The hoard of 2,584 silver pennies from the time of the Norman conquest discovered at Chew Valley in Somerset has been acquired for the nation by the non-profit South West Heritage Trust. Valued at £4.3 million ($5.6 million), it is the highest-value treasure find ever made in England. The organization was able to raise the money thanks to a large grant of £4,420,527 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £150,000 from the Art Fund. The sum will be shared 50/50 between the landowner and the seven finders.
The coins were discovered by a group of seven metal detectorists in January of 2019. Only two of them, Lisa Grace and Adam Staples, were experienced, and they were teaching the rest how to use their new machines when one of the newbies found a William the Conqueror silver penny. Then they found another, and another. They should have stopped after the first few coins and called archaeologists, of course, but they did not. Instead, five hours of detector alerts and amateur digging later, they had a bucket full of thousands of silver coins. Only then did they report the find to the Portable Antiquities Scheme and a week later they deposited the coins at the British Museum.
The coins had been scattered by agricultural work over the centuries, so the hoard was not found as it was buried anyway, but having lost the chance to excavate the archaeological context of the hoard whatever that might be is all the more tragic in this case because the hoard is unique window into the immediate aftermath of the Norman invasion. The Chew Valley hoard consists of 1,343 silver pennies of William the Conqueror (r. 1066-1087), and 1,240 coins from the last Anglo-Saxon king of England Harold II (r. January 1066-October 14 1066), with a one penny of Edward the Confessor (r. 1042- January 1066) and three “mules,” counterfeit combinations of coins by William and Harold that were created by moneyers to dodge taxes. About 100 moneyers from 46 mints are named on the coins; some of the moneyers are the first named people from an English city.
All of the coins date to between 1066 and 1068. It is the largest hoard of coins from the immediate post-Norman Conquest period ever discovered and the largest Norman treasure of any kind to be found since 1833. The hoard was buried in 1068 on a property that would later be granted to Gisa, chaplain to King Edward the Confessor and the Bishop of Wells. At that time, the Chew Valley was embroiled in a rebellion against Normal rule led by Harold’s sons, so it’s like the coins were buried for safekeeping.
The Chew Valley hoard will go on display at the British Museum starting November 26th. It will then go on a brief tour of UK museums, including in Bath near the find site, before settling permanently at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton.
The ‘Gesta Hammburgensis’ (from ca 1075AD) clearly read in Bk. III, Capitulum 51:
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“Eodem quoque tempore clades illa memorabilis in Anglia facta est, cuius magnitudo, et quod Anglia Danis ex antiquo subiecta est, summam nos eventuum praeterire non sinit. Post mortem sanctissimi regis Anglorum Eduardi, contendentibus pro illo regno principibus, Haroldus quidam Anglorum dux, vir maleficus, sceptrum invasit. Quod dum sibi frater eius, nomine Tosti, ereptum audiret, regem Nordmannorum auxilio ducit Haroldum regemque Scotorum; et occisus est ipse Tosti et rex Hiberniae et Haroldus cum toto exercitu eorum a rege Anglorum. Vix, ut aiunt, dies octo transierunt, et ecce Willehelmus, cui pro oblico sanguine cognomen est Bastardus, a Gallia transfretans in Angliam, lasso victori bellum intulit. In quo Angli primum victores, deinde victi a Nordmannis usque ad finem contriti sunt. Haroldus ibi cecidit, et post eum ex Anglis fere centum milia. Bastardus victor in ultionem Dei, quem ipsi offenderant Angli, omnes fere clericos et monachos absque regula viventes expulit. Deinde ablatis scandalis, Lanfrancum philosophum in ecclesia posuit doctorem, cuius studio et prius in Gallia et postmodum in Anglia multi ad divinum animati sunt obsequium.”
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Apparently, the “bastardus victor” had been able to collect some dime, “ultionem Dei” of course 😉
Well done, those metal detectorists!
At about 1075AD, the ‘Gesta Hammaburgensis’ (III.51 ) may likewise support the “safekeeping” idea, i.e. either by surviving peers of Harold’s and/or by clergy that, unfortunately, had not been William’s…
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“At that time in England occurred the memorable massacre, the magnitude of which, and that England had been subject to the Danes, make it indispensable for us to touch upon these events. After the death of Edward, the very holy English king, Harold, a duke of the English, a criminal man, seized the sceptre while the princes were fighting over the throne. But when his brother, Tostig [Godwinson], learnt that it had been snatched from him, he summoned Harold [Hardrada], King of the Northmen, and the King of the Scots to his aid. But Tostig himself, the king of Ireland and Harold, together with their entire army, were slain by the king of the English. And no sooner had eight days passed, they say, as indeed William, who was nicknamed the Bastard because of his illegitimate birth, set over from Gaul to England and brought war to the weary victor. In this war, the English, having been victorious at first, were then defeated by the Normans and utterly crushed. Harold and after him about hundred thousand Englishmen fell. The victorious bastard, to avenge God, whom the English had offended, drove out almost all the clergy and monks who had lived without a certain rule. After he had removed all disturbances, he appointed the wise Lanfranc as teacher of the church, by whose effort many were brought to godliness both before in Gaul and afterwards in England.”
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Clearly this guy was not telling all the truth or indeed sometimes the truth at all. Ah, if only we could rely on such authors…
Hi Trevor, what exactly is it that you do you not like? – Of course, ANY(!) reader should always(!) be aware that not all authors are either well-informed or necessarily unbiased.
In all fairness, the author was indeed back then indirectly involved and, moreover, had very good reasons to be partial. However,…
1000 years ago, he seems to have been better informed about “British domestic policy in full swing” than –I hate to say it– I would be myself today –in equal distance– and I do know, how to reach the BBC from over here.