Cridling Stubbs Hoard facts for kids
The Cridling Stubbs hoard (also known as the Womersley Hoard or Womersley I) is a secret collection of over 3,300 ancient coins hidden inside a big clay pot. This amazing find comes from a time when Britain was part of the Roman Empire, so we call it 'Romano-British'. A 'hoard' is a large group of valuable items, like coins, that someone has hidden away.
Contents
How Was This Ancient Treasure Found?
The First Discovery
Imagine working on a farm and finding a piece of history! That's what happened to Mr. W. Frost, a farmworker at Lodge Farm in Cridling Stubbs. On October 8, 1967, he found some parts of this amazing coin hoard.
Archaeologists Step In
Just a few days later, on October 16, 1967, experts arrived to carefully dig up the rest of the treasure. These archaeologists, RM Butler and Jeffrey Radley, were from the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. They found even more coins! The large clay pot holding the coins was standing upright in the ground. It was covered by a piece of another clay pot and a stone, almost like a lid.
What Happened Next?
At the time, this hoard didn't count as 'treasure' under the old laws. This meant the coins and the pot went back to the landowner. The landowner then sold the pot and 447 of the coins to Leeds Museums & Galleries for £300. The Art Fund helped the museum buy this important piece of history.
What Was Inside the Hoard?
The Clay Pot
The hoard was kept in a special ceramic (clay) pot. This pot was made with tiny pieces of calcite (a type of mineral) mixed into the clay. Experts believe the pot was made around the 4th century AD.
The Ancient Coins
Inside the pot were more than 3,300 bronze coins! These coins show the faces of different Roman Emperors, from Tetricus I all the way to Constantius II.
When Were the Coins Made?
Most of the coins were made between AD 330 and 346. However, some coins were much older! Fourteen of them were minted (made) before AD 324, with the very oldest dating back to AD 270–275. This shows that the hoard was collected over many years before it was finally hidden away.
Where Can You See It?
The Cridling Stubbs hoard was on display at the Leeds City Museum for several months. It was there from February to July in 2018, giving many people a chance to see this incredible Roman treasure.
