Total posts:
187
08/09/2010
I just about have time for this short post - Everyone is keeping me busy with new finds to record now that the metal detecting season is getting into full swing!!
I thought you may be interested in reading about Essex based detectorist Terry’s recent trip to Italy.
Terry was helping to spread the word about responsible metal detecting whilst participating as a volunteer at the Gabii Project, an ongoing archaeological excavation that began back in 2007.
To see what the project is all about, visit the project website at http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gabiiproject/home.
Terry even wrote his own blog detailing his week on site http://bridgetsdads-bitofgabii.blogspot.com/
08/06/2010
The Treasure Act 1996 can be difficult to interpret with respect to certain specific classes of objects, one of which is pierced coins. That is because under the Act there are two sets of rules that are applied to artefacts and determine whether they are counted as ‘Treasure’. One set of rules applies to coins, another to all other worked objects. What about something that can appear to fit both definitions?
Under the Treasure Act, single precious metal coins are not considered to be Treasure, but single precious metal coins that have been modified into objects – that is, altered in some way as to make it likely that they were taken out of circulation – can, if older than 300 years old, qualify as Treasure.
This is usually seen in the form of a conversion of the coin into a brooch or pendant, or some other form of jewellery or dress accessory, evidence of which can include the addition of a suspension loop to the top, a pin (or the remains of one) at the back, or gilding. Additionally, the coin can be pierced in one or more places.
In consultation with the relevant British Museum curators and with the National Finds advisors, it was clear that in some cases, depending on the age and type of coin and the position of the piercing, a piercing by itself could constitute sufficient evidence of modification, and that it would qualify as Treasure.
This is most likely to be the case in the Early Medieval period, up to the date of 1180AD. Most known examples of pierced coins from this period are believed to have been removed from circulation. Consequently, if a pierced precious metal coin of this period is discovered, it should be reported as potential Treasure.
In the past, examples of pierced Iron Age and Roman coins have not been put through as Treasure; however, a gold or silver pierced coin from either of these periods may constitute Treasure, depending particularly on the location of the piercing, and may need to be reported; please show it to your nearest Finds Liaison Officer, who can liaise with the appropriate curator/finds advisor if necessary and get back with further guidance.
After 1180AD, examples of pierced coins appearing amongst other coins in hoards are known, and it is in this period where we are likely to need other features on the coin to convincingly argue that it was modified into an object. However, piercings along the edge, at the top or bottom of the coin (with respect to either obverse or reverse, or in such a way that any cross on the reverse would be upright) may indicate modification and removal from circulation. So, if a precious metal coin of this date pierced in the manner described above is found, it may constitute Treasure and may need to be reported; contact your local Finds Liaison Officer for their advice. If necessary, they can liaise with the appropriate curator/finds advisor and provide further guidance.
Please be aware that corrosion or physical damage to a coin may be sufficient to produce a hole. If it is clear that the hole is a result of factors such as these, and not intentional modification, it will not be eligible to be Treasure.
As always, if there is any question over whether an item may qualify as Treasure, we would urge a finder to contact their local Finds Liaison Officer.
Anglo-Saxon silver pierced denier from Suffolk declared Treasure and in the process of being acquired by Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service
08/06/2010
Today on Twitter, David Haskiya alerted me to a set of old Ordnance Survey maps that have been scanned by the National Library of Scotland and turned into the ‘NLS Maps API: Historic map of Great Britain for use in mashups’. These old maps are really useful (they cover England and Wales as well as Scotland!) for the work that our Finds Liaison Officers do, or for researchers using our database. Low level phenomenological research can be conducted. Their instructions are pretty straightforward to follow and I have now added this layer to our findspot mapping (at the moment just for higher level users). The image below gives an example of the embedded Googlemap that we can produce from these OS tiles:
Our maps now have the following layers:
- Satellite
- Terrain
- Openstreetmap
- Google Earth
- Basic map
- Hybrid
- Historical
To implement this layer all you need to do is the following (I have Jquery as my javascript framework), firstly add the Javascript file that runs their tileserver to either your head tags or before the closing body tag of your HTML document.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://nls.tileserver.com/api.js"></script>
