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Description: | Bitterley, Shropshire (2011 T89)Hoard of Post-Medieval coins and their containerThis hoard was found at Bitterley, Shropshire on 17 February 2011 by a metal-detector user. The finder did not remove the hoard from the ground himself, but notified the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) of his discovery.With the help of the finder and the farmer the hoard was excavated by Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs) Peter Reavill and Tom Brindle on 23 February 2011. The vessel containing the coins was brought to the British Museum for excavation by the British Museum's Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.Report on the CoinsThe coins were catalogued by Henry Flynn of the Department of Coins and Medals and checked by Dr Barrie Cook.The contents, in summary, are as follows and a more detailed catalogue accompanies this report.Summary listEdward VI, silver: 1 shillingElizabeth I, silver: 46 shillingsJames I, gold: 1 Britain crown; silver: 4 half-crowns and 20 shillingsCharles I, Tower mint, silver: 31 half-crowns and 33 shillingsCharles I, provincial mints, silver: 1 half-crownCharles I, Scottish coinage, silver: 1 30-shillings and 1 12-shillingsIn total there are 1 gold and 137 silver coins. The gold was of the crown gold standard, 22 carat fine, and the silver of the traditional sterling standard over 90% fine metal. The face value of the silver coins was £9 6s., including the Scottish coins in English value terms; the single gold coin was originally worth 5s. but was later re-valued to 5s.6d., giving a total for the hoard of £9 11s.6d.The latest coin is the Bristol half-crown dated 1643, produced between July 1643, when Bristol fell to Prince Rupert for the king, and March 1644. This places this group among the large number of hoards that were deposited in the early years of the English Civil War, never to be recovered until modern times. The range of coins present is entirely consistent with such a date, with the appropriate representation of Tudor and early Stuart material. Apart from the gold coin, there are only two denominations present, the half-crown and shilling, making this a batch of quite highly selected material, without even sixpences, usually the third denomination present in large numbers in mid-17th century coin hoards.Bitterley, Shropshire (2011 T89)CatalogueENGLISH COINSEdward VIThird Period (1550-1553)Silver1. Shilling Y (1549-51) 5.54Elizabeth I (1558-1603)Silver2. Shilling Lis (1558-60) 5.073-9. Cross crosslet (1560-1) 5.72, 5.67, 5.52, 5.43, 5.31, 5.28,5.1010-17. Martlet (1560-1) 5.82, 5.75, 5.72, 5.7, 5.48, 5.41,5.39, 5.3118-20. Bell (1582/3-83) 6.09, 5.95, 5.9121-3. A (1583-84/5) 5.85, 5.85, 5.6524-8. Escallop (1584/5-87) 5.86, 5.85, 5.84, 5.6, 5.5129-30. Hand (1589/90-91/2) 5.84, 4.5731-8. Tun (1591/2-94) 5.99, 5.99, 5.97, 5.96, 5.95, 5.92,5.83, 5.639-40. Woolpack (1594-95/6) 5.93, 5.7141-4. Key (1595/6-97/8) 6.29, 5.92, 5.83, 5.6845-7. 2 (1602-3) 5.83, 5.74, 5.68James I (1603-25)First Coinage (1603-4)Silver48-9. Shilling Thistle (1603-4) Bust 2 5.92, 5.7850-2. Lis (1604) Bust 2 5.67, 5.57, 5.54Second Coinage (1604-19)Gold53. Britain crown Lis (1604-5) Bust 1 2.54Silver54-7. Shilling Lis (1604-5) Bust 3 5.93, 5.75, 5.71, 5.2558-9. Rose (1605-6) Bust 3 5.77, 5.5560-1. Bust 4 6.01, 5.8662. Escallop (1606-7) Bust 4 5.86Third Coinage (1619-25)Silver63-5. Half-crown Lis (1623-4) 14.75, 14.71, 12.9766-9. Shilling Lis Bust 6 5.9, 5.82, 5.81, 5.5570-1. Trefoil (1624) Bust 6 5.82, 5.66Charles I (1625-49)Silver72-3. Half-crown Harp (1632-3) N2207 14.9, 14.8974-8. Portcullis (1633-4) 15.28, 15.01, 14.96, 14.72,14.6479-80. Bell (1634-5) N2209 14.87, 14.8781-5. Crown (1635-6) N2209 15.16, 15.09, 14.93, 14.77,14.7786-89. Tun (1636-8) N2209 15.32, 15.12, 14.89, 14.8490. Uncertain N2209 