New Light on Old Coin Hoards from the Aberdeen Area Evansh Steward D *An T Thaint
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 119 (1989), 327-344 New light on old coin hoards from the Aberdeen area EvansH StewarD d *an t Thaint SUMMARY This paper endeavours show judiciousto how of contemporaryuse newspaperto reportsadd can knowledgeour remarkablethe of number medievalof post-medievaland coin hoards fromthe Aberdeen area. alsoIt attempts maketo good lackthe of detailed information vesselsthe on associated with some theseof hoards. INTRODUCTION The finding of several medieval coin hoards in this area during the 19th century is both well known and widely reported (Thompson 1956; Eraser 1906; Metcalf 1977), but discrepancies in the various published accounts have led to a certain amount of confusion as to how many hoards were circumstancee th o fount d dan theif o s r discover Wilsog y(e n 1958; Thompson 1959; Mayhew 1975, 36). Later researchers hav Frase workM e e th G tende e rf so (1906 us o Johdd t an )n Lindsay (1845; 1859; 1868) as main sources. Whilst both contain a fund of useful information they should be treated with caution: Lindsay has long been recognized as somewhat unreliable, while Fraser can be not only inaccurat t fancifuebu wells a unearthine l .Th moro tw ef g hoardo 1983-n si 4 durin constructioe gth n of the St Nicholas Centre, off the Netherkirkgate, meant that a reconsideration of the earlier finds was long overdue (Mayhew, forthcoming). For the purposes of this paper the authors have limited their comments to post-Roman coin hoards found within the boundaries of the present Aberdeen City District. Wherever possible the primary sourc contemporare th f eo y discoverie bees sha n located; extracts from thes givee ear n here at some length so that the reader can assess the quality of the original reports (in several of the newspaper accounts these were clearly writte locaa y nb l specialist coin collecto antiquarr ro y rather than by a journalist). HOARDE TH S EDWARDIAN HOARDS) 2 (illu & s1 Nicholat S 1 s St/Flourmill Brae, Aberdeen; 7/11/1807 'As some workmen were employe diggin n dfoundatione i th buildinr w gfo ne a f gso nea Floue rth r Mill, they found depte th t a h, often feet frostreet e levee mth th f lo larg ,a e wooden bason [sic] fulf o l Silver Coins, some of them in a good state of preservation. They are mostly of the coinage of Edward * Archaeology Unit, County Hall, Beverley, North Humberside t Aberdeen Museums and Art Galleries, Schoolhill. Aberdeen 328 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1989 Englandf 1o Alexanded an , Scotlandf o I rII Thos. kinds o . Pennies,tw .z Edwarf f eo vi ,o e ar dI about the size of a Sixpence of the present day; and Groats, proportionately larger. As the marks indicate, they have been coined at London, York and Canterbury. So ignorant were the persons who found them of their value, that they sold a great many of them to the bystanders at the rate of four for a penny; numbers were scattered amon e labourers th ge greate th t bu r, part were solo t d silversmiths'1. 2 St Nicholas St/Netherkirkgate, Aberdeen; 17/11/1807 'In our last [issue] we had to mention that a good number of Silver Coins, chiefly of the Edwards of England and Alexander of Scotland, had been found in the course of the street now opening from George's Street to Union Street [St Nicholas Street]. A second deposit of the same kind was found on Tuesday morning workmee .Th digginn i site Dyer'f geth o s Hall, foun earthen da n jar, containing nearly 2,000 pieces of various reigns and values. They are for the most part Silver Pennies (Denarii) of Edward I, II and III - some of Alexander III of Scotland - and, it is said, some of Robert, whether I or II, we know not. Of those of Edward I, some are of the Dublin coinage, the King's head in a triangle, and having on the obverse, "CIVITAS DUBLINIE"; and some; in addition to the titles of Angliaex Re Dominusd an Hyberniae, hav Aquitanie.x eDu basManf coine o th e f symetalar o , (the nigra monetd) f ver t somo ye bu efingreatear e th e d silve excellenn ran i par e - r ar t t preserva- silvea t rBu tioncoi. Queef n. o . n Elizabeth, bearin date gth e 1563' was found amongst