Then you need to initiate the layer and add the historical map button and copyright layer:
var copyright = new GCopyright(1, new GLatLngBounds(new GLatLng(-90, -180),new GLatLng(90, 180)), 1,
"Historical maps from <a href=’http://geo.nls.uk/maps/api/’>NLS Maps API<\\/a>");
var copyrightCollection = new GCopyrightCollection();
copyrightCollection.addCopyright(copyright);var tilelayer = new GTileLayer(copyrightCollection, 1, NLSTileUrlOS(‘MAXZOOM’));
tilelayer.getTileUrl = NLSTileUrlOS;
var nlsmap = new GMapType(\[tilelayer\], G\_NORMAL\_MAP.getProjection(), "Historical");
You will then need to add the map type to your mapping script by adding the following javascript:
So for example my code for running our map looks like the below (and I add this before the closing body tags, and using Zend Framework’s inlineScript syntax within my PHP script:
<script type="text/javascript" src="<a href="http://nls.tileserver.com/api.js">http://nls.tileserver.com/api.js</a>"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?file=API&v=2.x&key=ABQIAAAAasv4kXXJ0jQKvwOWfHsLjBSlEYz08iyooQyuh\_EGbYeUie1elhTVaZDZHd9xfLdYKWAVz9b3bDuvKA">http://maps.google.com/maps?file=API&amp;v=2.x&key={key}</a>"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="<a href="http://gmaps-utility-library.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/mapiconmaker/1.0/src/mapiconmaker.js">http://gmaps-utility-library.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/mapiconmaker/1.0/src/mapiconmaker.js</a>"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<!\[CDATA\[
$(document).ready(function() {
if (GBrowserIsCompatible()) {
//Set up the NLS layer
var copyright = new GCopyright(1, new GLatLngBounds(new GLatLng(-90, -180),new GLatLng(90, 180)), 1,
"Historical maps from <a href='http://geo.nls.uk/maps/api/'>NLS Maps API<\\/a>");
var copyrightCollection = new GCopyrightCollection();
copyrightCollection.addCopyright(copyright);
var tilelayer = new GTileLayer(copyrightCollection, 1, NLSTileUrlOS('MAXZOOM'));
tilelayer.getTileUrl = NLSTileUrlOS;
var nlsmap = new GMapType(\[tilelayer\], G\_NORMAL\_MAP.getProjection(), "Historical");
//Set up the openstreet map layer
var copyOSM = new GCopyrightCollection(‘<a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/">OpenStreetMap</a>’);
copyOSM.addCopyright(new GCopyright(1,
new GLatLngBounds(new GLatLng(-90, -180), new GLatLng(90, 180)),
0, // minimum zoom level
‘ ‘ // no additional copyright message, but empty string hides entire copyright
));
var osmLayer = new GTileLayer(copyOSM, 0, 18, {
tileUrlTemplate: ‘http://b.tile.cloudmade.com/BC9A493B41014CAABB98F0471D759707/998/256/{Z}/{X}/{Y}.png’,
isPng: true,
opacity: 1.0
});
var osmMap = new GMapType(
\[osmLayer\], // list of layers
G\_NORMAL\_MAP.getProjection(), // borrow the Mercator projection from the standard map
‘OSM’ // name should be short enough to fit in button
);
//Initiate the map for the div with id of "map" – random Lat/lon pair used here – not a findspot!
var map = new GMap2(document.getElementById("map"));
map.setUIToDefault();
map.addControl(new GMapTypeControl());
map.setCenter(new GLatLng(51.263722,0.68009),11);
//Add your map types – here I have added OSM, NLS, Earth and Terrain
map.addMapType(osmMap);
map.addMapType(nlsmap);
map.addMapType(G\_SATELLITE\_3D\_MAP);
map.addMapType(G\_PHYSICAL\_MAP);
//Set your default map type
map.setMapType(G\_PHYSICAL\_MAP);
map.disableScrollWheelZoom();
map.enableRotation();
//Set up my icons
var tinyIcon = new GIcon();
tinyIcon.image = "http://labs.google.com/ridefinder/images/mm\_20\_red.png";
tinyIcon.shadow = "http://labs.google.com/ridefinder/images/mm\_20\_shadow.png";
tinyIcon.iconSize = new GSize(12, 20);
tinyIcon.shadowSize = new GSize(22, 20);
tinyIcon.iconAnchor = new GPoint(6, 20);
tinyIcon.infoWindowAnchor = new GPoint(5, 1);
markerOptions = { icon:tinyIcon };
var findIcon = new GIcon();
findIcon.image = "http://labs.google.com/ridefinder/images/mm\_20\_blue.png";
findIcon.shadow = "http://labs.google.com/ridefinder/images/mm\_20\_shadow.png";
findIcon.iconSize = new GSize(12, 20);
findIcon.shadowSize = new GSize(22, 20);
findIcon.iconAnchor = new GPoint(6, 20);
findIcon.infoWindowAnchor = new GPoint(5, 1);
findOptions = { icon:findIcon };
var point = new GLatLng(51.263722,0.68009);
var marker = new GMarker(point, markerOptions);
GEvent.addListener(marker, "click", function () {
marker.openInfoWindowHtml("Findspot location");
});
map.addOverlay(marker);
}
});
//\]\]>
</script>
So really simple to integrate and get running on your site.
08/03/2010
Mr John Ellery, coroner for North Shropshire, today (3-8-2010) found that this single silver penny of Henry III (see link below) was part of the much larger Baschurch hoard. As such Mr Ellery declared that this was Treasure in accordance with the Treasure Act 1996. Shropshire County Museum Service has expressed an interest in this coin and as such it will be valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee (TVC). The TVCs valuation will then be offered as a reward to the finder and landowner.
