ey were buried, the more likely it was as a response to unrest. Again, the evidence of the English Civil War is that in times of trouble, most hoards were buried in the home territory of those going away to fight, not where the action was. Undoubtedly, though, some hoarding was in anticipation of 'enemy action', a prime example being the magnificent Hoxne hoard (Table 3, C269), consisting of 565 gold coins, over 14,000 silver coins as well as fine jewellery and tableware. It could even have been the proceeds of a whip-round to pay for protection against the invaders.
One final point to cogitate on; a large number of hoards have been found over the years, indeed centuries, yet these must be miniscule compared with the hoards that were formed, existed and then were dispersed. The fact that hoards may have lain in the ground for over 1700 years gives them a feeling of permanence. However, it is just as likely that they were dynamic, coming into and going out of existence, and their contents frequently changing.
Some notes and maps of the Geographical Distribution of coin hoards.
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Romano-British Coin Hoards by Richard Anthony Abdy, Shire Publications Ltd, 2002.
A History of Roman Britain by Peter Selway, Oxford University Press, 1993.
Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700, Kenneth W. Harl, The John Hopkins University Press, 1996.
Treasure - Finding our past, by Richard Hobbs, The British Museum Press, to accompany the 'Buried Treasure' exhibition, British Museum 2003.
The full Treasure Reports are available at the government website:
Treasure Annual Report 97/98
Treasure Annual Report 98/99
Treasure Annual Report 2000
Treasure Annual Report 2001
Some information about specific hoards:
The Shapwick, Somerset hoard at the Somerset Museums site.
The Langtoft, East Yorkshire hoards at Beast Coins.
The Stanchester, Wiltshire and other hoards at the Wansdyke Project site.
The Hoxne, Suffolk hoard at the Encyclopaedia Romana site.
The Patching, West Sussex, hoard at the Treasure Realm site.