Find Spot record 9013/14 - Large Saxon Coin Hoard, St Martin's Lodge

Saxon hoard of approximately 522 silver coins and 142 pieces of silver bullion (including ingots and wire) dated to c AD 970 found in November 1950, 29ft to the south of St Martin's Court, on the west side of Castle Esplanade (now part of Nicholas St.), during the excavation of a cable-trench by the Electricity Board. The hoard appeared to have been contained in a Chester ware cooking pot with impressed lattice decoration on the shoulder, and was declared Treasure Trove (1). The coins consisted of 514 pennies, 5 half-pennies, 1 Milanese denier of Berengarius and 2 deniers of Melle dated to between AD 972 - 973. Collectively the coins date to between 900 - 975. 300 of the coins in Grosvenor Museum, and are kept together with the pot and bullion, while the rest of coins are in British Museum, except for 50-100 which were dispersed, together with other pieces of bullion (2). The bullion includes hacksilver bearing Hiberno-Norse ornament (3).

<1> Society of Antiquities London, 1921-2014, The Antiquaries Journal, 33/22-32 Webster G Dolley R H & Dunning G 1953 (Journal/Periodical). SCH284.

<2> Davey P J (ed), 1977, Medieval Pottery from Excavations in the North West, /12-13 (Monograph). SCH2158.

<3> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, 1/287 Thacker A 1987 (Book). SCH3556.

<4> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 61/190-2 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

<5> Unknown, British Numismatic Journal, 27/125-60 (Book). SCH468.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ46NW13/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

<7> Longley D, 1977-1978, Longley Archive, /no.334 (Paper Archive). SCH2005.