This blog was written and researched by Claire Botham. Claire works for Historic England but spent some time at Northumberland Archives on a career development placement. Claire looked at the inquest papers relating to the Corbridge Hoard (ref: COS/3/34/12) and some related sources when researching her blog.
Corbridge Roman Town in the Tyne Valley area of Northumberland supported the adjacent Roman Frontier Garrison and was a depot for the distribution of provisions and a centre for manufacture of many articles required by neighbouring troops.
Excavations of the long buried site were started by the Corbridge Excavation Committee, whose President was the Duke of Northumberland, and excavations took place every year between 1907-1914.
The first significant find of these excavations was in September 1908 when workmen found a sheet of lead beneath a floor of which the two ends had been bent over to form a case or receptacle. Once unwrapped a gold ring and 48 coins were discovered. (Carlisle Journal 19/07/1912).
Discussions over the rightful owner of these items reached the High Court of Justice on 22 February 1910 when Henry George, 7th Duke of Northumberland, stated that they were “Treasure Trove” and claimed to be entitled to them. This meant that he was disputing the fact that these articles were the property of the King Edward VII.
Now what is “Treasure Trove” I hear you ask? The earliest definition is from Henry De Bracton in the 13th Century who defined it as any “gold or silver, whether in coin, plate or bullion, found hidden in the earth or other private place where no one can prove ownership. This treasure belongs to the King unless the person who hid it is known or can be discovered”.
Sir William Blackstone defines it as “where any money or coin, gold, silver, plate or bullion, is found hidden in the earth, or other private place, the owner thereof being unknown”
This definition became even more important when a more significant find was made on the site on 4 September 1911. Two workmen, Holmes Riley and Edward Coxon, were digging out soil on the site and “did then find 159 gold coins of the Roman Period 54AD-159AD enclosed in a bronze jug or vase”
Holmes Riley’s witness statement to the Coroner, Henry Taylor Rutherford, on 29 September 1911, states that at 9.15am he was using a pick, “when some soil fell down exposing to view the bronze jug/vase. It was standing upright and the top of the jug was 1ft from the surface. Coxon then placed his hands by the side, Holmes used the pick and eased the jug… into Coxon’s hands and as it fell over the bottom came out. We then saw it contained a number of coins.”
The Foreman, John Rutherford, and the Superintendent of the Excavations, Robert Henry Forster, inspected the find and found there to be 159 gold and 2 bronze coins covering the periods from Nero to Marcus Aurelius, approximately AD 50 -AD 180. These coins were deposited with Lloyds Bank in Corbridge for safekeeping and were examined by Mr H.H.E.Craster, known as Edmund Craster, an expert numismatist, who had examined the gold coins found in 1908.
The ownership of the coins was discussed in detail at this inquest with representatives from the Treasury, the Duke of Northumberland and Captain Cuthbert, the landowner. The Duke of Northumberland was the Lord of the Manor having been awarded the area of land under an Act of Parliament of 1776.
The Duke of Northumberland writes to the Corbridge Excavation Committee on 18 September 1911 (SANT/GEN/ARC/1/4) asking them to approach the Treasury “making it plain that they do not do so in my interest, but in the interest of local archaeology, and that they regard it as a matter of urgency in consequence of the discontent exhibited by the workmen at not receiving any reward pending litigation”. On 21 September 1911 he suggests “he should lie low, as the Treasury must not suppose that I am trying to grind my own axe… and if I prove my right to Treasure Trove, I may take the find to Alnwick and lock it up”.
Both the Duke and the landowner contended that as the coins had been accidently abandoned, probably during one of the raids of the Caledonians (Scots), they were not Treasure Trove but belonged to the finder or Lord of the Manor. However, the gold coins had been carefully deposited in a suitable receptacle as if with the deliberate intention of secreting them and all of the evidence shows that the jug had not changed its position from the day on which it passed out of its original owners hands till it was discovered (George McDonald report 1912- reported in Scotsman on 4 November 1912).
By 3 October 1911 the Duke seems to have realised that his claim for these coins is somewhat diminished as the Treasury had formally challenged his right to Treasure Trove, and he had little hope that there was a precedent he could use in support of his claim.
Captain Cuthbert, the landowner, writes on 12 November 1911 that “the treasury intends to act “in the interest of archaeological science generally” and to forego my just claim.” But by 19 January 1912 he writes that “I still do not agree that the 1911 fund is Treasure Trove but I give up my claim because the collection might be kept together” (SANT/GEN/ARC/1/4).
By early 1912 both the Duke of Northumberland and the landowner relinquished their claim to the coins and a High Court judgement on 23 February 1912 meant that a Treasury representative could call into Lloyds Bank in Corbridge to take possession of them.
One of the coins discovered is particularly important with a coin of Faustina, wife of Antoninus Pius, which records the inception of an institution for the education of young girls, which was founded by her husband after her death. There is only one other surviving example of this coin held in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris (London Evening Standard 19 July 1912).
Both the 1908 and 1911 hoard have been preserved intact by the British Museum and are not mixed with the rest of the Roman coin collection so students can examine and study them in their entirety.