Crondall Hoard facts for kids
The Crondall Hoard is a special collection of gold coins and other items. It was found in 1828 in the village of Crondall in Hampshire, England. This amazing discovery dates back to the 600s. It is the only large collection of Anglo-Saxon gold coins ever found. Today, you can see these coins at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
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What is the Crondall Hoard?
A hoard is a hidden collection of valuable things. The Crondall Hoard is important because it tells us about life long ago. It helps us understand the Anglo-Saxons, who lived in England after the Romans left. This hoard is unique because it contains so many gold coins from that time.
How Was the Crondall Hoard Found?
The hoard was found by accident in 1828. A man named Charles Lefroy discovered it on his family's land. Imagine finding such a treasure while just going about your day!
What Was Inside the Hoard?
When it was first found, the Crondall Hoard contained 97 gold coins. There were also three blank gold pieces, called planchets. These were meant to be made into coins later. One gold-plated object was also found, which might have been a fake coin.
The hoard also included two fancy, jewelled ornaments. Small chains were found too. Charles Lefroy thought these chains might have been part of a small bag. This bag could have held the coins and jewellery.
Types of Coins Found
Of the 97 coins, 73 were Anglo-Saxon coins called thrymsa. The other 24 coins were from a group of people called the Merovingians or Franks. These coins were known as tremissis. Historians believe the hoard was hidden sometime between 635 AD and 650 AD.
Why Was the Hoard Hidden?
We don't know for sure why the Crondall Hoard was hidden or lost. It's a mystery! One idea comes from a coin expert named Philip Grierson. He suggested the hoard might have been a wergild.
A wergild was a payment made to a family if someone was killed. It was a way to make up for the loss. In the old laws of the Kingdom of Kent, a wergild for killing a free Anglo-Saxon was 100 gold shillings. This amount was similar to the gold found in the hoard. However, the hoard was found in the Kingdom of Wessex, where the rules for wergild were different. Also, we can't be sure that all 100 coins and blanks were found.
Where Is the Crondall Hoard Now?
After its discovery, the hoard stayed with the Lefroy family until 1895. Then, it was sold to a man named John Norton. We don't know what happened to the three blank gold pieces, the possible fake coin, or the jewellery.
After John Norton passed away in 1943, all the coins were sold to a coin company. This company then sold them to the Ashmolean Museum. The coins are now on display there for everyone to see.
The Crondall Hoard is very important for history. It is the only large collection of Anglo-Saxon thrymsa ever found. Much of what we know about Anglo-Saxon gold coins comes from studying this amazing hoard.
