T H R E E SEVENTEENTH- AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FINDS

J . P . C . K E N T

S H E E R N E S S ( I S L E O F S H E P P E Y ) T R E A S U R E T R O V E

E D W A R D V I - C H A R L E S I

ON 28 August 1968 Mr. J. Sharpin was operating a hydraulic excavator on the site of the new Sheppey Comprehensive School in Minster Road, Sheerness (Nat. Grid TQ 93827276) , formerly Clarke's Farm, when he unearthed 417 silver coins, the latest belonging to the end of Charles I's reign. They were contained in a glazed pottery vessel which had been placed inverted on a tile. At an inquest held on 26 September 1968 at Sittingbourne the coins were declared to be treasure trove. As none were required by a museum, the coins were returned to the finder and sold by auction by Glendining & Co. on 10 July 1969, lots 551-79 . It is understood that a single purchaser acquired a considerable portion of the find, and intends to lodge a few of the coins with the school. The pot and tile were returned to the Kent Education Committee.

L I S T O F T H E C O I N S Edward VI (4): Shilling: Tun 4. Philip and Mary (2): Shilling: Spanish titles, 1554 above head, value beside crown on rev. 1; Spanish

titles, date ?, no mark of value 1. Elizabeth I (48): Shilling: Lis 1, Crosslets 10, Martlet 12, Bell 2, A 5, Scallop 4, Crescent 2, Tun 3,

Woolpack 6, Key 1, 1 1, 2 1. James I (33): Shilling: 1st Coinage, Thistle, 1st Bust 1, 2nd Bust 6, Lis 3; 2nd Coinage, 3rd Bust Lis 5,

Lis or Rose 1, Rose 5, 4th Bust Rose 1, Scallop 2, Grapes 1, 5th Bust Coronet 1, Tun 1; 3rd Coinage, 6th Bust Thistle 1, Lis (IACOBVS) 1, (IACOB) 2, Trefoil 2.

Tower Mint Charles I (330): Half-crown (25): (la3) Cross on steps 1, (3a2) Tun 1, Triangle 3, (4) Triangle in Circle

5, (P) 1, (3a3) 3, (R) 3, Eye 3, Sun 4, (5) 1. Shilling (303): (1) Cross on Steps 1, (2a) Plumes 3, Rose 2, (31) Harp 2, Portcullis 3, (3a) Bell 5, Crown 11, Tun 15, (41) 2, (43) 6, Anchor 11, Triangle 2, (43/44) 2, (44/43) 3, (44) 19, Star 14, Triangle in Circle 70, (P) 40, (R) 23, Eye 16, Sun 22, (4s) 10. (46) 1 Sceptre (45) 4, (4°) var. 7, Uncertain 7.

York Mint Half-crown: Horse on ground-line/square uncrowned shield flanked by CR 1, no ground, EBOR/Oval,

garnished and crowned shield 1.

T H E P O T A N D T I L E F O U N D C O N T A I N I N G T H E S H E P P E Y H O A R D

The hoard was reported to have been found in the pottery jar placed upside down on the tile, which was apparently laid flat with the convex surface uppermost. The position of the pottery jar and the tile as found is reconstructed in Fig. 1.

164 T H R E E S E V E N T E E N T H - A N D E I G H T E E N T H - C E N T U R Y F I N D S

FIG. 2. Scale J.

The jar is made in a bright red fabric with darker surfaces and fine black specks that are shown up in the glaze. The jar has three grooves around the body beneath the rim which is of square section with an interior hollow for a lid (see Fig. 2). The brown glaze covers the interior of the pot, the rim, and the upper half of the outer surface. The height of the pot is 5-2 ins. and the diameter across the top is 4-9 ins. The tile (see Fig. 3) is

165 T H R E E S E V E N T E E N T H - A N D E I G H T E E N T H - C E N T U R Y F I N D S

made of a coarser hard fired red fabric but with larger pieces of grit. The tile is broken but its original width was 6 ins.; its present length is 5-3 ins.

I /'.

r ' i' ) i J j i ' < r / u V I

i V ' 1 ' ' - ' ' I • M '/|f

FIG. 3. Scale A.

The pot, deposited in 1649, is a useful addition to post-medieval Kentish pottery since little is known of seventeenth-century pottery in Sheppey. Brown glazed pottery is frequently found in seventeenth-century contexts, though there is no really close parallel among the published groups of seventeenth-century pottery from Norwich, Bristol, or Colchester.1 The decoration of the body with grooves is quite common both at Bristol and Colchester; the treatment of the vessel with glaze is paralleled at Colchester (No. 23). There is very little published post-medieval pottery from Kent. Although Wrotham produced plain as well as slip decorated pottery, it seems unlikely that the pot was pro-duced there and it is probably from another Kentish source.

