A hoard of silver coins, buried nearly 1,000 years ago, has been discovered on the Isle of Man. The collection has been declared treasure by the Isle of Man Deputy Coroner of Inquests, Rebecca Cubbon.
In May, metal detectorists John Crowe and David O’Hare uncovered the hoard while detecting on private land with permission. It consists of 36 silver coins, both whole and fragmented, and marks the second treasure inquest on the Isle of Man in 2024.
The hoard includes pennies minted in both England and Ireland between the years 1000 and 1065. The majority were struck during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042–1066), with earlier coins from the reigns of Aethelred II (978–1016) and Cnut (1016–1035) also represented. The English coins were minted in various locations, including York, London, Lincoln, Cambridge, Hastings, Ipswich, and Exeter.
The Irish coins date from the mid-1000s and were minted in Dublin during the reign of Sihtric Silkbeard, who ruled as the Norse King of Dublin from 989 to 1036. Based on the latest English coins, it is believed the hoard was buried shortly before 1070.
The broad geographical range of mints represented in this hoard provides insight into the Isle of Man’s role in a highly mobile and interconnected economy, with traders and currency moving in and out of the region. As Allison Fox, Curator for Archaeology for Manx National Heritage, noted:
“This is a wonderful find which helps further our understanding of the complex Viking Age economy in the Isle of Man, where more Viking Age silver has been discovered per square kilometre than in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.”
Dr Kristin Bornholdt Collins, an independent researcher and numismatist, confirmed the significance of the find. She noted that the hoard may have been assembled in two stages, with earlier English and Irish coins deposited first, and later coins added during the reign of Edward the Confessor.
“Like the slightly earlier and larger Northern and Glenfaba hoards, and the similarly dated Kirk Michael hoards,” Dr Bornholdt remarked, “this new hoard might be compared to a wallet containing all kinds of credit cards, notes and coins, perhaps of different nationalities, such as when you prepare to travel overseas. It shows the variety of currencies available to an Irish Sea trader or inhabitants of Man in this period.
“Combined, the hoards provide a rare chance to study the contents side by side, right down to the detail of the dies used to strike the coins. Having this much closely dated comparative material from separate finds is highly unusual.”
The hoard will be on display at the Manx Museum in Douglas from 2 October to 13 October. Click here to visit the museum website.
