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/ ;-=09 )(8*
=-0/ ]
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BEULAH
HILL
TREASURE TROVE
1953
Edward
I-III,
138
Coins,
c. 1364
On
13
April
1953,
14
gold
and
124
silver
coins
of the
fourteenth
century
were
discovered
n
virgin
lay
a
few nches below the
surface
of the
garden
at
86
The
Woodlands,
Beulah
Hill,
Upper
Norwood,
Surrey.
The finder
promptly
reported
her
discovery
to
the
British
Museum,
and
there is
every
reason to believe that
the 138 coins
recoveredrepresentthe whole hoard. A Coroner'sinquest held at
Croydon
on
2
May
resulted
n the
find
being
declared treasure
trove,
and the
coins were
again
submitted
o the BritishMuseum
for
further
examination.1
A
small
number
(marked
with an
asterisk
in
the
accompanying
ist)
were
retained
by
the British
Museum
and the
remainderwere
acquired
by
the
London
Museum.
The
finder
was
rewarded with
the full
market value of
the
hoard.
Very
few
English
finds
can be dated to
the
decade
1360-70,
and
that fromBeulah Hill seems the first o be reported n any detail.2
Special
importance
attaches to
the
fact
that
it
is
a
mixed
gold
and
silver
hoard,
one
of
the first
o reflect
hanges
in the national cur-
rency
consequent
on Edward
Ill's introduction
f
the
gold
noble
and
silver
groat.
The
latter
coin
had
been
put
into
circulation
only
in
1351,
yet
the Beulah
Hill
findof 1364
contains
no fewer
han
94,
all
of
them
circulated.
It would
seem
that the new
denomination
was
meeting
adequately
a
very
real
need.
Another feature
of
the hoard
is
that,
with the
exception
of
two
battered
pennies
of
Edward
I,
all
the
coins were struck
within
a
period
of a dozen
years.
The
great
recoinage
of 1351
seems
effectively
o
have
driven
from
circulation
the heavier
coinsof
he earlier
part
of he
century.
Such
a
phenomenon
suggests
that
the new
coinage
was on
an
ample
scale.
No
less
significant
s
the absence
of
lusshebournes
the
only
"
foreigner"
n the find
s
a
Scots
groat
of
good
weight.
This
may
seem
to bear
out
Brooke's
contention
hat
t had been
a
faulty
djust-
ment
of
the values of
gold
and silver
that
had
precipitated
the 1351
1
The writer
s
grateful
o
Mr.
E. J.
Winstanley
ho
gave
up
a
whole fter-
noon
o
checking
hrough
ithhim
he coins
gainst
is
preliminary
ist.
2
Thewriter
s
grateful
o
Mr.
J.
D.
A.
Thompson
f
he
Ashmolean
useum
for
lacing
t
his
disposal
he
relevant
ages
of
his
forthcomingibliography
of
English
oin
hoards.
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116 R. H. M. DOLLE
Y
recoinage. Certainly
he
proportions
f the different
enominations
suggest
that a limited
mastery
of bimetallic
theory
nd
practice
had
at last
been achieved.3
Another
cause of
complaint
was
clipping
of
the
coinage,
and
in
this context the
followingfigures
may
be of
interest.
The total face
value of the
hoard was £3. 155.
10
d.,
£2
in
gold
and the balance
in
silver.4
Consequently
the
nominal
weight
should have
been
as follows
Gold
1
oz.
10
dwt.
Silver
1
lb.,
4
oz.,
2
dwt.,
2
grains.
The actual weightwas (to the nearestgrain)
Gold
1
oz.,
9
dwt.,
3
grains.
Silver
1
lb.,
3
oz.,
12
dwt.,
grains.
Thus,
the
deficiency
mounted
in
the
case
of
gold
to no
more than
11
grains,
and in
the case of
silver to 10
dwt.,
3
grains.
The ratio of
gold
to silverwas as
12
1,
and the
total
deficiency
n
the
coinage
can
be
expressed
as
Is 9
d.
in
£3.
1
5s.
10
d.,
or rather
ess
than
6d.
in
the
pound.