H A R L A X T O N ( L I N C S . ) T R E A S U R E T R O V E

E D W A R D V I - C H A R L E S I

On 25 April 1968, while digging in his garden, Mr. C. J. Murden, of Glebe House, Harlaxton, found one gold and 141 silver coins, the latest of 1642-3. Though no con-tainer survived, they were found together 'as if they had been in a bag'. On 18 July 1968 an inquest held at Grantham declared them to be treasure trove. The find was purchased in its entirety by Lincoln Museum.

1 Norwich, see Norfolk Archaeology, vol. xxxiii, of the Essex Archaeological Society, vol. i, Third pt. ii, 1963, p. 163; Bristol, see Medieval Archaeology, Series, pp. 1-11. vol. viii, 1964, pp. 184-212; Colchester, Transactions

166 T H R E E S E V E N T E E N T H - A N D E I G H T E E N T H - C E N T U R Y F I N D S

L I S T O F T H E C O I N S Edward VI (1): y 1 Elizabeth I (53): Shilling (17): Crosslet 2, Martlet 3, Scallop 1, Hand 3, Tun 2, Woolpack 2, Key 1,

1 1,2 2. Sixpence (36): Pheon 1561 3, 1562 1, 1565 1, 156// 1, Portcullis 1566 1, Lion 1567 1, Coronet 15671 ,15681 ,15691 ,15701 , Castle 1571 4, Ermine 1572 2,1573 2, Acorn 1573 1, Eglan-tine 1575 2, 1576 1, 157// 1, Greek Cross 1578 1, Long Cross 1580 1 (reverse over 1579 Greek Cross), 1581 1, 1582 1, Tun 1593 2, Woolpack 1594 1, Anchor 1599 (over 1598) 1, 1600 (over 1599) 1, 2 1602 1. Milled 6d. Star 1562 1.

James I (28): Scots, before accession to English throne: Thistle-merk 1602 1, Half thistle-merk 1602 1.

English First Coinage (7), Shilling: 1st Bust Thistle 1, 2nd Bust Thistle 1, Lis 2. Sixpence: Thistle 1st Bust 2, 2nd Bust 1. Second Coinage (8), Double Crown: 4th Bust Trefoil 1. Shilling: 3rd Bust Rose 1, 4th Bust Rose 2, Scallop 1, 5th Bust Coronet 1. Sixpence: 3rd Bust Lis 1605 1, 5th Bust Key 1609 1. Third Coinage (5), shilling: 6th Bust Rose 1, Lis 1, (Plumes on reverse) 2, Trefoil 1.

Irish Shilling (i.e. ninepence in England): Bell 2, Martlet 4.

C H A R L E S I (60): Half-crown (9): 2c Portcullis 1, 3a1 Bell 1, 3a2 Anchor 1, 4 Star 2, Triangle in Circle 4. Shilling (41): 1 Lis 1, 31 Portcullis 2, Harp 1, Rose 1, 3a Bell 1, Crown 4, Tun 9, 43 Tun 1, Anchor 1, Triangle 1, 44 Triangle 1, Star 4, Triangle in Circle 15. Sixpence (10): 3a Bell 2, Crown 1, Tun 1, 41 Tun 1, 42 Anchor 3, 43 Triangle in Circle 2.

W E S T M A N C O T E ( B R E D O N ) , W O R C S . , T R E A S U R E T R O V E

G E O R G E I I I

On 9 January 1969 Mr. F. W. A. Hancock, working as a heating engineer at Tudor House, Westmancote, found beneath the floorboards fifty-seven guineas and two shil-lings, the latest coin dated 1794, in paper wrappings. On 24 January, an inquest at Per-shore found them to be treasure trove. A guinea of 1789 (asterisked in list) was acquired by the national collection; the remainder, not being required by a museum, were returned to the finder. The coins were in excellent condition, and all but one, a guinea of 1787, comfortably exceeded the minimum legal weight of 5 dwt. 8 gr. The presence of the shillings, in uncirculated condition, is a reminder of the scarcity of new silver coins in the late eighteenth century.

L I S T O F T H E C O I N S

Guineas: Shield type: 1773 7; 1777 1; 1783 1; 1784 2; 1785 4. Spade type: 1787 9; 1788 9; 1789 6 (3 with large 9*, 3 with small 9); 1790 7; 1791 J ; 1792 2; 1793 5; 1794 5.

Shillings: George II, 1758 1. George III (with semee on shield) 1787 1.