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Haltwhistle Hoard
Author: Steve Rice Published: 30-05-2008
On the 8th August last, while some workmen were quarrying stone for the
Directors of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, on the top of Boreum, a
high hill in the township of Thorngrafton and Parish of Haltwhistle in
Northumberland, one of them found a copper vessel containing 63 coins, 3 of
them gold and 60 copper. The gold coins were, one of Claudius Caesar,
reverse Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus; one of Nero and one of Vespasian.
Of the silver coins 3 were of Galba, 1 of Otho, 1 of Nero, 15 of Vespasian,
8 of Domitian, 1 of Nerva, 17 of Trajan, 4 of Hadrian and 10 of Empresses,
Consular or uncertain. Those of Trajan and Hadrian, are as fresh as if new
to the die. The rest, especially the 10 last, more or less worn. Each of the
gold coins was wrapped up in a separate piece of greenish leather or vellum,
which was still quite tough or strong. The vessel in which they were
contained was in the form of a basket, approx 6 inches long, boat shaped,
narrow at both ends, covered with a copper lid, and having a slender bow or
handle, also of copper. The lid at one end, had a hinge; and at the other,
fastened with a spring slot. The hill on which this interesting discovery
was made, overlooks the beautiful green site of the Roman Station of
Vindolana; and to the north the venerable ruins of the Roman wall skirt the
horizon and the gates of the celebrated stations of Borcivicus and Aesica
are seen, and the track of the old Roman military way nearly to the walls of
Magna, a station about the time of Hadrian, garrisoned by a cohort of Hamian
archery, apeople from the ancient town of Hamah on the Orontes, about 62
miles from Aleppo. All these four stations are within the preccincts of the
Parish of Haltwhistle. Mr Hodgson, the historian of Northumberland, from
whose minute book these notices were taken, is of the opinion that this
batch of coins was deposited in, or soon after the year 120, in which
Hadrian made his memorable expedition to Britain, as one of them bears
COS.II and the three others were COS.III.
The Gentlemans Magazine
Published 1837, p637
F. Jefferies |
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East Lothian
