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A hoard of more than 300 11th-century coins, still carefully packaged within their lead and cloth container, has been uncovered in Suffolk. The discovery was made during archaeological work ahead of constructing Sizewell C nuclear power station.
While investigating a patch of dark soil, archaeologists from Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA) uncovered a small lead package, which they affectionately dubbed ‘the pasty’ due to its appearance. It was found to contain 321 silver coins, whose excellent state of preservation has allowed numismatists to identify the issuing kings and mints, as well as indicating the hoard’s likely date of burial.
The hoard belongs to an eventful period in English history, when the country formed part of the Anglo-Scandinavian Empire following Cnut of Denmark’s conquest in 1016 (see CA 321). Most of the coins were issued during the reigns of Cnut’s sons Harold I (Harold ‘Harefoot’) and Harthacnut, but there are also coins of Edward the Confessor, who was Harthacnut’s half-brother and succeeded him to the English throne in 1042. The period following both his accession to the throne in June 1042 and coronation in 1043 was one of social and political uncertainty.
Based on the coins present, the Sizewell C hoard may have been buried between late 1042 and early 1044. Two other hoards from this time have been found in Britain, and it is suggested that concerns about regime change may have prompted people to bury their wealth. It is believed that the hoard may represent the savings of a figure of local influence; its contents are thought to be equivalent in value to around 16 cows.
While the use of lead to contain coin hoards is known from other finds of 10th- to 13th-century date, the cloth that survived in the Sizewell C example is rare. ‘Very little 11th-century textile has been recovered from Suffolk, making that present in the coin hoard of extremely high importance,’ said Alexander Bliss, a coin expert with OCA.
The hoard was discovered at the junction of two boundary ditches forming part of a small field system. This recognisable location would have helped its owner to relocate it, while also being a secluded spot in which to conceal the coins. There was no sign of any contemporary settlement close-by.
Micro-excavation has allowed the position of each coin within the ‘pasty’ to be recorded – a valuable opportunity for research, as Alexander noted: ‘Many other coin hoards of late Anglo-Saxon date were recovered historically as chance finds from the 18th to early 20th centuries and thus lack detailed contextual information. Even those recovered in the 21st century are often unstratified and scattered by agriculture.’
Following examination by OCA specialists, working alongside external numismatists and textile experts, a preliminary report on the hoard and its contents has been submitted to the British Museum for consideration under the 1996 Treasure Act.
For more information on the Treasure process in England and Wales, and the legal obligations of finders of potential Treasure, see http://www.finds.org.uk/treasure. In Scotland, such finds fall under the Treasure Trove Unit (http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk). For more on the law in Northern Ireland, see http://www.communities- ni.gov.uk/articles/advice-finders-treasure-northern-ireland.
Text: Rebecca Preedy / Photo: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology
