze alloy spoon[102]
Weston-sub-Edge Hoard mid 17th centuryWeston-sub-Edge,
Gloucestershire
52°04′05″N 1°49′01″W / 52.068°N 1.817°W / 52.068; -1.817 (Weston-sub-Edge Hoard)
1981Corinium Museum, Cirencester307 silver and 2 gold coins.[103]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The hoard was uncovered when preparing a burial ground in an area called Harkirke, or Harkirk (meaning "hoary or grey church"), which is now park land. The only record of the coins was a copperplate engraving of thirty five of them which was reproduced in a book by John Spelman, published in 1678.
  2. ^ The Ainsbrook Hoard is named after the two men who discovered the hoard, Mark Ainsley and Geoffrey Bambrook; it was covered in a special episode of the Channel 4 programme Time Team, first broadcast 14 January 2008. The programme was sceptical about the Viking origins of the hoard, and the location of the find was initially kept secret "to avoid the location becoming known to unscrupulous 'nighthawk' detectorists".[27]
  3. ^ The Eye hoard was not declared to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, but was illegally sold to dealers by the finders, who were convicted of theft and concealing the find in 2019. Only 31 of the coins, a silver ingot, and three pieces of jewellery have been recovered.[34]
  4. ^ The Alderwasley Hoard was found a few metres away from the site of another hoard of clippings in a ceramic jar, weighing 3.6kg, which was discovered in 1846, and subsequently melted down to make silver altarware for the Alderwasley church.[80]
  5. ^ The Mason Hoard is named after its discover, Richard Mason, a builder who found the jug when working on an extension to a modern house in Lindisfarne; he did not realize the jug contained any coins until 2011. The Mason hoard was found at exactly the same location that the 1962 Short Hoard had been found at.
  6. ^ The Short Hoard is named after its discover, Alan Short, a builder who found the jug when working on a modern house in Lindisfarne. The Mason Hoard was found at the same location in 2003.

Footnotes

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References

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