14.7191. Crown N2210 14.9692-5. Anchor (1638-9) N2211 15.33, 15.29, 15.19, 14.7196. Triangle (1639-40) N2211 14.7797-8. Star (1640-1) N2214 14.98, 14.9299-102. Triangle-in-circle N2214 15.05, 15.02, 14.97, 14.56103. Shilling Harp (1632-3) N2223 5.99104-9. Portcullis N2223 5.99, 5.94, 5.93, 5.86, 5.85,5.32110. Bell N2225 5.88111-15. Crown N2225 5.98, 5.94, 5.87, 5.87, 5.864.99, 4.86116-21. Tun N2225 6.06, 5.94, 5.88, 5.86, 5.84,5.75122. Anchor N2228 5.94123. Tun N2229 6.02124-25. N2229 6.06, 5.83126. Triangle N2229 5.74127-31 Star N2231 6.14, 6.07, 5.97, 5.95, 5.86132-35. Triangle in circle (1641-3) N2231 6.09, 5.9, 5.86, 5.83Bristol mint136. Half-crown Pellet 1643 N2484 15.95SCOTTISH COINSCharles IFirst Coinage (1625-34)137. 30-shillings thistle S5541 14.77Third Coinage (1637-42)138. 12-shillings S5563/4 4.98Report on the ceramic pot and leather vessel, prior to cleaning and conservation (Beverley Nenk and Barbara Wills)The coins and a leather pouch were found contained within a ceramic vessel, provisionally identified as a Blackware cup or mug. The vessel is a fine-walled red earthenware, covered inside and out with a black or dark brown lead glaze, with a flaring rim, and with four equally-spaced vertical loop handles. Two opposed handles are single loops, the other two opposed handles are double loops. The vessel is missing the top of the rim, although rim sherds may be present in fragments preserved with the assemblage, which would enable a complete profile to be reconstructed. The cup does not appear to be decorated, but his will become clear once it has been cleaned. This type of cup would originally have been intended as a drinking-vessel for use at the table.Blackwares are a common type of post-medieval English pottery, with a wide distribution, ranging in date from the early 17th century to the 18th century.Blackwares are known in Staffordshire from deposits dating to the mid-17th century onwards. A deposition date in the 1640s would place it among the earlier examples known from Staffordshire. Further analysis of the form and fabric might identify the source of this example.Maximum rim diameter of the pot: 88mm.The pot is lined with a leather bag, which appears to be of good quality and may be fashioned from the skin of a young animal. The leather is extremely fragile and in danger of drying out - at the moment it is in a stabilised condition by being periodically sprayed with water and kept refrigerated.ConclusionThe coins from Bitterley are of good metal and represent the currency of the early 1640s. They also represent a selection of material, not the range of the currency. Even without the evidence of their container, I would certainly recommend that the find fulfils the criteria of Treasure according to the terms of the Act.Dr Barrie J. CookCurator of Medieval and Early Modern CoinageDepartment of Coins and MedalsBritish MuseumWith contributions from:Henry FlynnDepartment of Coins and MedalsBeverley NenkCurator of Late Medieval EuropeDepartment of Prehistory and EuropeBarbara WillsConservator of Organic ArtefactsDepartment of Conservation & Scientific ResearchNoteEdward Besly, Assistant Keeper (Numismatics) at National Museum Wales and leading authority on Coin Hoards of the English Civil War:The hoard ends otherwise very convincingly with Triangle-in-Circle, which ceased production in March 1643. Bristol started up in July, so the hoard's definitely later than that, but the lack of (P), I would argue, makes the hoard unlikely to be as late as 1644. The Bristol coin is one of the earliest from the mint, using Oxford-made dies. So I would guess some time late-summer/autumn-1643 as the likely date for the deposition of the hoard.Thanks are extended to Mr Besly for his opinion and expertise
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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