A display of the Baschurch hoard is planned for the New Year at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery (Rowley’s House), after which it will form part of the redisplayed medieval gallery at the new museum (Music Hall) in Shrewsbury.
This new addition to the Baschurch hoard is a silver penny of Henry III, Class IIIb, struck by the moneyer, Nicole at the Shrewsbury Mint. 1248-1250 (North 987). Very little is known about the Shrewsbury mint. We do not know where it was based but it has been suggested that it was within the town castle complex. This would make sense as value of the bullion, coins and more importantly the dies for making the coins would have needed a lot of protection and security. A building known as The Old Mint (Bennet’s Hall) on Pride Hill, Shrewsbury is likely to refer to the site of the civil war mint rather than this much older example. The names of the moneyers are recorded as Richard (Ricard) Pride, Nicholas (Nicole), son of Ives, Laurence (Lorenz) Cox, and Peter (Peris) son of Clement. It is highly unlikely that these were actually the people who made the coins; they were more likely to be the foremen who were in charge and were responsible for a team of workmen.
As Dr Cook suggests in his report coins from Shrewsbury are relatively rare, they represent a very small fraction of all the coins of this period. For example, the PAS database has recorded only 3 complete Shrewsbury pennies and three further cut fractions. When this is compared to the long cross pennies of Henry III on the database (over 1500) this is a tiny proportion (0.4 %). There have been no discoveries of Shrewsbury based coins of this period from Shropshire, which makes this group even more interesting. In the major study of the Shrewsbury coins John Brand suggests that £7167 were struck at Shrewsbury by the four moneyers. This equals the equivalent of 1,720,080 pence, which is a phenomenal number of coins. The fact that very few survive and are found today would suggest that medieval recycling of currency was extremely effective and that the medieval people were especially careful with their silver money.
The original discovery of the Baschurch Hoard was made in 2007 by a metal detectorist. I wrote a short article on this for The Searcher which is attached to this blog as a PDF. My article is based in large part on the excellent Treasure report produced by Dr Barrie Cook of the British Museum.
Baschurch Coin Hoard, originally published in The Searcher
Follow link below for PAS record:
PAS record number: HESH-4AA683
Object type: Coin
Broadperiod: MEDIEVAL
County of discovery: Shropshire
Stable url: http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/251501
See the link below for other coins of Henry III struck in Shrewsbury between 1248-1250 AD:
https://finds.org.uk/database/search/results/objecttype/coin/broadperiod/Medieval/ruler/204/mint/194
and a link to the results mapped: https://finds.org.uk/database/search/map/objecttype/coin/broadperiod/Medieval/ruler/204/mint/194
08/02/2010
This is my first post on the North East blog and so thought I would just update people as to the situation here in the NE.
I am based in Durham and visit clubs in the south of the region. Rob Collins is based in Newcastle and visits clubs in the north of the region.
I have been in post now for 13 months and am getting to know the area and the detectorists. I’ve had some lovely finds brought in, both from within the region and from outside. I hope to use this blog to keep people updated with some of the new and interesting things which are reported to me.
I am currently finishing off a part-time research masters (MLitt) looking at Roman Brooches and there is more information about this on the North West Blog as this is where I used to work before moving up to the North East.
My first find which I would like to feature is not Roman, in fact it is late Medieval, and lead; two words which may make people stop reading! However Geoff Egan who is the Medieval and Post Medieval Finds Advisor for the PAS was very interested in this little object. At first the finder and I had thought it might be a Medieval ampulla and with the mud plugging the top, possibly still containing some of its original contents. A quick email to Geoff though soon put us right. It was something that he thinks is much better than an ampulla, it is a small toy jug. Geoff has worked closely with the finds from London where they have huge amounts of objects and he has published widely, however one of his areas of interest is ‘Toys and Trinkets’ (also the title of one of his books). The jug is recorded on the PAS database as DUR-35B102 and it is even nicer for Geoff as it is still in its original shape, having escaped being squashed as the majority have been.
Although it looks simple and is not made from precious metal it is none-the-less another piece of the past which is improving our knowledge of material culture and how it differs or is the same across the country. The majority of Medieval and Post Medieval lead toys were found in London but the data recorded with the PAS is changing this and showing that these items were used all over the country, even if it was in smaller numbers.
08/02/2010
Further Alloy Analysis on the Wirral brooches
If you click onto the link above I have a short update on the Wirral brooch project. I was lucky enough to get some funding from Historic Scotland to pay for Dr. Matthew Ponting’s travel and time to come up to Edinburgh and do some analysis on the Scottish sub-group of the Wirral brooches.
We were testing these to see if their alloys were the same as the brooches we had tested from the core area of the distribution. They are stylistically the same yet geographically very far away so I was hoping that the alloy composition would help us answer the question of whether the Scottish sub-group was made in Scotland, or around the Wirral.
My dissertation is almost finished and so more will follow on my study of these brooches soon!