On a Hoard of Gold Nobles found at Bremeridge Farm, Westbury, Wiltshire.

On a Hoard of Gold Nobles found at Bremeridge Farm, Westbury, Wiltshire.
May 23, 1878.

In the early part of September 1877 there was found on Brenieridge farm, in the parish of Westbury, Wilts, belonging to’ Charles Paul Pliipps, esq. of Chalcot, a hoard of 32 gold coins. They were found during repairs and. im­provements of the homestead, about a foot and a half below the surface, in the courtyard, piled,one above another, without any appearance of a.purse or box. The place of deposit would be indicated by a line producing the east end of the main building southwards to a distance of about 13 ft. from the wall of the present back kitchen.
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The workmen, as a matter of course, appropriated the coins and distributed them amongst themselves, being fully alive to their intrinsic value, but all unwitting, apparently, of the laws of treasure trove. Mr. Phipps, with great promptitude, made the workmen understand that the coins belonged neither to them as,finders nor to himself as owner of the soil and employer, but to the Queen, and must be sent forthwith to the Treasury. By this means 32 pieces were recovered uninjured, except that a little bit had been scooped out of the edge of one, apparently to test the metal. After careful examination and after a list was made they were sent to the Treasury in a registered packet on the 18th of September.

About the 18th of December 28 of the coins were received back from the Treasury, three of the original number being retained for the Mint and one for the British Museum, and express provision was made for the liberal reward of tbe workmen who had discovered this interesting hoard.

The general type of the coins resembles those engraved in ‘Ruding’ as nobles of Edward III. Obverse, edwaed dei gra rex angkl et feanc n d. hyb. The king standing in a ship, crowned, holding in the right hand a drawn sword, and on the left arm a shield bearing the arms of France and England. Reverse, a cross fleury with a fleur de lis at each point, and a lion passant gardant under a crown in each quarter.

In some of the Bremeridge specimens the French arms are represented semee of fieurs de lis as assumed by Edward III.; in some there are four, or more fleurs de lis indicated in the 1st quarter, and three in the 4th and more circumscribed quarter, while seme one or two have distinctly three fleurs de lis in both quarter, as afterwards adopted by Charles VI. of France, who began to reign a.d. 1380, and as expressly imitated by our Henry V.

Some of those which have the name of Edward on the obverse have on the reverse in the centre the initial 3 of fourteenth century shape.

The coin which has had a piece unfortunately cut out of it by the finders, as above mentioned, happens to be particularly interesting as being one of the three of Richard II in this hoard, resembling those already described of Edward III. with the exception of having the name Richard, which is somewhat defaced, on the obverse, and the initial u in the centre of the reverse. These nobles of Richard are not so well coined as those of Edward in the same hoards and the mutilated coin already mentioned being curiously blundered both on the obverse and reverse seems to indicate either a, forgery or great disorganisation in the proceedings of the mint.
The most curious, from the historical point of view, appear to be four which having on the obverse the armed figure in the ship, like the rest, have never­theless, instead of the arms of Edward III., those of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, as shown in the illuminations of Froissart, except the tinctures, which could not be expressed on coin, 1st and 4th quarters, azure semde of flours de Us or within a bordure compony gules and argent; 2nd and 3rd, bendy or and azure within a bordure gules, with the legend p. H. s. dei gka dtjx Buna comes &
DNS ELAND.

This quartered coat, sometimes called modern Burgundy, was assumed by Philip the Bold, fourth son of John II. of Prance, when created Duke of Burgundy in 1363. The coat in the 2nd and 3rd quarters is that of the first house of Burgundy, which flourished upwards of 320 years, and came to an end in 1361 by the decease of Philip le Rouvre, Duke of Burgundy, betrothed to Margaret, heiress presumptive of Flanders, who at the said date was about eleven years old. The arms on these Flemish nobles agree minutely with the coat depicted over the head-of Philip the Bold in the illumination of the MS. of Froissarfc in the British Museum, where he is represented sitting in council with the Duke of Berri.

The diameter of the coins is a little larger than a half-crown, the thickness scarcely more than that of a sixpence, the average weight. 120 grains, nearly that of a sovereign. They all appear to be of the finest gold and the impressions are mostly clear and sharp, showing very little wear from circulation, but some few are not so successfully coined as others, and are somewhat blurred.

