Man unearths 17th century coin horde
By Susannah Berry
A COLLECTION of 17th century silver coins were found by a man with his metal detector on the site of the largest battle on English soil – the battle of Marston Moor.
A Harrogate inquest heard how Colin Roberts, 53, from Newport, South Wales, found the horde of 35 coins whilst at a metal detecting rally on August bank holiday last year.
He was searching in a field with his wife, Amanda, when he uncovered two silver coins and, believing there could be more, he returned to the same site the next day.
“I got up at 7am the next day because I knew the coins were probably part of a much bigger horde so I spent about an hour searching a two by two metre area,” said Mr Roberts.
“I uncovered all these coins and I also found a bit of a clay pipe which I think must have belonged to a tobacco smoker,” he said.
Archaeologist and Finds Liaison Officer for North Yorkshire and East Riding, Simon Holmes, said he believed the coins and the pipe had belonged to a Royalist army cavalier soldier.
He believed the soldier was killed during battle on the moor and he must have been high up in the ranks of the Royalist army to be carrying such a lot of money.
“I believe the coins are now worth a couple of thousand pounds,” he told the treasure trove inquest at Harrogate Magistrates Court last week.
“They probably represented 12 days pay for a cavalry soldier which amounts to a few hundred pounds in modern day terms.”
Mr Holmes said Mr Roberts was lucky to find the silver coins on the Marston Moor site because as the 1644 English civil war went on many soldiers did not carry any money as they did not get paid.
“Civil war coin hordes are fairly common to find but to actually find a horde on a battle field is very rare. Marston Moor was also a turning point in the civil war and that very fact makes this find even more poignant,” said Mr Holmes.
Mr Robert’s, who has been metal detecting for 30 years, said his latest find was not the first time he has found historic treasure.
susannah.berry@ypn.co.uk
22 September 2006
nidderdaletoday.co.uk
By Susannah Berry
A COLLECTION of 17th century silver coins were found by a man with his metal detector on the site of the largest battle on English soil – the battle of Marston Moor.
A Harrogate inquest heard how Colin Roberts, 53, from Newport, South Wales, found the horde of 35 coins whilst at a metal detecting rally on August bank holiday last year.
He was searching in a field with his wife, Amanda, when he uncovered two silver coins and, believing there could be more, he returned to the same site the next day.
“I got up at 7am the next day because I knew the coins were probably part of a much bigger horde so I spent about an hour searching a two by two metre area,” said Mr Roberts.
“I uncovered all these coins and I also found a bit of a clay pipe which I think must have belonged to a tobacco smoker,” he said.
Archaeologist and Finds Liaison Officer for North Yorkshire and East Riding, Simon Holmes, said he believed the coins and the pipe had belonged to a Royalist army cavalier soldier.
He believed the soldier was killed during battle on the moor and he must have been high up in the ranks of the Royalist army to be carrying such a lot of money.
“I believe the coins are now worth a couple of thousand pounds,” he told the treasure trove inquest at Harrogate Magistrates Court last week.
“They probably represented 12 days pay for a cavalry soldier which amounts to a few hundred pounds in modern day terms.”
Mr Holmes said Mr Roberts was lucky to find the silver coins on the Marston Moor site because as the 1644 English civil war went on many soldiers did not carry any money as they did not get paid.
“Civil war coin hordes are fairly common to find but to actually find a horde on a battle field is very rare. Marston Moor was also a turning point in the civil war and that very fact makes this find even more poignant,” said Mr Holmes.
Mr Robert’s, who has been metal detecting for 30 years, said his latest find was not the first time he has found historic treasure.
susannah.berry@ypn.co.uk
22 September 2006
nidderdaletoday.co.uk
