Although known as the Walbottle Hoard, this cache of over 5000 Roman coins of the third century was found by Hadrian's Wall in Throckley, close to the now-disused water filter beds.
A cache of over 5000 Roman coins, known as the Walbottle hoard, was found in 1879 during the construction of the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company's filter beds (HER ref. 4236). It seems likely that the hoard may have been concealed in the Wall ditch near the site of Milecastle No. 11, at Throckley Bank Top. The coins were mostly of the decade AD 260-70. The hoard was dispersed in small lots by the finder, an Irish labourer, but subsequently some eight hundred or more were acquired by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle
Tyne and Wear HER(1241): Throckley, The Walbottle Hoard
Tyne and Wear HER(1241): Throckley, The Walbottle Hoard
An aqueduct was built from Whelton reservoir in Whittle Dean to Throckley Filter Beds in 1869. The water treatment works with extensive filter beds were completed in 1875 for the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company. This involved extensive terracing and excavation of the area of the treatment plant, during the course of which the 'Walbottle Hoard' (SMR 1421) was found.
Tyne and Wear HER(4236): Throckley, The Walbottle Hoard
Tyne and Wear HER(4236): Throckley, The Walbottle Hoard
Clayton, J. (1880). Discovery of a Hoard of Roman Coins on the Wall of Hadrian. Archaeologia Aeliana Series 2. Vol 8, Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle. pp. 256-280.
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The discovery was made by an Irish labourer employed in digging for the purpose of laying water-pipes in the bed of the road. He met with the vase at a depth of four feet beneath the surface of the road, and in close proximity to the southern face of the Wall of Hadrian, and at a spot where three or four courses of stones of that wall remain in situ buried in the road.
The vessel in which the.coins were contained is represented in the engraving on the previous page; it is of dark-coloured earthenware, and measures in height one foot two inches, and in girth or circumference at the widest part thirty-six inches.
5,028 coins were catalogued by Robert Blair and many were illustrated. They appear to be mainly small bronze coins of low denomination (antoniniani), with a few silvered-bronze (known as 'billon').
The workman sold a small number of coins privately but John Clayton managed to purchase the pot and most of those remaining. A few are now displayed in the Clayton Collection in Chesters museum. A small number of coins from the hoard were later acquired by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Upon Tyne (SANT) (see table below).
Another paper was published about the hoard in 1931 justified by increased understanding of Roman coinage being able to add considerable information about the dates and places of minting of the coins: Hedley, W. Percy (1931). The Walbottle (Throckley) hoard of Roman Coins. Archaeologia Aeliana Series 4. Vol 8, pp. 12-48.
The paper estimated the value of the hoard at the time of its being buried or lost to be only about £13. This would represent the pay of a common soldier for about two and a half years, or one and a half years if it had belonged to a centurion.
The paper explains that in AD 270-272 there were disturbances on the frontier that could account for the concealment of the hoard.
The vessel in which the.coins were contained is represented in the engraving on the previous page; it is of dark-coloured earthenware, and measures in height one foot two inches, and in girth or circumference at the widest part thirty-six inches.
5,028 coins were catalogued by Robert Blair and many were illustrated. They appear to be mainly small bronze coins of low denomination (antoniniani), with a few silvered-bronze (known as 'billon').
The workman sold a small number of coins privately but John Clayton managed to purchase the pot and most of those remaining. A few are now displayed in the Clayton Collection in Chesters museum. A small number of coins from the hoard were later acquired by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Upon Tyne (SANT) (see table below).
Another paper was published about the hoard in 1931 justified by increased understanding of Roman coinage being able to add considerable information about the dates and places of minting of the coins: Hedley, W. Percy (1931). The Walbottle (Throckley) hoard of Roman Coins. Archaeologia Aeliana Series 4. Vol 8, pp. 12-48.
The paper estimated the value of the hoard at the time of its being buried or lost to be only about £13. This would represent the pay of a common soldier for about two and a half years, or one and a half years if it had belonged to a centurion.
