MATTISHALL 1968

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Location

City

Mattishall (Parish)

Address

Breckland (District)

County

Norfolk

Region

Eastern

Country

England, United Kingdom

Lat/Long/Alt

52.65833 / 1.0148558 / 42 view

Location details

Approximate find spot (4-figure grid reference)

Find spot comment

Location displays approximate coordinates centred on four figure grid reference.

Information

1469

Permalink

https://chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/hoard/1469

Hoard name

MATTISHALL 1968

Data type

Hoard

Date of discovery (from)

18 Jan 1968

Total number of coins

1084

Summary

On Thursday, 18 January 1968, a hoard of about 1100 Roman silver denarii and antoniniani, concealed in a pottery jar, was discovered on a building site at Mattishall, near East Dereham, Norfolk. 1,084 coins: 763 denarii and 321 antoniniani (radiates): Antoninus Pius - Postumus. Mr. Lovick directed a blow of his shovel at what he thought was a flint; this broke and disgorged about two hundred coins, which were coloured green by the products of corrosion. Together the two men lifted the lower part of the pot, which contained the remainder of the coins fused together in a solid mass. Realizing that the discovery might be of importance, but unaware of the true composition of the coins, they brought the pot and its contents to the Castle Museum. On the following day, the writers of this report were able to visit the site and investigate the immediate area of the find. It was clear that the pot had been buried in a shallow pit which cut slightly into the natural boulder clay. Fragments of other Roman vessels and a small quantity of burnt daub were found in the pit fill, which was somewhat darker and different in feel to the surrounding earth; no objects of later date were found other than a fragment of coarse brick. Both the size of the pit and the nature of the fill, despite the presence of other sherds, indicated that this fill was not an accumulation of domestic refuse. The evidence pointed to the pit being dug specifically as a place of concealment for the hoard. It is possible that the other sherds were placed in the pit around and above the vessel to protect and cover it; they may, on the other hand, represent a meagre scatter of surface debris which was shovelled into the pit when it was filled immediately after the deposition of the hoard.

Details
Coins Summary
Coins
Rating
Archaeological context
Containers
Objects
References
Reports
Images
Credit

Discovery method

Building work
Land Use

Road
Disposition

British Museum (part); Norwich Castle Museum (part)
Finder(s)

Mr. W. Tyrrell and Mr. C. Lovick
Comment

While they were preparing the side of a driveway leading to garages for bungalows on the Walnut Tree development site near the centre of Mattishall village.
Closing reign (earliest)

Postumus
Terminal year (earliest)

260
Closing reign (latest)

Postumus
Terminal year (latest)

261
Opening year (earliest)

154
Opening year (latest)

155
Coin-level data

Available to enter

Fetching coin data

Numismatic rating

Good
Context rating

Poor
Findspot rating

Poor

Site class

Rural

Containers belonging to this hoard

Jar

Only the lower part of the jar which contained the hoard survives, the neck and rim being missing. This is 4.5 inches high; when complete the jar was probably 6.5 inches high. The grey fabric is hard and slightly sandy; it is well-fired. The body of the vessel was originally burnished black. The jar is decorated with two shallow, horizontal grooves above the maximum diameter.

Permalink in other online databases

Reference

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)

Ref

https://finds.org.uk/database/hoards/record/id/1402

Comment

Ghey, E (2015) IARCH-D44DA6

References

Reference

Green, B. and Clough, T.H.McK. - 1968 - The Mattishall hoard of Roman silver coins

Ref

272-278

Reference

Carson, R.A.G. - 1969 - Mattishall (Norfolk) Treasure Trove of Roman Imperial Silver Coins

Ref

129-142

Reference

Robertson

Ref

489

Roberston dataset, imported by J. Mairat. IARCH dataset, AHRC funded University of Leicester and British Museum project. Imported and edited by M. Spoerri (June 2019 / Nov. 2024). Coin-level data (Antoninus-Commodus) added by M. Ball (July 2022). Updated by C. Gazdac (Apr. 2025).

Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire

MATTISHALL 1968

Data not added to the map

Containers belonging to this hoard

Jar

Permalink in other online databases

References

Coin Hoardsof the Roman Empire

MATTISHALL 1968

Data not added to the map

Containers belonging to this hoard

Jar

Permalink in other online databases

References

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Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire