Bolton Percy hoard

Bolton Percy hoard
Coins and vessel, Yorkshire Museum
TypeHoard
MaterialMetal, clay, textile
Sizec.4000 coins
Createdc.867 (deposited)
Period/cultureEarly medieval
Discovered1846, 1967
Bolton Percy, North Yorkshire, UK
Discovered byWilliam Foster (1846)
John and Malcolm Miles (1967)
IdentificationYORYM : 1967.6.1
YORYM 1976.6
CultureNorthumbrian

The Bolton Percy hoard is the term used to describe a hoard of Northumbrian stycas that were recovered close to the village of Bolton Percy in North Yorkshire, England, on two occasions over a century apart. The discovery of the first parcel of coins took place in 1846; the second discovery by schoolboys in 1967. Hugh Pagan connected the concealment with a date of c.866 coinciding with the Viking attack on York or its aftermath. Material from the hoard, as well as the vessel, is primarily held in the Yorkshire Museum, but coins from it are also in the collections of the British Museum, Leeds City Museum and Danum Museum.

Discovery

The first parcel of coins was discovered in 1846,[1] by a workman called William Foster.[2] Initially referred to as the 'Ulleskelf' hoard,[3] it contained approximately 2000 coins.[4]

The second parcel was discovered in 1967.[1] It was initially found by two schoolboys, John and Malcolm Miles, who found a number of coins in a ploughed field close to the River Wharfe in the parish of Bolton Percy.[4] The boys reported the find to their teacher, who contacted the Keeper of the Yorkshire Museum, G. F. Willmot, who undertook an excavation of the area and recovered the rest, and much larger portion of, the hoard.[4] Some of these coins were contained within a ceramic vessel made of badorf ware, whereas the others were in a compact mass with the shape of a box.[4] Willmot was able to ascertain that this find was from the same field as that of 1846.[4] The number of coins recovered in this second discovery was approximately 1775.[4] These were photographed and catalogued prior to sale.[4] Due to the fact the coins are made of copper-alloy, which at the time meant that the hoard did not meet the definition of treasure, the hoard was not subject to the treasure trove process.[5]

York Museums Trust, who own a considerable portion of both groups of coins, consider the two finds to be part of the same hoard.[6][7]

Coins

Lyon, writing about the 1846 parcel in 1955, described how he had examined a catalogue of the coins from the hoard written by Charles Wellbeloved.[8] This catalogue also included finds from the St Leonard's Place hoard.[8] Pagan, writing on the 1967 parcel in 1971, described how it contained many coins that were derivative in character, some of which may date to a period after the issues of Osberht and Wulfhere.[5] The group contained issues from the reigns of kings Eanred, Aethelred II, Redwulf, as well as Osberht.[4] It also contained coins from the episcopacies of Eanbald II and Wigmund, as well as Wulfhere.[4] Pagan compared the hoard's composition to that of the Ripon, Paisley, Kirkoswald, St Leonard's Place and Talnotrie hoards.[4] The total number of coins estimated from both discoveries is approximately 4000.[4]

Dating

Dating for the concealment of the hoard varies. Suggestions include a broad date range from 850s to 860s,[9] as well as a report by Northern Archaeological Associates giving a date of c.857.[10] The former broader approach has been favoured by some: numismatist Elizabeth Pirie, drawing on the work of C.S.S. Lyon, dated concealment to between 855 and 867 "once official production had ceased".[11] Hugh Pagan, writing in the introduction to the catalogue of 1971 sale of the 1967 find, dated the hoard's concealment to the end of the coinage, and suggested there was a "prima facie possibility that it was connected with the Viking invasion that brought the independent kingdom of Northumbria to an end in 867".[5] Writing again in 1973, he connected the concealment with a date of c.866 coinciding with the Viking attack on York or its aftermath.[4]

Acquisition

After the 1846 discovery, the Yorkshire Museum acquired some coins from the hoard.[8] Of these 613 were able to be distinguished by Elizabeth Pirie in 1996.[12] Some coins from this find are also in the collections of Danum and 30 at Leeds City Museum.[11][12]

In the 1971 sale of the 1967 discovery, the Yorkshire Museum was also able to purchase 246 for its collection,[12] particularly derivative issues.[4] The museum had previously acquired the vessel.[12] Further coins from this discovery are held in the British Museum.[11]

  • Wooden fragments associated with the 1967 find
  • Textile fragments associated with the 1967 find
  • Iron nail associated with the 1967 find

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bolton Percy hoard.
  1. ^ a b Grierson, Philip; Blackburn, Mark (1986). Medieval European Coinage: Volume 1, The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th Centuries). Cambridge University Press. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-521-03177-6.
  2. ^ Fennell, William (1848). "An Account of a Hoard of Northumbrian Stycas Discovered in Yorkshire". Journal of the British Archaeological Association. 4 (2): 127–132. doi:10.1080/00681288.1848.11886853. ISSN 0068-1288.
  3. ^ Pagan, Hugh (2017). "THE HOARD PROVENANCE OF LORD GRANTLEY'S COIN OF ÆLFWALD II OF NORTHUMBRIA: ST CUTHBERT, FALSE MEMORY AND A SEARCH FOR MAJOR GRANTHAM" (PDF). British Numismatic Journal: 213–216.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Pagan, Hugh (1973). "The Bolton Percy Hoard of 1967" (PDF). British Numismatic Journal.
  5. ^ a b c Pagan, Hugh (23 June 1971). "Introduction". Catalogue of The Bolton Percy (1967) Hoard of Stycas together with Ancient Coins and Numismatic Books. Sotheby & Co.
  6. ^ Local Links: Bolton Percy Hoard. York Museums Trust & Art Fund. 2018.
  7. ^ ASBP (9 November 2023). "Bolton Percy Coin Hoard - All Saints' Church". Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Lyon, C. S. S. (1955). "A reappraisal of the Sceatta and Styca Coinage of Northumbria". British Numismatic Journal: 231.
  9. ^ Nebiolini, Brittany (2020). "Silver hoards and the economic interrelationship of Viking York and Dublin (800?1000)". The Journal of Irish Archaeology. 29: 139–158. ISSN 0268-537X. JSTOR 27074873.
  10. ^ Northern Archaeological Associates (November 2008). "REHABILITATION OF WATER MAINS: YORK AREA" (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Pirie, Elizabeth (2000). Thrymsas, Sceattas and Stycas of Northumbria. Llanfyllin: Galata Print Ltd. pp. 16, 56.
  12. ^ a b c d Pirie, Elizabeth (1996). Coins of the Kingdom of Northumbria c.700 - 867 in the Yorkshire Collections. Galata Ltd. pp. 11, 17.
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