SNETTISHAM

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Location

City

Snettisham (Parish)

Address

King's Lynn and West Norfolk (District)

County

Norfolk

Region

Eastern

Country

England, United Kingdom

Lat/Long/Alt

52.868252 / 0.49444408 / 7 view

Location details

Approximate find spot (4-figure grid reference)

Find spot comment

Location displays approximate coordinates centred on four figure grid reference.

Information

1496

Permalink

https://chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/hoard/1496

Hoard name

SNETTISHAM

Data type

Hoard

Date of discovery (from)

6 Aug 1985

(to)

6 Aug 1985

Total number of coins

110

Summary

On 6 August 1985, Mr George Onslow dug a narrow trench with a mechanical excavator on a building site at Snettisham in Norfolk. He then cleaned it up by hand with a shovel, and was curious to see the rim of a jar protruding from the bottom. He dug out the vessel, carried it home and, to his astonishment, discovered that it contained a vast collection of coins and jewellery. He straightaway reported the find to his employer and then took it to the local museum, whence it made its way to the British Museum since the hoard included a large quantity of silver items. At the same time, Tony Gregory of the Norfolk Archaeological Unit carried out an investigation of the site itself. On display were more than 350 items, all of which had been stuffed into a Roman vessel just 17.5 cm in height; indeed, some of the larger pieces had been bent so as to make them fit in. There were 110 Roman coins, 83 being silver denarii and the rest of brass or bronze; 110 unmounted engraved gems, all of red cornelian; and a vast array of silver rings, bracelets, necklaces and pendants. There were also silver bars, a certain amount of scrap in the form of sheet, fragments of bar and wire; two tools, one of quartz and one of copper; and a copper-alloy seal-box decorated with enamel and still retaining its string. The latest coins are two issues of AD 155. Roman Republic - Antoninus Pius

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

Discovery method

Building work
Land Use

Built over
Disposition

British Museum
Closing reign (earliest)

Antoninus Pius
Terminal year (earliest)

154
Closing reign (latest)

Antoninus Pius
Terminal year (latest)

161
Opening year (earliest)

-79
Opening year (latest)

-79
Coin-level data

Available to enter

Fetching coin data

Numismatic rating

Excellent
Context rating

Fair
Findspot rating

Fair

Site class

Rural

Containers belonging to this hoard

Ceramic vessel

Height 17.5 cm

Objects belonging to this hoard

Gems
Red cornelian

Rings

Bracelets

Necklaces

Pendants

Bars
Silver

Scrap in the form of sheet

Tools
one of quartz and one of copper

Seal-box
Decorated with enamel and still retaining its string.

Permalink in other online databases

Reference

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)

Ref

https://finds.org.uk/database/hoards/record/id/1429

Comment

Ghey, E (2015) IARCH-EF6281

References

Reference

Potter, T. - 1986 - A Roman jeweller's hoard from Snettisham, Norfolk

Ref

137-139

Reference

John, C. - 1997 - The Snettisham Roman Jeweller's Hoard

Reference

Robertson

Ref

202

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). Updated by C. Gazdac (Apr. 2025).

Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire

SNETTISHAM

Data not added to the map

Containers belonging to this hoard

Ceramic vessel

Height 17.5 cm

Objects belonging to this hoard

Gems
Red cornelian

Rings

Bracelets

Necklaces

Pendants

Bars
Silver

Scrap in the form of sheet

Tools
one of quartz and one of copper

Seal-box
Decorated with enamel and still retaining its string.

Permalink in other online databases

References

Coin Hoardsof the Roman Empire

SNETTISHAM

Containers belonging to this hoard

Height 17.5 cm

Objects belonging to this hoard

Permalink in other online databases

References

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Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire