Mitton Hoard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mitton Hoard |
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The Mitton Hoard on display at Clitheroe Castle
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| Material | silver |
| Created | Medieval |
| Discovered | Mitton, Clitheroe 53°50′47″N 2°26′32″W / 53.84639°N 2.44222°W |
| Present location | Clitheroe Castle Museum |
Imagine finding a hidden treasure! The Mitton Hoard is a collection of old silver coins. It was discovered near a town called Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. This exciting find happened around 2006 or 2009. Today, you can see these ancient coins at the Clitheroe Castle Museum. The hoard officially contains 11 silver coins or pieces of coins.
Discovering the Mitton Hoard
The coins were found near a place called Mitton. Mitton is split into two small villages: Great Mitton and Little Mitton. The discovery happened west of Great Mitton. It was found between two rivers, the River Hodder and the River Ribble. The exact spot was close to a bend in the River Hodder.
There are two different dates for when the coins were found. One record says it was in 2006. Another says the coins were found using a metal detector on Monday, September 7, 2009. After they were found, the coins were officially declared a "treasure." This meant they were important enough to be owned by a museum. Now, the Mitton Hoard is on display for everyone to see at the Clitheroe Castle Museum.
What is a Hoard?
A "hoard" is a collection of valuable items, like coins or jewelry, that someone has hidden away. Often, these items were buried for safekeeping. Sometimes, the owner never came back to get them. This means hoards are like time capsules, showing us what people used long ago.
The Mitton Hoard can tell us about the past. The newest coin in the hoard helps us guess when it was hidden. This coin was made in the 1420s. This suggests the hoard was probably lost or hidden around that time.
The Coins in the Hoard
The Mitton Hoard contains 11 silver coins or parts of coins. These coins come from different times and places.
- Three pennies were from the time of King Edward I or Edward II of England. These are the oldest coins in the hoard.
- Two half-groats were from the reign of Edward III of England.
- One halfpenny was from the time of Richard II of England.
- Three groats were from the reign of Henry VI of England.
- There are also two small pieces of coins from France. These were made for a French leader named Gaucher V de Châtillon. He was a very important person in France between 1313 and 1322. He held one of the highest positions as the Constable of France.
The English silver coins are very pure, about 97.5% silver. The French coin pieces are a bit less pure, about 80% silver. Except for one type of coin called a farthing, these coins represent all the small value coins that people used back then. It's believed that all these different coins could have been used at the same time in the 1420s.