When
we
remember
hat the
gold
used
was 23
ct.,
3| gr.
fine, nd the silver11 oz., 2 dwt.,muchofthe discrepancycan fairly
be
attributed to wear
and
tear
in
circulation.
In
this connexion it
should
be
remarked
hat
scarcely
one of
the Beulah Hill
silver
coins
approaches
fleur
de
coin.
Nevertheless,
the
silver
generally
has
a
clipped
appearance,
and
it
is
hard to avoid
the
conclusion that
clippers
had been at
work.
Very
few coins
are within
grain
of their rue
weight,
nd the
follow-
ing frequency
tables for
the
London
groats
and
half-groats
eem
suggestive
LONDON GROATS
C
D
E F
G
1351/2
35213
354/5
1356
1356-61
Less
han
6
grains
.
.
.2 . . . .
2
66-66-9
1
..
2
1 ..
4
67-67-9
2 . . . .
2
68-68-9
2
1 1
..
..
4
69-69-9
6
1
4 1 1
13
70-70-9
11 1
8
1
15
36
71-71*9
8
3
1
8
20
72
grains
r
more
.... 1 1 1
.
3
6
33
4
19 4 27 87
3 This snottosaythat hecoins n thehoard re nthe ameproportion
as
emissions
rom
he
Mint. n
theory
sum f
gold
worth 2 hould
ave
been
made
up
of
2
nobles,
half
nobles,
nd 2
quarter-nobles.
4
The
present-day
urchasingower
f this um
s hard
o
estimate
ut s
perhaps
etween
hree
nd
four undred
ounds
terling.
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BETJLAH
HILL
TREASURE TROVE
1953
117
Thus,
the
"C"
groats
are on
average
3-7
per
cent,
light,
the "D"
groats 2-3 per cent., the "E" groats 2-9 per cent., the "F" groats
3
per
cent.,
and the
"G"
groats only
1-5
per
cent.
LONDON
HALF-GROATS
C
D E
F
G
1351/2
352/3 354/5
1356 1356-61
361-3 363-9
Less han
3
grains
...
33-33-4
1
1
33-5-33-9 . .2
1
.. ..
3
34-34-4
.
.
.4
2 6
34-5-34-9 . .2
..
1
..
1
..
4
35-35-4
.
.
.1
2
3
35-5-35-9.. 2 .. 1 .. 1 .. .. 4
36
grains
rmore
.
1
..
.. ..
1
..
..
2
12 2
2 1
4 2
23
Obviously
there are not sufficient
oins for the columns
to be
per-
centaged
with
any profit,
ut
generally
his second table
bears out the
picture
presented
by
the
first.
The older
coins are
generally ighter.
Many
more
hoards will have to
be examined beforewe
can
attempt
a
final
stimate,
but the
present
writer
s
not convinced that
clipping
was not practised n the mintquite openlyin orderto correctover-
weight.
This is
not to
deny
that
it
was
an
objectionable
practice
facilitating
ater
depredations,
ut
in
the
throesof
recoinageprinciple
is
often
acrificed o
expediency. Against
this t
may
be
argued
that
both
the
Treaty half-groats
re
clipped
and
under-weight,
ut we
do
not
know to what extent new
batches of
coin were
picked
over mme-
diately
after
eaving
the mints.5
If,
too,
illegal
clipping
was
rife,
t is
strange
that
the
malefactors hould
have
spared
the noble
and
its
divisions. Mintpractice,on the otherhand,mightwell have winked
at
irregularities
n the silver
that no
press
of
business
could
have
afforded o tolerate
n the
gold.
To the numismatist
s such
the main
interest f
the hoard must
be
the
E/D
mule of
the London
groat.
The
D/E
mule
has
long
been
known,
nd
there
was
no reason
to
suppose
that
its
brother
would not
turn
up
in time. The
Scots
groat
is a
die-duplicate
of one from
he
Montrave
hoard now
in the British
Museum which
also is of
good
weight.
Generally
the
proportion
f coins
in
each
class accords well
5
There
s
some
eason
or
elieving
hat he
earlier
heck n the
weight
f
individual
ieces
had
been
bandoned
n
the case of silver.