them. employey 'Abo washinn di g awa earte yth h from smallee somth f eo r pieces, foun coie dth n n i question teston,a , whic commotooa e hh r kfo n shilling'2. A shorter notice about the same hoard had appeared earlier in the week in the Aberdeen Journal: 'Yesterday morning an Earthen jar containing about 1800 Silver Coins similar to those mentioned in laslabourerr e th tou f [issue]o e founs son employed,wa y db neighbourhooe th n ,i late th e f dDyer'o s Hall, who brought them up and lodged them in the Town House'3. Clarenc3 e Street, Footdee; August 1867 cours'Ie nth lasf eo t week, whil labourere eth s employe Messry db s Dunca Murrayd nan , contractors Footdee foth r e Sewerage works, were excavatin sewed ol Clarencn e i r gth e Street, immediately behind the Northern Agricultural Company's premises, one of them turned out a jar containing a large numbe ancienf ro t silver coins impossibls i t I . stato et e accuratel numbee yth coinsf ro thes a , y see mhavo t t int ego o inappropriate hands. Unfortunatel accidentalls wa r ja e th y brokea y nb workman's pick, and before either it, or the coins were observed, they were shovelled up and scattered about amon cutting e edg e earte th th gf th e o n ho , where man themf yo believeds i t ,i , were lost. There is supposed to have been nearly a thousand of them altogether. The great mass of them same werth f ee o descriptio sixpenced ol n onlthia s d a s n littlynan a ,a - e larger. Theye beath n ro fac crownea e d head, encircle lettere th y sdb EDW . ANGLR . DNS. HYBreverse th ; .+ s ei intersected by a cross, forming large spaces. In each of which is three stars, and around this design are the words - "Civitas, London". Where the jar was dug out, it seemed to have been embedded in a vein of blue clay, about seven feet from the surface, and within four feet of an old wall, the soil above clayd re f , io tabou s beinwa tr gfou ja sandr fiv e o r e Th .inche diametern si abour seved o an ,x nsi t inches high. Another jar, of a smaller size, was found near the same spot, made of yellow clay. Unfortunatel broken s lik s openinr s appearo t e wa kindi a wa y t d yt i d li an ,bu o f ,an g havn o o st d eha may be a middling-sized turnip. It contained nothing. Most of the coins, we may state, were appropriate workmene th bese y dthef th b o t d man , hav consequencn ei e been lost sighthin i sf o t way. Non themf eo woult ,i d seem, know tha Governmene tth t claim sucl coinsd al hol "treasurs sa e trove", for which they give to the finders the value of the metal in return'4. 4 Ross's Court, Upperkirkgate, Aberdeen; 31/5/1886 silve0 Ove00 r2 coinr1 s containe bronza dn i wert epo e burie nort e closa th n di hn e o sidth f eo Upperkirkgate initian A . l repor locaa y b tl journalis thin o t s discovery appeare Tuesdan do Juny1 e EVANS AND THAIN: NEW LIGHT ON OLD COIN HOARDS FROM THE ABERDEEN AREA 329 _._._ Medieval Burgh 0 05km ILLU S1 Coin hoards found withi Cite nAberdeef th y o n 1886: a more detailed account by a 'correspondant who has carefully examined many of the coins', appeare followine dth g day. This second repor clearls twa y writte numismatista y nb containd an , s quite detailed description identificationd san varioue th f so s mints; however piectenoe e th ,th f s ei ro rather spoilt by the fanciful ending: '. .an idea has been put forward that the treasure was brought north by some Aberdeen soldier wh foughd battle oth ha Bannockburf t ea o t n wit wandered Brucee hha th e H . d int adverse oth e camp after the flight of the English, and perhaps had stumbled across the treasure chest of the army. northers taked hi o ha t t witne i carefullm nd H hhi homha d ean y burie t alondi littln g witow e s hhi hoard. But unkindly fate cut him off before he had time to enjoy the fruits of war'5. This hoard has been the subject of an excellent detailed study by N J Mayhew, who has assigned to it a terminus post quern of 1331-5 (1975, 33-50)6. 330 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1989 locatioe ILLU Edwardiae Th th Sf 2 n o n hoards citfoune th y n centrdi e (no scaleo t ) Nicholat S 6 d 5san Street, Aberdeen; 30/11/198 2/5/198d 3an 4 Two hoards found 3-5 m apart during the construction of the St Nicholas Centre.