The Bremeridge specimens bearing the name and arms of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, were not devised by that right royal duke nor copied by him from some imaginary continental type, but are most interesting examples of an adoption and continuation of the coinage of gold nobles established in Flanders by our Edward III. the next month after the battle of Crécy in 1346.

The style Domirius, in addition to Conies Flandriae, appears to be a following of Dominus Hiberniae, part of the title of the English kings.

The putting together for contemplation a few dates, historical events, and documents, will best illustrate the history of gold nobles, both English and Flemish.

1327. Although Edward III. from his accession at the age of fifteen asserted his claim to be King of France, he did not actually take that title till about 1337, after consultation with Van Artevelde and the Flemings. In 1338 his third son Lionel was born at Antwerp, in the dukedom of Brabant, and was afterwards known as Lionel of Antwerp. Some suppose the name Lionel to have been chosen in allusion to the lion which is the heraldic bearing of the Duke of Brabant.

In 1339 Edward formally and regularly took the title of King of France, and quartered his arms with those of France to satisfy the Flemings.

1340. The victory at sea off Sluys.
Edward III., as early as 1336, had claimed that ” the kings of England were lords of the English Sea on all sides.” After this victory and the equally splendid one over the Spanish fleet in 1350 he was called by his own subjects and others ” King of the Sea.”11 . •
Edward’s fourth son John was this year born at Ghent, and hence he was afterwards known as John of .Gaunt.

1343-4. First issue, of gold nobles. . .
In the following year. William , de.Edington became bishop of Winchester. He was born at Edington, Wilts, and founded the convent.and church there, to which Bremeridge, live. miles distant, afterwards belonged. He introduced Bonhoinmes, an order of Augustin friars, into the convent by the persuasion of Edward the Black Prince. He was. treasurer and chancellor of England, took much interest in the coinage, was a great favourite with Edward III., and was offered the archbishopric of Canterbury but refused it. He invented and introduced, in 1351, the groat.and half-groat, which seem to have been intended as a boon to , the poorer sort of the community, and so a fit sequel to the gold nobles for the rich and. great. He died in. 1366, and was succeeded as treasurer and chancellor of England and as bishop of Winchester by William of Wykeham

1346. On Saturday, the 26th of August, was fought the battle of Crécy, and on the 8th of September and 24th of March following were signed by Edward III. at Westminster agreements for the currency of English nobles in Flanders, and for coining nobles in Flanders to be current both there and in England.
In the same year was fought the battle of Neville’s Cross, in which David II. of Scotland was taken prisoner. He remained captive in England eleven years.

1356. Battle of Poitiers.
John II. of France was taken prisoner with his fourth son Philip, then 16 years of age, who, from his bravery on this occasion and general character, was ever afterwards called ” the Bold.”

1360. Treaty of Bretigni. Edward III. renounced his claim to the throne of France in return for great concessions. This change is noted on his coins.

1363. Philip the Bold created Duke of Burgundy and first peer of France.

1369. He married Margaret, heiress presumptive of Manders. Edward III. resumed the title of King of Prance, which title accordingly reappears on his coins.
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1371. David II. had come to England in 1363 to negotiate for the succession of Edward’s third son Lionel to the Scottish throne, and was then cordially received and recognised as King of Scotland. Shortly before his decease in 1371 he issued gold nobles in Scotland, in imitation of those of England.

1375. Great festivities and tournaments, lasting four days, were given at Ghent by the Duke of Burgundy.

1377. Decease of Edward III. and accession of his grandson Richard 11.

1384, Philip the Bold becomes Count of Elanders by the decease of Louis de MMe,c and assumes the style which appears on his nobles.

1399. llichard II. deposed, and succeeded by Henry IV.

1404. Philip the Bold dies, and is buried with great pomp in the Carthusian church which he had founded at Dijon. His magnificent tomb was taken to pieces in consequence of an order of the Commune in 1793 for its destruction ; but it was put together again in 1818 without much injury, and is now in the Museum at Dijon.’1 His widow survived him one year, and was buried in the Isle of Plandcrs.

1417. 5 Henry V. The nobles of Manders, “vulgarly called Bourgoigne nobles,” are forbidden, under penalty, to be received in England, as being of less value than those now coined in England.

The nobles of the Bremeridge hoard are of various dates.