This
being
o,
it
would e
surprising
f henew
oin
was not
picked
ver. It is
perhaps ignifi-
cant
that he
heaviest
alf
groat
as a
thoroughly
lipped
ppearance.
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118
R. H. M. DOLLEY
with
prevailing mpressions oncerning
heirrelative
rarity,
ut it is
a little
disturbing
o comparethefollowing hronological able of the
hoard with
contemporary
igures
f
coinage
published
by
Crump
and
Hughes
in
the
NumismaticChronicle
or
1913.
Before
13511351
1351/2
352/3
354/5
356
356-61
361-3
363-9
Gold
Noble
1
.. 2 .. ..
3
Half-noble
1 1
Quarter-noble
...
. . . .
2
2
6
10
SilverGroat 33 5 24 4 27 .. .. 93
Half-groat
12
2
3 1
4
.
2 24
Penny
.2..
1
.. 2 ..
1
..
.. 6
2 .
46 7
30
5
36
2
9 137
Also
ne
Scots
roat
f
1358-66.
Naturally
allowance has to be made for the fact that this
table
includes a fewcoins not of the London
mint,
nd it must also be
borne
in
mind that
in
neither case are the
figureskeyed
to
the
modern
calendar year, and that the two medieval years are reckonedquite
differently.
ven
so,
it
is
a little
disturbing
o find
he
year
1351/2
accounting
for a third of the coins
in the find when silver
coinage
between
September
1351 and
September
1352
was
only
slightly
above the annual
average
forthe
period
1351-65.
In
the
following
ist of the
find,
full
use
has been made of
L.
A.
Lawrence's
masterpiece
which first
appeared
in these
pages,
his
Coinage
of
Edward III
from
1351
and each
coin
has been
described
as
nearly
as
possible by
reference
o the dies Usted
therein. It
must
be
emphasized,
however, hat the fact that two coins have the same
Lawrence
number
does not
necessarily
mean
that
they
are
die-
duplicates.
It will
be
noticed,
too,
that
many
coins differ
rom
specimens
recorded
by
Lawrence
only
by
the
absence
or
presence
of
a bar
or
serif
n a
particular
etter. In
a
fewcases
this
may
be
because
Lawrence
had
access
to an
example
in
an
inferior
tate
of
preservation
but
generally
he
present
writer
s
inclined
to
postulate
a
die-variety.
There
are
sufficient
oins
n
the
find
with
ndisputable
new
readings
or
us to be certainthat as yetwe have by no means a completepicture
of Edward
Ill's
new
coinage,
and
it is
a measure
of
Lawrence's
achievement
that
his conclusions should
be
strengthened
nd
not
weakened
by
a
discovery
uch as
that
at
Beulah
Hill.
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BETJLAH
HILL
TREASURE TROVE
1953
119
All Coins
of
London
Mint
unless
Otherwise
tated
NOBLES
Coinage
of
1351-61
(1)
Class
E
as L.
AG-64
117-8
(2)
Class
Gd
as
L. BG-30
119-4
(3)
?
mule
Ga/gd
as
L.
AW-31
(Obverse
worn)
115-2
HALF-NOBLE
Coinage
of
1363-9
(4)
Class
a as L.
1 59-5
QUARTER-NOBLES
Coinage
of
1351-61
(5)
Class
Gf
as L.
2 29-8
(6)
Class
Gg
as L.
7
29-4
Coinage
of
1361-3
(7)
Class
a
as
L. 2
29-5
(8)
Class
a
as
L.
3
29-8
Coinage
of
1363-9
(9, 10) Classa as L. 1 29-4,29-8
(11,
12)
Class
a as L. 6
29-8,
9-9
(13)
Sub-mule
as L.
1 29-8
(14)
Sub-mule
as L. 2
29-8
GROATS
Coinage
of
1351-61
(15)
Mule
B/C
as L. 5
71-4
(16,
17)
Mules
B/C
as
L.
19
but
hVhh
and
ilVW
66-6*,
1-1
(18-21)
Class
C
as
L.
1
but
A in
TAS
barred
71-7, 1-7,70-8,
9-6
(22) ClassC as nos. 18-21 but ílVB» 70-4
(23)
Class
C
as
L. 5
but
1
J
throughout
nd
barredA
in
TAS
68-4
(24)
Class C
as
L.