The paper explains that in AD 270-272 there were disturbances on the frontier that could account for the concealment of the hoard.
Hedley, W. Percy. (1931). The Walbottle (Throckley) hoard of Roman Coins. Archaeologia Aeliana Series 4. Vol 8, pp. 12-48.
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McIntosh, Guest & Ponting (2018). ‘The Walbottle Hoard of 1879: re-examination and reassessment’, Archaeologia Aeliana 5th series, vol. 46, 41-75.
SUMMARY
This article reappraises the Walbottle (Throckley) hoard of late-third century Roman coins. The hoard’s complicated biography since its discovery in 1879 is described, followed by a summary of the re-identified coins and a discussion of the hoard’s dating. The results of a ground-breaking metallurgical study of a sample of the Walbottle coins are also presented, emphasising the on-going value of antiquarian finds when subjected to careful re-evaluation and analysis.
SUMMARY
This article reappraises the Walbottle (Throckley) hoard of late-third century Roman coins. The hoard’s complicated biography since its discovery in 1879 is described, followed by a summary of the re-identified coins and a discussion of the hoard’s dating. The results of a ground-breaking metallurgical study of a sample of the Walbottle coins are also presented, emphasising the on-going value of antiquarian finds when subjected to careful re-evaluation and analysis.
Peter Guest has recently published papers reexamining the basis for Roman coin hoards:
Guest, P (2015) 'The Burial, Loss and Recovery of Roman Coin Hoards in Britain and Beyond: past, present and future' pages 101-116 in J. Naylor and R. Bland (eds) 'Hoarding and the Deposition of Metalwork from the Bronze Age to the 20th Century: a British Perspective.' Oxford: Archaeopress.
Guest P. (2018) ‘The Walbottle Hoard of 1879: re-examination and reassessment’, Archaeologia Aeliana 5th series, vol. 46, 41-75 (with F. McIntosh and M. Ponting).
He concludes that the two previous papers about the Walbottle hoard reflect modern attitudes towards the Roman past rather than proven archaeological reality, and the continued failure to accurately date when hoards were buried and lost remains a significant problem:
"imagined ‘events’ that led to its owner hiding the jar and coins in the ground, both authors believed, firstly that the 5,000 coins had been buried because of an imminent threat to the owner and presumably his property, secondly that it was the intention of the owner to return at some point in the future to recover his buried wealth, and finally that he had been unable to do so because of some unforeseen incident."
Guest, P (2015) 'The Burial, Loss and Recovery of Roman Coin Hoards in Britain and Beyond: past, present and future' pages 101-116 in J. Naylor and R. Bland (eds) 'Hoarding and the Deposition of Metalwork from the Bronze Age to the 20th Century: a British Perspective.' Oxford: Archaeopress.
Guest P. (2018) ‘The Walbottle Hoard of 1879: re-examination and reassessment’, Archaeologia Aeliana 5th series, vol. 46, 41-75 (with F. McIntosh and M. Ponting).
He concludes that the two previous papers about the Walbottle hoard reflect modern attitudes towards the Roman past rather than proven archaeological reality, and the continued failure to accurately date when hoards were buried and lost remains a significant problem:
"imagined ‘events’ that led to its owner hiding the jar and coins in the ground, both authors believed, firstly that the 5,000 coins had been buried because of an imminent threat to the owner and presumably his property, secondly that it was the intention of the owner to return at some point in the future to recover his buried wealth, and finally that he had been unable to do so because of some unforeseen incident."
Why the hoard was buried and not recovered is likely to remain a mystery for the foreseeable future.
Historic England Picture Collection Reference: DP058664
Date: 17 Apr 2008
Location: Chesters Roman Fort, Museum, Humshaugh, Chesters, Northumberland
Date: 17 Apr 2008
Location: Chesters Roman Fort, Museum, Humshaugh, Chesters, Northumberland
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