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Description: | The following is a report written by Dr John Naylor2011 T465 Post-medieval silver coin hoard(s) from the Gloucestershire areaCircumstances of discovery:The group of coins below forms a part of a large collection of material found at the offices of a solicitor in Chipping Norton in early 2011. The collection appears to have been in the property since the early 20th century. The only clue to the date of storage was a newspaper used to wrap the group described below which was dated Saturday 7th February 1903. The collection is very varied including coins and other objects including prehistoric flints and large numbers of coins. Many of these were without provenance but included at least one previously known hoard (several hundred coins from the Capel Bangor (Wales) Roman hoard listed as Guest & Wells 2007, no. 673), single coin finds of Roman and Medieval date from Stow-on-the-Wold and its vicinity, and a small number of prehistoric flints provenanced to the same area. While there was no detailed documentation found with the collection, there was some indication within the groups of material as to who originally amassed the material. A letter accompanying the Roman hoard (above) was addressed to a 'Mr Royce', and a pillbox containing finds named the 'The Revd D Royce'. At least one envelope was found with 'Bristol and Gloucester Archaeology Society' printed on it. A short search of the Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeology Society revealed that the Revd David Royce (1817-1902), rector of Lower Swell from 1850-1902, was both a founder-member of the Society and an active local fieldworker, antiquarian and collector (e.g. Royce 1882-3; Grinsell 1964). On his death his wife presented his collection to St Edward's Hall, Stow-on-the-Wold (Grinsell 1964, 5), which is now housed on permanent loan at the Corinium Museum, Cirencester (Rawes 1990, 238). Quite how the collection discovered relates to the overall Royce collection remains uncertain but it certainly appears to contain material once in the possession of Revd Royce.One other group of coins was also of interest, which are described here. This is a large group of post-medieval coins wrapped in the newspaper mentioned above (the Evesham Journal and Four Shires Advertiser). These latter coins were intially taken to numismatic auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb in London for assessment before sale who suggested that they could be a hoard of Civil War date and this was reported to Kurt Adams (FLO Gloucestershire & Avon). We have not been able to ascertain a provenance for these coins but given that most of the provenanced material within the Royce Collection is local to Stow-on-the-Wold and its vicinity it seems likely that the coins are also from the Gloucestershire area, although with the caveat that Royce did buy some antiquities found elsewhere, such as the Roman hoard mentioned above.Post-medieval silver coins of unknown provenanceThis group consists of 309 silver coins wrapped in two sheets of newspaper. Upon inspection by the author and Kurt Adams a small number (four) of these had already been separated out as good quality coins for sale but otherwise the group appears to be as it was discovered. One group is listed as 'bag 5' the other as 'bag 8' and relates to the separation of material which had occurred until this point, including on the initial visit the author and Kurt Adams for recording, and the possibility exists that there has been mixing of the material, both between the two groups in the newspaper and with other coins in the overall collectiom. However, all individual groups of material were kept together to the best of our knowledge. The following assessment maintains the division between the two groups as found.Bag 5239 silver coins ranging in date from Elizabeth I to the Commonwealth. All Charles I coins are Tower mint unless otherwise stated.Catalogue (Note to KA/JN: these are grouped by initial mark and nos. do not relate to those on the images):Elizabeth I (1558-1603)Shillings1. i.m. lis (1558-60)2. i.m. ?martlet (1560-1)3-4. i.m. cross crosslet (1560-1)5-8. i.m. bell (1582-3)9-10. i.m. A (1583-84/5)11-12. i.m. escallop (1584/5-7)13. i.m. hand (1589/90-91/2)14-15. tun (1591/2-4)16. i.m. woolpack (1594-95/6)17. i.m. key (1595/6-97/8)18-20. i.m. illegibleSixpences21-24. i.m. pheon (1561-5) 25-27. i.m. rose (1565-65/6)28-32. i.m. coronet (1567-70)33. i.m. castle (1570-2)34. i.m. ermine (1572-3)35-36. i.m. eglantine (1574-8)37. i.m. plain cross (1578-80)38. i.m. sword (1581-82/3)39. i.m. bell (1582-3)40-41. i.m. crescent (1587-89/90)42-44. i.m. hand (1589-92)45-47. tun (1591-94)48-51. i.m. woolpack (1594-95/6)52. i.m. cypher (1600-1)53-54. i.m. 1 (1601-2)55-80. i.m. illegibleThreepence81. i.m. coronet (1567-70)82. Latin cross (1580-1)83-84. i.m. illegibleHalfgroat (North 2016)85. i.m. hand (1590-2)86-87. i.m. illegiblePenny 88-89. pennyJames