13
68-8
(25)
Class
C
as no.
24 but
hVBo
70-5
(26)
Class
C
as
no.
24 but unbarred
A in
TAS
72-0
(27)
Class
C
as
L. 19 but unbroken
M 69-4
(28)
Class
C
as
L.
27
but DM-fcVB
70-8*
(29-34)
Class C
as L.
27 but
^
throughout
uter
egends
61-9,
70-8
71-1,
7-9,71-3,
1-0
(35,
36)
Class C
as
nos. 29-34
but
3J
nd ends
SJ
70-0,
70-3
(37) ClassC as nos. 29-34but7Ï, Ä and 7J 69-3
(38)
Class
C
as
L. 29
70-2
(39)
Class C
as L.
31/27
but
Bo
and
7J
throughout
uter
legends
71*2
(40)
Class
C
as
L. 33
but
B
»
69'9
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120
R. H.
M. DOLLEY
(41)
Class
C
as
no. 40
but
7J
hroughout
uter
egends
70-1
(42,43) ClassC as L. 34 butÇ and barredA inTAS 67-0, 9-0
(44)
Class C
as
L.
35
70*5
(45,
46)
Class C
clipped
but
top
arches
unfleured
69-4,
69-3
(47)
Class
C
clipped
but all arches
fleured
70*0
(48)
Mule
D/C
as L. 4 but
«Í6V
69-7
(49)
Class
D
GDW7SRDD0«
RGX«7tII0l¿íFlR7TIIÓ «DhVB
P0SVI D6VffMIļDIVT0R|G«MīlGV
KOHiDOn aiVX¡T7tS
728
(50)
Class
D
GDW7TRD-D-0-RGX«7raeL-Z*HR7raa-D''ft
P0SVI¡-D6V«l-7í|DIVT0R|60MH6V
CIVI|T7TSļUOHļDOH 68 9
(51)
Class
D
GDW7ÎRDD0'REX"7tII0l
IIGDřiVB
POSVI|DGVitt-7ï|DIVTOR|6
líOHDOH|GIVl|T7TS
704
(52)
Mule
E/D
GDW7TRD
D0-RGX-7ÏII
Ll-FR7tIia-DftVB
POSVI|D-VÍK7T1DIVTOR|GÍ«5KGV
LOn|DOII|aiVI|T7tS
687*
(53)
Class
E
as L. 6
66-0
(54)
Class
E
as L.
17/18
72-0
(55)
Class
E
as L. 22
but
W
70-7
(56-60) Class E as L. 25 on nos. 59 and 60 there s a pro-
gressive
ie-flaw
rom
eft url
o
left heek
71-0,
1-5,
70*7,
0-2*,
0-8*
(61)
Class
E as
L.
25/26
69-4
(62, 63)
Class
E
as L.
26
69-5,
0-1
(64)
Class
E
?
as L. 28
69*9
(65)
Class
E
as L.
46/43
66*5
(66)
Class
E
as L.
46
70-4
(67)
Class
E
? as
L.
50
69-4
(68)
Class
E
as
L.
58/59
70-2
(69) ClassE as L. 64 70-0
(70)
Class
E
as L. 71
71-1
(71)
Class
F
as L.
10/2
ut
GIVI|DOII|LOH|T7ïS
71-8*
(72)
Class
F
as
L.
10/5
70-9
(73)
Class
F
as L.
17
but ast
six
words
f
obverse
nd
whole
of
reverse
egend
unstopped
66-9
(74)
Class F
as L.
22/21
69-6
(75)
Mule
F/G
as L. 2
but
ast
three
words
f
obverse
egend
unstopped
70-5
(76)
Mule
F/G
as
L. 8
70-8
(77,78)
Class
Ga as
L. 1-4
70-6, 0*1(79) ClassGa as L. 7
7q.q
(80-83)
Class
Ga as
L.
14
70-3,
0-9,
1-9,
1-0
(84)
Class
Ga as
L.
29
71-9
(85)
Class
Ga as
L.
