Source/Archive record SCH9074 - Land off Peter Destapleigh Way, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7SH: Supervised Metal Detector Survey

An archaeologically supervised metal detector survey was undertaken in 2020 on land off Peter Destapleigh Way, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7SH. A total of four hundred and seventy-four artefacts were recovered. The distribution of the finds is relatively evenly spread and there is no indication that the site was ever occupied or utilised for anything more than agricultural land. The earliest identifiable period represented in the material archive is the Roman period which includes a single Roman coin. There was also a single example of an Edward I silver penny, a bronze dog’s head spout and a copper alloy horse pendant representing the medieval period, along with other assorted objects from that era. The vast majority of the finds were from the post-medieval period including a single silver Elizabethan coin, two Charles I silver shillings, two James I hammered silver coins, a George III “bullhead” silver shilling, a gold George III third guinea, an Edward VII silver sixpence and a George V silver sixpence. There were also examples of agricultural/industrial tokens, love tokens, lead cloth and bag seals, lead ammunition, an abundance of Georgian halfpenny coins and many other artefacts made from a variety of materials. These finds are all small and portable and were almost certainly the result of casual loss by the agricultural workforce. There were several interesting artefacts uncovered by this survey including the bronze dog’s head spout which probably attached to a water vessel – such items were popular during the medieval period. Moreover, the various denominations of silver coinage found within the field span a period of 800 years and provide a direct link to some of England’s most recognised rulers such as Edward I, Elizabeth I, Charles I, George III and George V. Furthermore the abundance of lead ammunition combined with the presence of other sporadic finds - that could be associated with the English Civil War era might provide a tenuous link with this field and the Battle of Nantwich in 1644.