I (1603-25)Shilling90. i.m. lis (1604-5, 1623-4)91-94. i.m. illegibleSixpences95-96. dated 160597. dated 160698. dated 1623Halfgroat?99. i.m. illegibleCharles I (1625-49)Halfcrowns100. i.m. bell (1634-5)101. i.m. triangle (1639-40)102-103. i.m. triangle-in-circle (1641-3)104. provincial issue (Oxford) dated 1643105-106. i.m. illegibleShillings107. i.m. lis (1625) 108. i.m. plume (1630) 109. i.m. rose (1631-2) 110. i.m. portcullis (1633-4)111-113. i.m. bell (1634-5)114-120. i.m. coronet (1635-6)121-124. i.m. tun (1636-8)125-130. i.m. anchor (1638-9)131. i.m. book (1638-42 Abersytwyth)132-141. i.m. triangle (1639-40)142-152. i.m. star (1640-1)153-183. i.m. triangle-in-circle (1641-3)184-185. provincial mints (Oxford) dated 1643 186. i.m. (P) (1643-4)187. i.m. ?sceptre (1646-8)188-212. i.m. illegibleSixpences213. i.m. tun (1636-8)214. i.m. bell (1639-40)215-216. i.m. triangle (1639-40)217. i.m. star (1640-1)218. i.m. ?bird (1643-4 Worcester and Shrewsbury mints)219-221. i.m. illegibleHalfgroat222. i.m. bell (1634-5)223. i.m. star (1640-1)224-228. i.m. illegiblePenny229. i.m. rose (1631)230-231. i.m. illegibleCommonwealth (1649-60)234-237. halfgroat238-239 pennyBag 866 silver coins ranging in date from James I to Anne, including a group of 32 Charles I halfcrowns. All Charles I coins are Tower mint unless otherwise stated.Catalogue (Note to KA/JN: these are grouped by initial mark and nos. do not relate to those on the images):James I (1603-25)Halfcrowns1. i.m. thistle (1603-4, 1621-3)2-3. i.m. lis (1604-5, 1623-4)4. i.m. rose? (1605-6, 1620-1)5. i.m. coronet (1607-9)Shillings6. i.m. thistle (1603-4, 1621-3)7. i.m. thistle or escallop (1603-4, 1621-3/1606-7)8-12. i.m. lis (1604-5, 1623-4)13-14. i.m. rose (1605-6, 1620-1)15-18. escallop (1606-7)19-20. i.m. coronet (1607-9)21. illegible22. Irish?Sixpences23-28. i.m. thistle (1603-4, 1621-3)29. i.m. lis (1604-5, 1623-4)30. i.m. rose (1605-6, 1620-1)31. bell (1610-11)Charles I (1625-49):Halfcrowns 32-33. i.m. coronet (1635-6)34-35. i.m. tun (1636-8)36-37. i.m. triangle (1639-40)38-41. i.m. star (1640-1)42-60. i.m. triangle-in-circle (1641-3)61-62. i.m. illegible63. provincial, Oxford mint (1643)Anne (1702-14):64. Shilling65. Sixpence66. FourpenceCoins separated post-discoveryFour coins were separated from the material wrapped in newspaper.Catalogue:Elizabeth I (1558-1603)1. shilling, i.m. 1 (1600-1)2. sixpence, i.m. escallop (1584/5-7)James I (1603-25)3. shilling, i.m. thistle (1603-4, 1621-3)4. shilling, i.m. lis (1604-5, 1623-4)Overall totals from both bags 5 and 8: 309 coinsElizabeth I (91 coins)Shillings: 21Sixpences: 61Threepences: 4Halfgroats: 3Pennies: 2James I (43 coins)Shillings: 24Sixpences: 13Halfgroats: 1Charles I (166 coins)Halfcrowns: 39Shillings: 106Sixpences: 9Halfgroats: 7Pennies: 5Commonwealth (6 coins)Halfgroats: 4Pennies: 2Anne (3 coins)Shilling: 1Sixpence: 1Fourpence: 1Discussion:Although on an initial examination of the assemblage it was thought that it probably consisted of a single hoard, closer inspection of the coins makes the possibility less likely. The coins of Charles I in Bag 8 are generally clipped, some quite heavily although appear in reasonable overall condition, whereas those in Bag 5 appear to be less affected by clipping, as are the coins of Elizabeth I and James I in Bag 5. However, as would be expected if the coins were deposited together, those of Elizabeth show greater levels of wear than those of James. Barrie Cook (pers comm) has suggested that it is possible that Bag 5 may represent a Commonwealth hoard although a penny element is not recorded elsewhere. Bag 8 is more difficult to interpret- most of the coins fit into a typical pattern of mid-17th century hoarding but the coins of Queen Anne are out of place (Barrie Cook pers comm). As mentioned above, there is the possibilty of mixing of the overall collection with many other coins in the boxes and envelopes, and it is entirely likely some coins may have beem mixed into this group, and others possibly lost into the overall collection.Overall, it is likely that this group of coins represents two (or possibly more) hoards or partial hoards with the high likelihood of a small level of mixing with the other coins in the collection, especially given that the newspaper of 1903 post-dates Royce's death in 1902.References:Grinsell, L V (1964), 'The Royce Collection at Stow-on-the-Wold', Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucester Archaeology Society 83, 5-33.Guest, P & Wells, N (2007), Iron Age and Roman Coins from Wales, Wetteren.Rawes, B (ed) (1990), 'Archaeological review no. 15', Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucester Archaeology Society 109, 223-38.Royce, D (1882-3), ' "Finds" on, or near to, the excursion of the Society at Stow-on-the-Wold', Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucester Archaeology Society 7, 69-80. | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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