37
72-0
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BETJLAH
HILL
TREASURE TROVE
1953
121
(86)
Class Ga
obversewornbut
reverse
eads
POSVI|DGV«í°7t| lítt-ÍHGV 711
(87)
Mule
Gb/Ga
s L.
2/34
72-1
(88)
Class Gb as
L.
4
7M
(89)
Class
Gb as L.
19
but
hV*B
and
ittflGGV
70-0
(90)
Class
Gb as
L.
21
70-2
(91)
Class
Gc
as L. 2
70*9
(92)
Class
Gc as L.
15
but
stop
after
REX
70*1
(93)
Mule
Gb/Gd
s L.
1/2
70-7
(94)
Mule
Gb/Gd
s L.
3
71-7
(95)
Class
Gd
as L.
1/2
but EIV in
first
uarter
72*1
(96) MuleGe/Gd s L. 1 butomitsfleur n left houlder 70-6
(97)
Class
Ge
as L. 4
69-8
(98)
Class
Ge
as L.
5/4
70-9
(99)
Mule
Gf/Gg
s L.
1/2
71*1
(100)
Class
Gg
as L.
6 but
D**6
70-8*
(101)
Class
Gg
as L.
5-6/7
71-0
Royal
Mint of York
(102)
Class
D as
L. 1
70*9
(103)
Mule
E/D
as
L.
2
70-2
(104,105) ClassE as L. 8 71-6, 10
(106)
Class
E as L.
12
(ft
altered rom
I)
69-8*
(107)
Class
E
as L. 21
71-8
HALF-GROATS
Coinage
of 1351-61
(108)
Class Ca
as L. 1
but
reads
lHR7tM
35-9
(109)
Class
Ca
as L.
3
? but doublestruck
34-1
(110)
Class Cb
as L.
6/9
35-1
(111)
Class Cc
as L. 1
34-0
(112) Class Cc as L. 1 but7J 36-0
(113)
Class Cc
as L.
5
35-5
(114)
Class Cc
as L.
5 but
°RG°
33-8*
(115)
Class
Cd obverse
llegible
but ends
HR7TMC-É nd
reverse s
L.
6b
34-4
(116-18)
Class Cd
as
L.
9
but
DGV
and
TÄS
34-8,
34-6,
4-1
(119)
Class
Cd
inscription
uite
uncertain
33-9
(120-21)
Class Cd
as
L.
10
but
normal
topping
n
reverse
34-2,
4-0
(122)
Mule
D/E
as
L. 2
35-6
(123)
Class
E as L.
8/5
34.7
(124) ClassF as L. 5 33 0
(125)
Class
Ga
as
L.
4
but
ÄDIVT
33-9
(126)
Class
Ga
as L.
8/20
37-1*
(127)
Class
Ga
as
L.
18
35-6
(128)
Class
Ga
as L. 21 but
VIDGV
and
ORG«*-
34-8
This content downloaded from 83.85.130.64 on Fri, 27 Jun 2014 18:57:41 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
8/20/2019 Beulah Hill treasure trove 1953 : Edward I-III, 138 coins, c. 1364 / [R.H.M. Dolley]
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/beulah-hill-treasure-trove-1953-edward-i-iii-138-coins-c-1364-rhm 10/10
122
BEULAH HILL TREASURE TROVE 1953
Royal Mint
of York
(129) ClassE as L. 6 33-7
Coinage
of
1363-9
(130)
Class
I as L. 1-12
35-4
(131)
Class
II
as
L.
30
35
1
PENCE
Edward
I
(1272-1307)
(132)
Brooke,
Class
X
(1302-7)
16-5
Episcopal
Mint of Durham
(133) Brooke,Class IV (1282-3)with nitialcrossmoline 14-1
Edward
III
(1327-77)
Coinage
of
1351-61
Episcopal
Mint
of
Durham
(134)
Class
C
as L.
1
17-1
(135)
Class
E
-
probably
s
L. 2
15-2
(136)
Class
Gc
as L. 1 16-9
Royal
Mint of
York
(137) ClassE as L. 4 16-8
David II of
Scotand
(138)
Edinburgh roat
f he 1358-66
oinage
s
Burns,
ig.
50
72-2
R. H.
M.
Dolley
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