Civil War cannon ball and toe bones up for auction

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Human toe bones and a cannon ball found in a vegetable patch and believed to have been used in the English Civil War are set to go to auction.

The iron cannon ball could have been fired in the decisive Battle of Naseby, Derbyshire-based auctioneers Hansons said.

Civil War cannon ball and toe bones up for auction


15 July 2017
BBC News


The cannon ball, human toe bones and 17th Century artefacts will be sold at auction


Human toe bones and a cannon ball found in a vegetable patch and believed to have been used in the English Civil War are set to go to auction.

The iron cannon ball could have been fired in the decisive Battle of Naseby, Derbyshire-based auctioneers Hansons said.

Other finds include 17th Century belt buckles, bottle seals and rifle flints.

The items were discovered in gardens around Lutterworth, Leicestershire, over the last 40 years.

The Battle of Naseby

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, said it is "extraordinary" for so many items from the period to have been found in residents' gardens.

"We understand [the cannon ball] was discovered by someone clearing their vegetable patch," he said.

"The iron cannon ball measures five inches in diameter and it's certainly a heavy weight. It was found quite a depth underground.

"It's amazing what objects can be found in a garden."

Mr Hanson added the cannon ball was confirmed by Leicestershire Museums and Art Gallery as being similar to ones found nearby in Naseby, Northamptonshire.

The items are set to be auctioned on 25 July, with the cannon ball given a guide price of between £50 and £100.

The Battle of Naseby



The battle took place on a field near Naseby, Northamptonshire, on 14 June 1645

'Cavalier' Royalist forces loyal to King Charles I suffered a heavy and decisive defeat at the hands of 'Roundhead' Parliamentarians, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell

Soldiers from the New Model Army - Britain's first regular red-coated soldiers and a precursor of the British Army - were part of the victorious fighters

Within a year of the battle the First English Civil War was over (with two more to come up until 1651), with Parliament's right to a permanent role in government firmly established


Civil War cannon ball and toe bones up for auction - BBC News